This paper looks at the idea of and some instances of virtual communities and focuses on the issue of whether they help or inhibit social interactions for the majority of people who use them. I am not looking at whether internet use in general is good or bad but I am focusing on the people who use virtual communities for social interaction. Some of these communities are hobby/interest groups; support groups i.e. health issues or interactive game players. I will look at how the social interactions online affect a person’s sociability in general and what types of social interactions they have online.

IDENTITY DECEPTION IN VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES AND NETWORKS AND ITS RÉQUISITOIRES
It is indeed important to note that identity plays a fundamental role in virtual communities, in communication which is the elementary activity, knowing the identity of those with whom you communicate with is pivotal for understanding and evaluating and interaction. This paper will explore the role played by identity in virtual communities, analyse the effects of identity deception and what give rise to it. The discussion includes how the virtual communities only carry information rather than matter, virtual communities as a communication system, the anatomy of users, social network structures and why people are attracted to them and their advantages.

Social networking communities have become more popular since the introduction of Web 2.0. A major research study on the use of digital technologies by adults from 16 industrialised nations suggests that on average they spend a third of their leisure time online, belong to two social networking sites and have regular contact with people who they have met on the Internet (Harrison & Thomas, 2009). Social networking websites can be defined as web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection and view their list of connections and those made by others within the system (Harrison & Thomas, 2009). One of the most common social networking communities is Facebook. The popularity of social networking communities such as Facebook demonstrate the addictive appeal of online and virtual communities across generations and cultures, particularly their attraction to teenagers, housewives, students and a new group of recently enfranchised elderly digital immigrants (Harrison and Thomas, 2009). For my conference paper, I am going to focus on Facebook and how people behave and present themselves on social networking sites. I will talk about how a lot of people create fake accounts on these websites and the reason why they do this.

Deception and Authenticity.

How false and misleading profiles are impacting online dating.
By Murray Watts

The deception and authenticity of Web2.0 users in relation to online dating is an area of increasing concern. The stream of Identity in Community and Networks provides a ground for debating this topic. Computer mediated social interaction differs in important ways from face-to-face communication and online dating is no exception. Online communities are growing rapidly, and are enabling people to connect despite the physical distances between them (Ellison, 2006).

Video game violence has long caused debate as to whether it fosters violent attitudes in gamers as they move in the virtual world and progress out into the ‘real’ world of interaction with others. It has been stated in research that through the General Aggression Model (GAM) violent video games can increase aggression in children, young adults, males and females and even after short exposures to violent video games aggression can increase (Swing, Anderson, 2007). This assertion is backed up by the informal accounts of players who participate in online violent video games (OVVGs) and develop tendencies toward angry behavior during gameplay. This paper will focus on the immediate effects of violent gameplay on the attitudes of the player as he/she maneuvers around the virtual space and interacts with others forming and leaving relationships.

This paper proposes that though Self is both persistent and variable in game space, the influence of self over character avatars is reflected by the influence of character avatars on the self. Projecting identity into a character avatar has a direct influence on the identity of the player, both within the game and in their physical world.

Drawing upon studies, experiments, and experience from academics in the fields of social sciences and game studies, it will be argued that there exists a symbiotic relationship between the personal identity of the player and the character avatar created to represent the player in game space, a relationship reinforced by social interaction and in-game achievements.

Introduction

Over the next decade and beyond, internet users will be increasingly likely to use portable devices such as mobile phones to connect to the internet. Indeed, experts contributing to the 2008 Pew/Internet report concluded that by 2020 mobile devices will be the primary way that most people connect to the internet (Anderson and Rainie, 2008).  Web-friendly smart phones and new devices such as the iPad tablet are also making it much easier to access the mobile internet. Coupled with this, mobile internet devices are increasingly becoming part of our identity – they are a tool for staying in touch with family and friends, and also a valued device for finding and sharing information, often with large networks. What then, are some of the likely social implications arising from people increasingly having a take-anywhere, always-on, internet connection?

