Social media – The Root of Pedophilia in the 21st century? by Nikhil D. Dookun

Social media – The Root of Pedophilia in the 21st century?

Abstract:

This paper talks mainly about how the main root of pedophilia cases is social media. The first part of the paper explains what social media is, its use, how it has brought change to the world, what makes social media a boon in the eyes of the world and how it is useful in the modern era. The second part of the paper explains what identity is, the definition of online identity, the main aspects that make online identity and authenticity of identities on social media. Online identities are important in this paper as much as social media is, due to the fact that its different aspects will appear in several parts the main content discussed. Later comes a paragraph about what pedophilia is. And then the main content is discussed, that is, how social media is the main platform that leads to pedophilia cases. The discussion shows how pedophiles make the use of social media as a bait and how young adolescents are irresponsible.

Social media, its use, changes brought to the world and aspects that make social media make social media a boon in the eyes of the world:

The most common definition of social media is that social media are platforms that simplify the sharing of data, thoughts, career interests and communication in the form of text or video conference through the official website or apps (Lomborg, 2015). The content shared are user-generated content and they can be in the form of written posts, photos, videos or a mixture of all three (Lomborg, 2015). Currently, the most common social media platforms known and used are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp (Lomborg, 2015). In today’s life, social media is one of the most useful tool present in the world. In fact, except for babies and war-affected countries, the majority of the world’s population are at least on one social media platform.

The main use of social media that is most commonly known is to communicate with closed ones through written text, through visuals and video conferencing (Lomborg, 2015). For youngsters in particular, the main use of social media is to make new friends that can be their potential dates (Lomborg, 2015). Through years, however, the use of social media has been extended for marketing and journalism purposes. Existing and new businesses get to make themselves known, get to promote easily their content or announcements or events through sponsored posts (Lomborg, 2015).. They even get the chance to attract new potential stakeholders due to the huge number of reach that social media provide to them. (Lomborg, 2015).  Existing and new news outlets use social media to get maximum reach as when they share their content, hashtags and the massively huge number of users increase their reach (Lomborg, 2015). These are what make social media a boon, in the eyes of the society (Baym, 2015).

Online Identity

Online identity is a very important aspect in this paper. Before explaining what online identity is, the meaning of identity will be first discussed. When it comes to human beings, identity is about their names, ethnicity, abilities, looks, traits, beliefs and expressions, that is, all the factors what demarcate themselves from others (“What is Identity?”, 1991). For organizations or groups, identity is all about their worth and unique features or reputations that build up their image in society, be it a good one or a bad one (“What is Identity?”, 1991). Online identity is what makes an online user on social media or online gamer unique from the other users or gamers. That is, online identity is about the information and reputation of a user online such as the users’ names on social media or games, type of avatars created in games, the strategy he or she uses and their number of victories or their streaks, etc (Stewart, 2011). The aspect of online identity will appear in the coming paragraphs.

Pedophilia

Pedophilia is a mental disorder where an adult feel himself or herself sexually attracted to children and adolescents (Rowan, 1989). A person having this illness is called a pedophile. The meaning of a pedophilia case is where a pedophile manages to acquire his or her prey, where a pedophile gets the chance to call and meet up for physical relationship (Rowan, 1989). A pedophilia case is also where the pedophile make physical abuse of his or her young prey (Rowan, 1989).

Case study: Pedophilia Cases

These cases currently involve these three aspects from the social media environment; social media features, youngsters and their online identity (Rowan, 1989). These three aspects lead to pedophilia cases in several ways.

