What is digital identity?


Digital identity is an identity that individuals show to others through network interaction and connection. It is like their presences on the Internet. It is everything they publish and share online. It is an identity how individuals participate, treat others, and how they use digital tools to benefit themselves on the Internet. Individuals’ digital identity is their footprint on the Internet. Their study, work, portfolio, blog, and everything they do on the Internet represent one’s digital identity (Stoller, n.d.). It is a fictional network image in some established and accepted social networks. For example, when they choose to build their Facebook pages or their virtual identities in chat rooms, they show an identity to an imaginary public, which they think is acceptable and can prove that they are close enough to others in tastes to be regarded as part of their public. People use pictures and references materials in the signature section to prove that they know something about the topics they are interested in when they want to post something in the social media or make comments online (Spracklen, 2015). Digital identity, therefore, is the portrait of humans that they show through online interaction.


How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?


Professional identity is formed in social interaction based on the Internet by using online platforms and communication tools. Taking medical students as an example, they have formed some professional qualities in the process of graduation, as part of their lifelong professional identification. They learn professional communication methods on social media platforms based on the Internet, which affects their professional identity. Apart from personal emotions and cognition, academic work has confirmed the development of identity through social communication. Professional identity is a personal professional self-concept based on attributes, beliefs, motives, values, and experiences. The development of social interaction models, such as online platforms, and the subsequent formation of their professional identities have an important impact on the future of medical students. These Internet-based ways may have a certain impact on the formation of their Internet-based online identities, which are labeled as “Digital Professional Identity (DPI)”, that is, “professional identities formed through social interaction based on the Internet through online platforms and communication tools. Therefore, professional digital identity emphasizes professional-related network activities, which is more professional and purposeful, and the topics involved in the discussion are also more occupational. This will also increase the development of professional social medias.


However, personal digital identity puts more emphasis on themselves in some interactions on the Internet. Therefore, personal digital network is more inclined to personal preferences, personal social interaction, etc. It may be purposeful or aimless, with a wider scope and a wider field. This will increase the use and browsing of general social software and websites. For example, some teenagers use Instagram to chat with their peers or post something about their lives or something interesting. This kind of behavior is purposeless. Digital identity helps them to find a relaxed platform, establish contact with friends and vent their emotions, including good or bad feelings.


How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and benefits?


More and more individuals, enterprises and countries are interacting on the Internet. Digital identity is the core of these interactions. How they use digital identities will determine how people express themselves on the Internet. This is a basic role of identity in the digital society. With the rapid development of digital society, however, it will bring many benefits as well as threats.


Firstly, digital Identity is the core of the digital economy. Digital identity supports digital economy, and digital services occupy people’s lives, making people’s lives simpler. International services and international cooperation that were difficult to achieve before, through online platforms, humans can enjoy global services at home and keep in touch with people around the world. Digital identity is the medium of digital economy, attracting more global digital identity users and increases the economic income of countries. For the government, they can effectively manage personal digital identities, which is more systematic and concise. Everyone is under the management of one system, through which theft caused by the loss of physical identity can be effectively prevented. Their goal is to manage the digital identity of individuals more securely. For companies, enterprise services can attract the attention of global digital identity users, increase the number of potential customers who will use enterprise services, increase consumer groups, and potentially increase the company’s operating profit.


In addition, for individuals, they can enjoy global services without leaving home, making their life more convenient. People can study, socialize, and shop at home, etc. In the past, they had to spend more time in schools, social places, and shopping places. Now with digital devices, a simple mobile phone can help them to study, work, socialize or go shopping without going to the specific places. This is making everything simple, saving time and doing things more efficiently. At home, individuals can connect with the society and make them have a sense of belonging to society. However, there are more and more issues people should pay attention to on the Internet. An increasing number of websites, new apps, and new technologies will challenge people every day. Living in an age of technology, lifelong learning is very serious. Digital identity encourages humans to become lifelong learners. Social media will reveal whether people have this natural curiosity and passion for lifelong learning. But human beings are growing and adapting (Stoller, n.d.). Learning needs, work needs, or social needs will all prompt everyone to keep learning new technologies, understanding new apps, and participating in different websites or social platforms. These connections and interactions will promote continuous learning and adapting to high-tech life. Especially for education, it may improve the education level of everyone. For some reason, those who have no time to study in the classroom within the specified time can manage their time more effectively. They can balance their lives and families with study and work and improve everyone’s chances of getting education. Of course, with more and more interactions on the Internet, online bullying, pornographic websites, and online fraud will also flood people’s lives, and people will gradually learn the ability to deal with these issues.


Moreover, for professional people, interacting on the Internet helps the formation of their identities, such as peer learning, teamwork, collaborative learning, leadership ability, management and communication skills, ethics, and professionalism. Strong group identity is associated with enhanced social support and improved well-being, but unhealthy group norms may make individuals engage in behaviors and activities that endanger their wellbeing. Using social platforms would have a negative impact on academic performance, reducing students’ face-to-face social interactions. With the use of social networks, individuals may be confronted with physical and psychological problems.


Furthermore, digital identity can increase political inclusiveness and political influence, including the good aspects and bad aspects. The radical left actively uses the Internet to spread opinions, while radical right-wing parties and politicians use social media to strengthen people’s support for themselves and participate in active or passive election campaign. Their control over the media of many famous countries enables them to extend their hegemony to virtual leisure space and make users’ views on neoliberalism and nationalism become norms by propaganda and persuasion. Therefore, the Internet and social media have become a group of people who influence politics and can publicize their political views more efficiently. However, because everyone is in the center of the network every day, it is difficult to avoid contacting these views, so they are subtly influenced by various political views. The internet has contributed to the growth of some conspiracy theories, making it easier to maintain some untrue beliefs. The internet has contributed to the spread of conspiracy theories and made some beliefs more deeply rooted in people’s hearts (Spracklen, 2015).


In conclusion, the network is the establishment and maintenance of social networks and identities. People can find like-minded people to share politics through the internet, but this also encourages the growth of some conspiracy theories. Social media and the Internet can make it easier for people to communicate with each other, but they also have many concerns. People will worry about cyber violence, the spread of illegal videos, illegal downloads, etc. (Spracklen, 2015).

For me, my digital identity is a typical of personal digital identity. I use social medias to keep in touch with my friends. Sometimes I vent my emotions and follow the latest news of my favorite idols. Watching interesting animal videos on social media can temporarily relieve the pressure of busy study and life. Generally speaking, I use social media to contact my friends and relax.

Reference

[Eric Stoller]. (2016, November 25). Your Digital Identity [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0