Identity deception on the internet has become of increasing concern in today’s society. As technology improves and evolves, the internet is said to pose a danger to those who are unfortunate or misinformed enough to fall for the many scams put in place to take advantage of the innocent and naive. It is relatively easy and affordable to create a false identity online for one’s own personal gain using false user names, websites and inside knowledge. There are groups of people who are opposed to the internet and its development for fear of its corruption and erosion of society as a whole. There are also mechanisms in place such is IP and email address verification and codes to help curb destructive usage of online identity deception.  However, perhaps not factored into the equation is that identity deception is also rampant in real life without the need for the internet as an aid. Stronger trust placed by society into traditionally operating real world companies and institutions results in the increased danger and likelihood of being deceived by those companies than it is through any virtual online operation utilising identity deception.

Who am I? It is a question that has been asked by most people during their development as an individual. We spend our formative years constructing an identity by which our peers and colleagues see us, and how we see ourselves. Why then do we feel the need to create new and diverse images of ourselves in online settings?

Nowadays Cyber space has become a crucial part in people’s daily lives wherein most of the users are escaping online from the exact reality and intentionally created another different kind of identities due to breaking away the problems which they faced in real lives. Therefore, some people might choose to escapes online into the virtual communities like online game. Online game is a part from a virtual world and built up a community online among players, inside this virtual communities, ‘players are capable to reconstructs their identities through character from the game in favour of maintain social relationship‘.

The proliferating influence of Internet within society has enabled

Web 2.0 platforms to develop in multiple guises, with innumerable applications.

Web 2.0 platforms such as Facebook which can facilitate contact and open new opportunities for communication, identity management and reciprocity within the boundaries of select networks or communities have flourished and become hugely successful communication tools which are used all over the world.

Communication through the computer, due to it’s asynchronous nature has allowed users to evaluate and fashion what they communicate, to a degree that was not possible through traditional real time conversation, whilst integrating the integral factors that make traditional communication successful.

-By Hardik Gondha

Take a close look at these scenarios. A teenage boy is sharing strategy secrets about football on a Facebook group. A mother is posting photos of her trip to the Himalayas on Flickr. A Father is uploading a video of his daughter’s performance in a band on You Tube. A marketing expert is sending invites on facebook and twittering about a new product he’s trying to sell.

Cut and Paste Identities:

Creating our own Realities Online

Introduction

Attempting to define ourselves online induces mild forms of identity crisis. As we present identity, mediate personal relationships and endeavor to control privacy through online mediums, we create and participate in a blending of realities. This fusion has resulted in new systems of social interaction which involve extreme changes to how we develop and present the self; to how we maintain and interact with personalized networks; and to how we connect and participate with communities. These are revolutionary methods of social interaction which benefit individuals and communities world wide, yet they impose restrictions on how we communicate and remove us from our immediate environments. As we explore and experience the realities of social interaction in the online world, we become ‘dwellers on the threshold between the real and the virtual’ (Turkle, S. 1997), obliged to develop our own systems for navigating identity and community across these mediums.

Social Networks: Identity Management Tools

Death and User Generated Content:

The Internet is continually evolving with technology. These new technological changes bring about fresh uses and ideas on what the internet is and what it can be used for. To date there have been two distinctive periods of the internet, web 1.0 and web 2.0.  At the time the internet was not referred to as web 1.0, however with time and technology, patterns of use and applications formed defining the two. The defining features of web2.0 are  communication, collaboration and information sharing, enabled through faster internet connections. Web 1’s low bandwidth would not support these applications. It could not process the information fast enough, and, contributions were mainly for the tech savvy. With web 2.0 came a user friendly  interface where programming knowledge was not essential to contribute online. Sites like Youtube, Myspace and flickr emerged, re enforcing the web 2.0 philosophy of communication, collaboration and information sharing, resulting in user generated content.

Since the inception of the internet and the World Wide Web online communities have existed in many forms. Communication through these computer-mediated networks has encouraged people to connect with others in spite of the tyranny of distance. The analysis of identity and its construction plays an important role when we investigate these virtual communities. This paper will investigate the perception of identity on social networking sites, focusing on the ways in which users attempt to control the personal information that others distribute online in order to protect the integrity of their online persona.

Introduction
Online social interaction, participation and experience, is growing as more and more people across the world join the ranks of Internet users. Everyday life, the daily, mundane, commonplace experiences, objects, habits and routines, now include for a growing percentage of Western culture populations, online interaction with others in some form. (Tay, E. 2009) Whether it be checking through Facebook to keep up with what friends, relatives and other people are doing, tweeting a 140 character description of what we’re doing or participating in communities, blogs or online games. The Internet can be regarded as a social space within its own right (Slater, D. 2002), with its own structures, rituals and languages, yet these online social interactions still appear to be regarded as less important than those that occur in the physical world. This is evidenced in academic writing, media and incidental conversation with others.