  • Social media features: Social media’s main involvement in these cases come from its features itself. On social media, multiple identities can be created due to the abilities to totally personify an account other than the own selves of the users (Lomborg, 2015). Not only this, the users can name themselves whatever names they want and save anyone’s pictures (Lomborg, 2015). Through these opportunities, identity is like a wax statue that can be moulded into whoever person that the artist desires (Stewart, 2011).
  • Youngsters: The problem of youngsters in these cases is the way they dress and their body languages. Young girls like to look older; girls who are of 13 years of age would probably want to look like Rihanna or Nicki Minaj, just to be attractive enough so that they can get themselves a potential date. Having a boyfriend is a must for young girls simply to be accepted by peer groups, so, not only they copy the flashy clothing of those celebrities but they also copy their ways of walking and also do exercises to develop their bodies into the body of a matured woman, at a quicker rate. If they fail to develop their bodies into the desired body shape, they make use of things such as fake breasts to make their breasts look bigger and to become more of what they believe boys and men like. At the end of the day, they end up attracting male adults where the attraction can be categorized as lust. Hence, this can be seen as a factor which forced a male adult to become a pedophile.
  • Online identities of youngsters: Other ways in which youngsters contribute in pedophilia cases are immature attention seeking acts on social media. Youngsters tend to build a much more notorious identity of themselves than projecting their own original identity as a notorious character will only attract more people and will also make them look “cool” in front of their peers. To build this notorious identity on social media, youngsters will mainly share semi-nude pics, posts about sex and media containing adult contents. By doing so, they attract pedophiles as well. Seeing these Medias, semi-nude photos and sexual contents, adults tend to develop some sort of thinking and feeling for the minor which will later most probably turn into lust.

The bullet points above show briefly that social media, youngsters and their online activities contribute into pedophile cases. Now, this case study will support the thesis statement, which is; social media is the root of pedophile cases from the 21st century.

As explained in the first point of the case study, social media allows users to build a totally different and improved self of themselves on the platforms. These features help pedophiles to build a younger identity while creating their account which they will create as bait (Harkins, 2013). The question is how they create a younger identity. The answer is clear and simple. They will create fake accounts and then they will steal young boys’ photos so that they can put them as profile picture, they would then fabricate their age by setting it to 15-18 years of age (Harkins, 2013). Then, they will like all the pages or other contents that young boys like, so as to make the account look a real one (Harkins, 2013). They will also add in their personal information that they are currently attending a specific college (Harkins, 2013). After setting up the account, they will start to add people that are attending the college that they are supposedly attending (Harkins, 2013). They will then start searching for young girls and send them friend requests (Harkins, 2013). A huge majority of young girls will accept the friend requests, as young girls from this generation need to absolutely have a boyfriend so that they are accepted by peer groups (Stewart, 2011). This is where the real danger starts.

As soon as the friend requests get accepted, the wrongdoers will then start with a very friendly approach (Harkins, 2013). They will talk about their school life, lie about a couple things such as they have a huge financial stability so that the victims are more attracted to them (Harkins, 2013). Then, they will share their interests among themselves (Harkins, 2013). Talking to each other regularly will bring them close and the predator will then propose to the girl (Harkins, 2013). If the girl does not have a boyfriend, there will be a huge possibility that the girl will say yes to the proposal (Stewart, 2011). Being her boyfriend, he will probably ask to send nude photos of her and the girl will obviously send him as she will not dare to say no as she will be afraid to offend her virtual boyfriend (Harkins, 2013). And there will be a day that the crook will ask her victim to meet him or her (Harkins, 2013). This will be the day that the girl will come to know the real identity of her so called ‘boyfriend’ and will be too late for her as she will most probably end up being raped (Harkins, 2013). If the girl refused to date the predator, she will still be at risk. The predator, as a friend, will someday or another raise the topic about sex (Harkins, 2013). Young and curious, the girl will also be tempted to talk about it and being close to each other, the offender will ask the girl if she has ever tried ‘this or that’ and will then explain the girl what should she do or try (Harkins, 2013). He might even send her porn videos as samples (Harkins, 2013). And when the naïve girl will say that she tried it, the boy will ask her to send him a picture or video of her doing all these so that he can guide her (Harkins, 2013). Then, after receiving all these explicit contents about the girl, the predator might use them as a weapon (Harkins, 2013). They will blackmail the girl with these media, with the threat that they will spread them all over the internet. They will blackmail the victim to either receive more of these photos and videos or they will use it for money-extortion, also known as sextortion. In fact, once having the power to blackmail the prey, the predator can control the prey and force them to meet up for sex.

