What is a digital identity?

I would define digital identity as your online presence: it includes what you choose to share, and the way that you use digital tools whether that is by tweeting something, posting on Instagram, having a LinkedIn profile, what you search on Google, and even blog posts that you create. As mentioned in the University of Derby (2016), a digital footprint is essentially something that is traceable, and is represented by everything that you put out on the web. Nowadays, your digital identity is commonly something that is looked up by potential employers to inform them on whether you are a good candidate for a position, which is like a pre-interview. It’s a way for employers to learn information about an individual that might not otherwise be brought up in a written or oral interview. What’s interesting about our digital identities is that they are constantly changing as we continue to interact with online media. A component of our digital identity is lifelong learning, as we are continually gaining knowledge on new information, and we have also learned how to be critical about what we see and hear in our personal learning networks. For instance, some people are better at deciphering between real and fake news in the digital world, which brings up the idea that social media prompts us to decide whether or not we have this passion for lifelong learning.

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

I think personal approaches to digital identity affect social media by predominantly sharing the individual’s personal information, such as their interests and opinions, to family and friends. The personal approach to social media use is centered around building your identity and your self-expression online, as well as staying up to date with people that you care about. My personal digital identity through social media consists of images of myself and my friends and the activities that it take part in that I share with friends and family.

Professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use by centering on information and content that is related to their profession and being involved in formal online communication platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. By using social media in a professional setting, we are broadcasting our professional identities and promoting our experience in the related profession. As mentioned in Jawed et al. (2019), professional identify formation, including communication skills, team working, collaborative learning, professionalism, and ethics, are at the forefront of professional social media accounts. In contrast to personal social media accounts, professional social media accounts are more private, with nothing very personal attached to their name to maximize their professionalism.

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

Impacts: There are many security and privacy concerns with regard to converging digital identities in networked publics. Through almost any online platform, someone can create a fake identity, which can lead to people in communication with that user to question that user’s digital identity, and people could potentially be misled to believe that they know that person when in reality they really do not. Most online platforms are receiving a surge of new users, which increases concerns about private or personal data being taken, shown publicly, or being leaked. This information could be manipulated or altered in malicious ways that could cause detrimental effects to someone’s professional career, or even to their personal life.

Benefits: Convergence of digital identities in networked publics can have many benefits, namely someone is able to freely communicate their opinions, interests, beliefs and values on several online networks and can find and connect with people that have similar morals and values to them. In addition, one can join and contribute to online communities, forums, and networks that all share similar views and opinions, making that person feel more connected. As mentioned in the World Economic Forum (2019), having a converged digital identity in a network is very useful. For example, in India, the creation of a digital identification platform for use by Indian residents has been shown to increase the efficiency of the delivery of public services, which has helped allow residents to travel, get jobs, and migrate, since before, many residents never had the proper identification to do those things.

References

Jawed, S., Mahboob, U., & Yasmeen, R. (2019). Digital professional identity: Dear Internet! Who am I? Education for Health, 32(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.4103/efh.efh_232_17

University of Derby. (2016, November 25). Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0

World Economic Forum. (2019, February 5). Davos 2019 – Press Conference The Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7lyxrOmw