The arrival of Internet communication and its increasing popularity sees us creating new identities, a part of us that exists online via social networks and virtual communities.  We now live in an age where our innermost thoughts and feelings have all been given a voice, one that essentially can, and might, live on forever via the World Wide Web. What happens to our online selves once we cease to exist in the real world? Digital information does not disappear as easily as physical information. You cannot shred it or rub it out with an eraser. It does not have a physical element, one that you can discard or destroy.  So what should be done with our online identity once we pass away?  Should the online self be given a proper burial and if so, who has the right to decide? This paper will look at how our presence online has become a major part of our lives, how we have used the Internet to create an extension of our physical selves. It will also discuss the impact our death can have on our online presence and those we connect with. Do we put enough thought into the impressions we leave behind? Finally, it will look at our options in planning for the inevitable, writing our digital will, as well as our moral obligations and responsibilities not only to our digital selves, but those we leave behind.

‘The Internet is a phenomenon that influences, shapes and fills many spheres of our life. It can be thought as a new global trend that has steadily risen in popularity, growing from about 90,000 daily users in 1993 to more than 605 million in 2002’. (Zappala & Gray, 2006, p.179)

“The knowing self is partial in all its guises, never finished, whole, simple there and original; it is always constructed and stitched together imperfectly and is therefore able to join with another, to see together without claiming to be another”

(Donna Haraway as quoted by Turkle, 1997, p. 79)

Business Identity In Social Networks, Is the relationship between business identity and personal identity within online social networks changing our perception of businesses themselves?

Since the Internet was first introduced forty years ago, the ways people use the Internet have changed dramatically. The concept of identity on the Internet had long been a popular topic of Internet studies.  From playing multiple users online games to updating status on Facebook, people use different concepts to manage the relationship between their online identity and offline identity. Through the development of the Internet in the last forty years, it is clear to see that there is a transition of Internet users’ attitude towards online representation. Compare to the early period of online communities, people nowadays have a more open mind of sharing their real life identity with others. This paper is going to examine this transition by defining the concepts of social identity and online identity, exploring the identity issues in the early period of the Internet and in the web 2.0 era.

“Health is when you are multiple but feel a unity. Health is when different aspects of self can get to know each other and reflect upon each other. Health is being one, while being many” – Bromberg (1994)

Abstract

With the widespread use of Internet in everyday’s life, online social network sites (SNSs) have become significant tools in human communication and collaboration. The initial audience for these sites targeted young and middle-aged adults, but as the trend continued, more and more SNSs began to concentrate their efforts on rising teenage population (Derrick, 2008). SNSs have dramatically changed the way teenagers communicate and interact with each other. By participating in such sites, teenagers are able to express themselves by creating a unique identity and personal style to share their stories with other people in the world. While the freedom and openness of SNSs allow online identities to reflect users’ real lives, personal information can be searched and monitored. Although many of the sites promote internet safety, this paper argues that there are many potential risks and dangers of privacy exist in SNSs to target teenagers’ identities.

There has been much discussion on the disembodiment of identity and the associated deception it may lead to in an online “virtual world” (Donath, 1996; Slater, 2002). Whilst it cannot be disputed that disembodiment and deception in regard to identity can have negative impacts online (Future of Identity in the Information Society, 2008), studies have shown that being part of virtual communities such as early Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) or more recent online Role-Playing Games (RPGs) can play a significant role in the embodiment and re-embodiment of identity (Nabeth, 2004; Pearce, 2009).

Meet me online – It’s good for us.

Participating in the various online communities available on the Internet is good for you and your relationships. I am going to explore the relationship between identity and community and then explain why spending time online in virtual communities can be of benefit for both the individual and society by strengthening personal identity, enabling individuals to develop strong relationships, allowing the experimentation with identity that can be more challenging in real life, empowering isolated members of the ‘real world’ community, relaxing inhibitions of individuals so they can access the support they need, and by increasing the individual’s social capital.