Social media platforms should find a way to strengthen the security of the society and the communities built on their platforms. The best way they can ensure security is to add more account confirmations such as ID Number or National transport ID Number instead of integrating only mobile phone number confirmation (Lomborg, 2015). If these security measures are put into practice, pedophilia cases will be decreased as pedophiles will not be able to create fake accounts or steal identities of others.
As a conclusion, it can be deduced that despite the fact that social media is seen as a boon, social media is also a cause of dangers such as pedophilia to the society. Social media is well and truly the root of pedophilia cases in the 21st century.

Are Muslim Women challenging stereotypes on online communities?

Are Muslim women challenging stereotypes on online communities?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Muslim women are challenging stereotypes and prejudices. Muslim women have been confronting negatives stereotypes on online platforms since a very long time. The paper talks about the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim women in the media. More specifically, emphasizing on how are they challenging these issues. The paper supports scholarly articles from the Curtin library. One of the article is ‘the veil and Muslim women’s identity: Cultural pressures and resistance to stereotyping’ by Sen and Wagner (2012), they believe that despite wearing the veils Muslim women can achieve their dreams and ambitions. Another article talking about the emancipation of women wearing the ‘hijab’ is ‘Rethinking Muslim and the veil’ by Bullock. Moreover, it is important to highlight the study of Yvonne as she states ‘Emancipated Muslim women contributions’. Furthermore, ‘Confronting Prejudice against Muslim Women in the West’ will be discussed by Sotlani, 2016. The articles is about how the Muslim women are resisting and being able to challenge these stereotypes.

Introduction

Truly the Muslim women are struggling to present themselves as other women of the world. Is it necessary for Muslim women to portray themselves as emancipated females? Yes. In this new era many changes are being occurred. Therefore these women are considered to be on the right path. Despite being victim of prejudices, the Muslim women are struggling to portray themselves as modern women living in the Western world.

Firstly the introduction will integrate the discussion of the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim women that is how the media and political discourse tag them as weak and oppressed and how the veil is seen as a controversy issue. Secondly supporting arguments which will showcase how Muslim women are resisting and defending themselves that is the stereotypes are being challenged with time. Focusing on , online communities being a platform where online forums are being organized to encourage these females to be emancipated, secondly women wearing the veil are seen to be modern and stylish and thirdly how Muslim women being role models such as singer, you tube vlogger and fashion model uses platforms to challenge stereotypes.

Identity is a vital concept in the society. Identity refers to the sense that someone has of who they are and what is the most important about them. In this new era gendered performance on social media is becoming a controversial issue, especially for the minority group which are the Muslim women. ‘There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender… identity is per formatively constituted by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results’, (Judith Butler, 2014).

To begin with, the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim women and prejudice theory is seen as a polemic. Media has thrown a very stereotypical light over Muslim women since a long ago. They are seen as weak, inferior and oppressed in the society. Rochelle Terman (2017), states that Muslim females are associated with political violence and terrorism in different media outlets. Therefore these media portrayals influence public opinion about them. Public opinion data reveal growing anxiety about Islam’s compatibility with “Western” values of tolerance, acceptance and civility (Panagopoulos 2006), and people who believe that Muslims remain culturally distinct are more likely to have negative attitudes about them.

According to some research, the American coverage represents the Muslim women as being inaccurately as ‘anti feminists’, which reinforce stereotypes of female Muslim as a treat to Western culture. The Americans have already been victims of several attacks and explosions therefore they reluctant when a woman with the veil appear before them.

This picture was taken by an American photographer from the Washington Political University, stated that Muslim women were opressed and were beaten on the streets.

Retrieved from political university, 2014 .In the last three decades, a big theory has developed commenting Western portrayals of Muslim in the society. Since the attack of 9/11 the Muslim culture are purposely being stereotyped as ‘terrorists’. American media discourse is purportedly obsessed with Muslim women’s oppression, for which the veil is the ultimate symbol and case in point (Ahmad 2009). Popular media outlets portray Middle Eastern and Muslim societies as uniquely or particularly misogynistic, especially compared to Western countries (Kumar 2012).

Supporting Ideas

Awareness online campaigns

In this new era stereotypes are being challenged. Firstly, these Muslim women are breaking the ‘oppressed Muslim woman’ stereotype by improving their own behavior, that is they are interacting more and more with members of the non- Muslim ethnic majority. In addition to, they are representing themselves in a more modern and emancipated citizens. The Muslim females are changing the dominant image in the society. Despite of existing stereotypes Muslim women are facing these challenges with courage and pride. The females from the minority group are participating in Islamic organization where they recognize their religion to be as important as their identity. Moreover, they are challenging the perceptions of Muslim women in the Western society. Different research were conducted to examine how they are changing the image of Islam. They engaged themselves in a way to convince the society that they have the same rights as everyone in the society. All human beings should be well treated with the same rights and equality.

They are emphasizing that all Muslim women should seek education and have the opportunity to develop their skills and talents on the labor market. Furthermore, campaigns and forums are being organized on online communities to promote women empowerment and to positively sensitize people about Islamic women. They are interpreting themselves as being the Islamic feminists, as a result the females are engaging themselves on social media platforms to challenge these stereotypes. For example, ‘Al Nisa’an online group association formed and gathered Muslim women on social media platforms where they could participate and engage themselves on online debates. Additionally these women gave interviews and made awareness videos on online platforms. As a result the public could engaged themselves through the likes, comments and shared posts. For example the words of Zainab, a young Afghanistan who is active on this online association stated that, ‘women have to get a much more active participation in society. […] Be more active, simply like, ‘I am Muslim’. Be proud of it, and make it known to the world: ‘Yes, I wear my hijab, but it doesn’t stop me from anything. I participate actively in society and I haven’t left my religion to be able to do so’ (Mashri, 2014).Focusing on the online group association where Muslim youth is being promoted. They encourage youngsters to not to get involved in criminal and illegal activities otherwise they will damage the reputation of Islam. According to the ‘Young Muslims Agency’, young adults are being online ambassador to make sure to behave contrary to negative expectations. As online forums are being frequently organized on web 2.0 the citizens are reminded how to behave in the society according norms and regulations.

Resistance of the ‘hijab’

They are able to defend themselves as they acquire religious knowledge which leads to live a pious life which therefore form the key to Muslim’s women emancipation and hence breaking the stereotypes. Butler states that many females who showcase themselves on an ambassadorial role should portray an effort of ethical self-fashioning. It is noteworthy to notice that all women are willing to present themselves as positive citizens in the society. Furthermore, Muslim women would dress themselves in a stylish way. For example when posting a picture on social platforms they would deliberately choose a more fashionable ‘hijab’ style. In a way they will be more emancipated as well as restoring their culture. As demonstrated in this picture, where they posted it on social media.

Retrieved from Pinterest, Muslim women wearing the veil and jeans in Western countries.

The present minority illustrate cultural diversity, permeability and shifting boundaries (Khan, 2000). A new image is being showcased on media platforms they are being viewed as courageous and independent women. For example, the Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman and Egyptian activist Asmaa Mahfouz, who are both wear the veil. They are sometimes categorized in certain Western feminist organization. These women have written books such as ‘Muslim women speak about dreams’, ‘Under Western eyes: politics of Feminism’, (Chandra, 2009). The media portrayals of Muslim women is evolving with time. Focusing on women wearing the veil has more involvement on television, in films and on social media. To challenge this irony, Anna Piela an author from ‘They call me Muslim’, states that “I am just doing my bit to promote modesty: ‘hijab’ self-portraits on photo-sharing websites,” This picture has been posted on websites to show case the modernity and diversity of Muslim women.

Retrieved from, ‘They call me Muslim’

Nowadays women are being motivated to follow their aims and ambitions. The ‘hijab’ is still considered as a threat in the society, despite all these prejudices these women are resisting social constraints and reconstructing new identities for themselves. For example, there are several Iranian women who are working in the broadcasting media. Studies have been proven that they are efficient workers. There have been many controversies that female Muslim cannot drive they are seen weak and stupid drivers unfortunately this is not the case, these prejudices are being challenged and these women are proving them wrong. This Muslim woman works in a Western country where she drives a car and is called a ‘Uber driver’ and is earning a living.

Retrieved from Account Facebook, 2018

Citizens are accepting her efforts and see her as a normal person earning money in this lucrative business.

Another good example to showcase how Muslim women are resisting stereotypes is how Hijabers are challenging these prejudices.