Paula Broucek

 “Humanity is something more than species: it is a historical development; it is to be defined by the manner in which it deals with its natural, fixed characteristics, its facticité” (de Beauvoir, 1997, p. 725).

 
Ever since humans began to cooperate with each other around 30,000 years ago, we have carefully managed our identities to present an idealised version of ourselves: quite simply a version that we believe our peers will like. Until very recently, the only means by which to do this was face-to-face, via written correspondence or telephone. Owing to the ‘real world’ nature of these methods of communication, the groups of people we interact with are necessarily quite small, well-defined and discrete. Consequently, famous sociologists such as Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens and Erving Goffman have favoured the idea that identity is flexible and multiple – that is, different depending on which audience we happen to be communicating with at any given time.

The argument I will present in this paper centres on the transformation of a person’s identity from the unmediated offline world to the mediated online virtuality of the internet to show how the internet influences our definition of who we are. I argue that the internet influences our definition of who we are by providing a virtual world where identity deception through self-reflexive ‘hoped-for’ identities are constructed to generate desired impressions motivated by individual payoff’s, social capital and maximal distinctiveness. I have focussed my research on social networking sites (SNSs), in particular, Facebook.

Abstract: From the advent of the internet, scholars and the wider media have been enthralled by the potential that the internet’s anonymity provides for the creation of new identities that forgo the traditional boundaries of race, gender, and religion, while others have been critical of the potential for harmful identity deception. It is my aim, however, to prove that these perceptions are flawed and that identity online is closely tied with identity offline in a way that limits the creation of entirely new online identities. This paper will draw evidence from various sources, including studies of identity online and trends in social network use, to demonstrate that aspects of one’s ‘real life’ identity are always present in one’s ‘online’ identity.

Online communities and social networks mediated by the Internet provide a novel forum for self-representation. In this forum the self is disembodied, but made known by self-statements and other textual cues. Due to the absence of physical anchoring and the ability of the user to selectively choose the information they present, the opportunity to misrepresent identity can be greater than in real life (Donath, 1999). This paper explores the extent to which people afford themselves of this opportunity for misrepresentation and whether this changes as anonymity decreases and accountability increases. More specifically, this paper posits that the decrease in anonymity in online forums does not decrease identity misrepresentation, rather it changes the nature of self representation from the exposition of the real self to a more socially-orientated possible self. 

With the emergence of diverse and popular web 2.0 social networking services (SNSs) such as last.fm, LinkedIn and Facebook, the online identities of many individuals have transitioned from the hidden, private spaces of Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) and have shifted to the public domain where personal information is openly visible and readily accessible to the greater online community (boyd, 2007, p.2).  This paper will examine identity in its multi-faceted, post-modern form and discuss the role it played within the initial, virtual communities of the World Wide Web (Turkle, 1997a, p.159).  Following on, the essay will describe the characteristics of Web 2.0 SNSs and contrast it with preceding MUDs and virtual communities.  I will examine identity and its private to public evolution and argue that although SNSs promote open, public information, due to their context and audience they construct fractured and in some instances, multiple extensions of the self.    Due to the nature of SNSs, if these facets are to be viewed solely and unparalleled they could easily be taken out of context and reflect a distorted view which does not represent a true reflection of the individual (Donath, 1999, p.29).  To contextualise, this essay will use the perspective of a potential employer or recruiter to demonstrate how easily a candidate’s digital identity within the above SNSs can be misinterpreted and what factors from each of these SNSs contributed to it.

There is no doubt that pranksters exist on the internet, and that sometimes comments within online communities are made only to cause trouble, display vulgarity and insult. However, these impersonal comments from strangers can almost be deleted as spam, irrelevant internet junk that we skip over in our email and web travels without second thought. More interesting is how hurtful comments can be when written by those considered to be our internet buddies, when they know which of our buttons to push to elicit a reaction and when it feels like the attack is personal. These are flames. The motives driving these kind of flamers are not always malicious, and it’s not just the words that are causing an emotive reaction. In this paper flaming is defined as a written comment, viewed by a persona or virtual community, that is sent or received with hostility. This paper will examine how both the flamer and the reader influence a hostile environment (Thompsen, 1993) and why flaming is not just an amusement of pranksters but a tool employed by users to assert and control their online identity. Most importantly, the paper will show that flaming and associated behaviours are not always driven by malicious intent, but inexperience, frustration, the psychological desire to experience thrill, ease tension and assert dominance (Alonzo & Aiken, 2004) as well as conflict with online community norms (Aakhus & Rumsey, 2010). Flamers can be productive internet citizens, and their opposing personas sometimes overlap.