Retrieved from Journalistic reviews, 2017

Muslim women are challenging the stereotypes of Muslim female as being submissive and disempowered through fashion conscious on global communities. Nowadays they are creating an image of the ideal modern Muslim women. These hijabers observed their cultures as well as visible on social platforms. These women are presented everywhere on television, in advertisements, soap operas, in adds endorsement as well as they are brand ambassadors of products and services. As demonstrate in the picture below.

Retrieved from beauty brands, 2017

Moreover, the states are encouraging athletes from the minority group to have the chance to participate on International level in sports. This is pushing the women to achieve their dreams and ambitions. Furthermore they are restoring their culture as well as being stylish in a practical way. This picture when taken when this girl participate in the Olympics.

Retrieved from Olympics, Nike 2017)

Nike have promote this product on social media where glamourous models wore this ‘Nike Pro Hijab’ on the ramp. They also promote this product through face to face gathering and hijab wearing tutorials. Moreover, Alila a researcher states that Muslim women who travel and work are very inspirational about the Quran. Therefore while posting their images on Instagram they mix together images and moral messages in the description. For an example, Syifa Fauziah appears to be healthy and leading a positive lifestyle where sunlight is gently falling across her face and she has perfectly posed. The accompanying message reads: “If we don’t fear Allah, who then will we fear?” (shilaf,2016)

Muslim women as models on different platforms

Muslim women are emancipated and wish to climb the social ladder. Long ago they were reluctant to share their opinions and point of view in front of the camera but in this diversifies and modernized world they prefer to voice out in order to acquire their rights. Marjon Carlos (2017), talks about a young Muslim poet who uses social media and fashion to challenge stereotypes. This Muslim girl from Brooklyn named Riya Hamid is combating a massive mission around her Muslim faith. When she was a child she was dressed by her mother who comes from Bangladesh, with time Hamid decided to challenge her cultural double standards. She started to gain confidence and started to view life in a more diversified way.  She explained about her investments in her visual presentation helps articulate a Muslim woman’s passions when the society are against. She has the control about her content sharing that is she decides the image she disseminates of herself to the world. Moreover she learned how to mix her heritage and music to create her personal style. She was very traditional and believed in modesty. Her parents never introduced her to music and arts. When she was a child she wasn’t allowed to show her skin and was bullied at school. She was portrayed as a typical Muslim passive woman in the society. But now with time shifting and the introduction of web 2.0 Riya is bold and confident in how she looks. She is the type of woman that isn’t afraid of wearing a form-fitting dress despite having wide hips and large breasts. Moreover, she dressed herself in a particular way where better solidify her identity and become more conformable with her appearances. Moreover she is able she is perceived as a role model on Instagram. She is the girl of tomorrow where modern values are dictating. She is a famous Instagram poster. She has stated that she is the one distributing and consuming media. She also can control the content that appears on your feed instead of the media dictating what you should see, and my feed was just filled with brown bodies. I realized, ‘Wait, I spent most of my life feeling unattractive because of Eurocentric beauty standards and my struggle with body dysmorphia is still constant and aggressive. I can take all the selfies I fucking want.’ (Riya Hamid, 2017)

Retrieved from Riya Hamid,2017

Another example of a Muslim woman who is setting an example is a young lady from the feminists associations, Mennel Ibtissem, she won over the jury on the French TV show the ‘voice’. Furthermore, The French daily Le Figaro considered her turban a more modern way of wearing the veil “It is inseparable from my look. You will never see me without it,” she said, drawing a parallel with French rapper Maitre Gims who never removes his dark glasses. (Middle East eye, 2018). Several hijab wearing female singer has tried their luck on this platform. One of them is Amina Skhiri a psychologist who participated in 2016. She is still fighting for her rights. The talented girl did create history as she wanted to spread peace and positivity world widely.

Retrieved from BBC 2018

Conclusion

The prejudices and stereotypes are still present but Muslim women are doing a great effort to overcome the challenges. They are being successful in their mission. More and more women are climbing the social ladder. To sum up they are able to challenge and resist the stereotypes. On the other sides those being victims of negative tags are still fighting for the best.

 

References:

Judith S. Donath, 2014. “Identity and deception in the virtual community,” In: Marc A. Smith and Peter Kollock Communities in cyberspace, pp. 29–59.

 

Mernissi, F. 2016. Beyond the Veil:Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society. London: Al Saqi 48-52

Wagner, W., Holtz, P., & Kashima, Y. (2012). The veil and the Muslim Identity Construction and deconstruction of essence in representing social groups: Identity projects, stereotyping, and racism.Social Behaviour, 39, 363–383.

Yvonne(2014) ‘Emancipated Muslim women contributions’  Acting like role models in the society pp 28-56

 

Dungeons & Dragons: From tabletop to desktop

Abstract

Tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons have made the shift in recent years from a purely offline gaming system to functioning online, albeit with minor adjustments to format. As a game system that relies upon the players investing themselves in a fictional world that they will flesh out with their own created identities aka player characters, this paper will aim to explore the relationship between the identity of the player and the player character. The performance and shifting of these identities will be a central focus as well as the unique problems that will need to be addressed when playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

 

Keywords:

Gaming, Tabletop, Role-Playing, Dungeons & Dragons, Identity, Performance

 

Identity within Dungeons & Dragons

 

This paper will discuss the importance and function of identity, specifically the creation and performance aspects, with regards to tabletop role-playing games in an online space. Dungeons & Dragons, as perhaps the most well-known of all role-playing games, will be used as a case study for discussion in this paper. Firstly, a brief introduction of Dungeons & Dragons will be given as well as an explanation of how it functions as a game and what the shift to a digital format has changed for the system. Secondly will be an exploration of the creation of identities within the game system followed by the performance of these identities, as well as how players differentiate between the player and the character. This paper will also briefly explore the relationship between the identities of the player and character. This will be followed by an exploration of why performative identities within this system differ from other online spaces and unique problems involving meta-gaming that relate to identity. Lastly a brief exploration of online role-playing games as communities will be discussed. This paper will aim to argue that identity creation is a core aspect of online role-playing games which enables the performance of a separate fictional identity in a socially accepted format.

 

History and taking the offline online

 

Dungeons & Dragons, much like other tabletop role-playing games, is essentially a group storytelling experience with structure and rules to guide it. This is done through a dungeon master guiding the group through the narrative of the adventure and reacting to the actions the players wish their characters to take. Gary Gygax, one of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons, described it as a “Group cooperative experience…There is no winning or losing, but rather the value is of imagining yourself as a character in whatever genre you’re involved in” (Schiesel, 2008). As Dungeons & Dragons has existed since the 1970s it was not initially created to be played online (WoTC, 2018). While Dungeons & Dragons is still primarily played offline its transition to online has allowed many new people to take up the hobby who were previously unable to play. When players begin a game, they create a character that they wish to play within the world, this is known as a player character. This differs from other online spaces, where creating an avatar is a common aspect, in that the player will be asked to flesh out this identity beyond the simple choice of a representative image and name. This greater depth to the identity allows the player more flexibility in the identity that they wish to create and can make them feel more involved in the game as aspects of their characters backstory can be injected in the adventure. Pearson (2009) states that “online, users can claim to be whoever they wish”. This statement applies directly to online role-playing games as they are a system that allows for extensive creative freedom. This player character can be given a backstory, personality or wants and needs separate to those of the player. The player would then perform this identity within the context of the game world, making choices from the perspective of the character that they have created.

An important characteristic of offline play is the ability to see the other players, which provides players the ability to visually identify the other players. Identifying other players with whom you are going to undertake a group storytelling experience is important to understanding and evaluating an interaction (Kollock & Smith, 1996). When playing in an online space players are often limited to text or voice chat as the primary form of communication which can remove a visual factor from play, namely the fact that the players may not be aware what everyone they are playing with look like. This can benefit some players by providing them a level of anonymity within play which could in turn provide an extra level of confidence. Offline players may be more hesitant to try and roleplay a certain type of character or accent for fear of embarrassment due to the other players being in the same room as them while online this fear can be lessened or removed completely.