KATHLEEN VELLA

Gender swapping online is becoming increasingly popular as people experiment with their identity in cyberspace. Gender swapping online entails a male or female in reality assuming a character or avatar online of the opposite sex. This practice allows users to explore and manipulate their identity in a virtual community, which in reality is not as easy to experiment with. In this paper I will identify the numerous benefits that gender swapping online can bring to an individual’s identity exploration and argue how these benefits allow individuals to further appreciate identity in communities and networks.   

Excerpt

Each of us has a unique identity and can contribute to and enrich the lives of others. In traditional public settings however, people with a physical disability are presented with challenges ranging from accessibility to being marginalized or simply excluded from socializing. Studies in happiness and well-being have shown that meaningful social exchanges empower the identity of an individual and contribute to self-acceptance. Regular social interactions also assist in the formation of positive functioning in adults. For a person who cannot leave their home without the assistance of others, being a member of an online social network or community can be a lifeline.

This paper will explore the ways in which active participation in online communities can foster an environment where a person with a disability is valued for their individual identity and intellect and not judged by their initial appearance.

Carl Sagan once said that “we are, each of us, a multitude” (Oyster and Sagan, 1980) and while he may have been referring to the biological make-up of our bodies, it is every bit as accurate an observation when applied to the way we approach social interaction. While the majority of us haven’t been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, we are all guilty of presenting a different ’self’ around different groups of people. Our language, verbal and body, as well as what ideas we admit to having are heavily dependent on what is considered socially appropriate for the group we are around. 0It has been argued in the past that there is an ‘ideal’ self which we all long to be but are unable to achieve due to the pressure of those directly around us. What happens, then, when we are physically alone in our homes and turn on our computers to communicate online, which is considered to be different, “composed of information rather than matter” (Donath, 1999, 1) and therefore free of bodily thoughts. Are we more true to our ‘ideal’ selves or do we still fall under the sway of social pressures?

(Note: A PDF version of this paper can be downloaded from ths link) 

Abstract

The development of the internet and other electronic communications tools over the past 20 years has seen substantive facilitation of global commerce and service delivery for corporations, government agencies and individuals.  Such facilitation has allowed the conduct of commerce across multiple locations at moderate cost.

The development of the online commerce environment has allowed those engaged with identity deception to ply their trade with near anonymity and with minimal risk of capture or prosecution.  Authoritative studies by government agencies (Federal Trade Commission), private organisations (Javelin Research and Strategy) and non profit groups (Identity Theft Resource Centre) over recent years have documented the monetary and social costs associated with identity deception.

Peter Mullen

Now, there’s no question China has been trying to crack down on the Internet — good luck. That’s sort of like trying to nail Jello to the wall. But I would argue to you that their effort to do that just proves how real these changes are and how much they threaten the status quo.
Bill Clinton (2000)

Stephen Harris

Introduction

Virtual communities and networks have become a popular form of interaction for people all around the world (Ridings and Gefen, 2004). Virtual communities and networks make it possible for people to create new and multiple self identities that can be controlled and manipulated by the user (Ridings and Gefen, 2004). Turkle (1997b) refers to this as ‘multiplicity’, where users transition between different ‘self states’ (Turkle 1997b, p.79). This paper examines how the concept of multiplicity can be utilised to assist people with working through issues of personal identity (Turkle 1997b, p.79).

INTRODUCTION

Computer hackers are individuals who disrupt the operations of computer systems and software for anarchistic or other reasons. Hacking is an illegal activity, yet hacker activities become public knowledge online in virtual communities. Hackers seek to create a unique identity and compete with each other in their goal to disrupt computer networks but also hide their identities to avoid prosecution. Argued here is that hackers, using virtual community forums, create a private identity by disclosing illegal private activities in a public space in order to assert their identity and gain dominance over other hackers. This paper explores this issue with examples from hacker virtual communities that show how hackers create an environment where identities form and superiority of knowledge is used to dominant others.