 

 

 

 

Getting into character

 

As Dungeons & Dragons is a storytelling experience, a core aspect of the game is being able to understand and perform the identity that players have created within their characters. Creating a new identity to be performed is not a concept applied solely to role playing games. Performing as a created character within a role-playing game is essentially a form of acting, albeit with a heavier focus on improvisation. There is no script within a game of Dungeons and Dragons for the players to follow and so a large portion of the game must be created on the spot or as a reaction to whatever is happening, this allows for a form of fluid storytelling unique to tabletop role-playing games. As players grow more comfortable with their characters, whether through further play with that particular character or experience with the game, it becomes easier for them to perform that specific identity. Performative identities are discussed by Goffman, as cited in Pearson (2009), who discusses identity-as-performance from a theatre perspective with regards to a frontstage, which is the observable space when the character is in the spotlight, and the backstage where players are able to ‘step back’ from their performed identities and discuss the game as a meta level commentary. People use different methods to inform the other players whether they are speaking as a player or a player character. This can be done through the ‘frontstage’ implementations such as the use of accents or speech patterns or a ‘backstage approach’ by referring to the character in the third person such as saying, “my character would know this”.

 

As Dungeons and Dragons is a group experience there are potential difficulties that arise from players abusing the backstage approach to performative identity, hiding behind a common excuse of “That is what my character would do” whenever they do something that is considered ‘evil’ within the alignment structure of the game. There are countless threads that exist on the internet regarding players having difficulties with a player within their game who is hiding behind their characters identity as an excuse for their actions. RPG Stack Exchange is a website dedicated to solving problems with game systems and has a forum that allows users to ask questions of the greater role-playing community, within this forum there is a discussion about how to handle a difficult player whose character is killing innocent civilians while traveling in a group with the fantasy equivalent of an ex-police officer (Stack Exchange, 2018). The first player is quoted as saying “It’s how his character is played” while the second player is saying that as his character is good aligned, he now has enough reason to kill the offending character. This type of interaction can have ramifications across two identity levels, the first being the death of players characters which can end the game for one player. The second is the potential issue it could within the group of players as the killing of another players character could upset that player. This kind of cross level emotional identity issue may not be unique to Dungeons and Dragons but does differ from other online spaces where the user may not be occupying different identity-spaces.

 

 

 

Meta-gaming

 

Being able to differentiate between the identity that a player is performing, as a character, and the players’ actual identity can be an important aspect of the game as meta-gaming is often frowned upon by both players and the dungeon master running the game. Meta-gaming can be described as attempting to game the game, using knowledge that the player has but the character would not necessarily have within the context of the game (Huvila, 2013). To manage the problem of meta-gaming it is important for players to be able to separate their real-world identity from that of the character they are playing. There is always going to some element of meta-gaming when playing Dungeons & Dragons as it is impossible to completely separate the identity of the player and player character. This meta-knowledge can lead to a player making a suboptimal choice for their character, knowing it is not the best choice simply because that is what they imagine their character would do. That kind of choice would be classified as good role-playing and applauded by the other players at the virtual table. Making choices as both a player and a character can be described as actor stance, making decisions based solely upon the characters knowledge, and author stance, making a decision based upon the knowledge of the player (Edwards, 2001). Although it is important for players to be able to differentiate between their character and themselves, there is an inherent link between the two. As mentioned earlier when a player makes a suboptimal choice knowing that it is what the character would do it can be difficult for the player to make the choice as they are intrinsically linked to their character and the potential for the choice to put the character in physical danger can be an emotional choice. This sort of relationship can be linked to the fact that because the player has created this character they are “imaginatively connected to the character” (Whitlock, 2012). As discussed above meta-gaming is a problem involving identities that can be applied specifically to Dungeons and Dragons as well as other online role-playing games while not necessarily affecting other online communities even within the gaming community.

 

Big virtual table

 

Due to the social nature of games such as Dungeons and Dragons, communities have long been formed around it. The shift to online has increased the number of players drastically (Hall, 2015). Popular online Dungeons and Dragons series ‘Critical Role’, a game hosted and played by actors and voice actors has contributed to the rise in popularity so much that it crossed into the offline space by having a billboard in Los Angeles. Dungeons and Dragons is a game that has in the past and continues to transition between the online and offline space. There currently exists no one central location for people who wish to play Dungeons and Dragons but there are multiple options depending upon the style of play people wish for with the most popular being Fantasy Grounds and Roll20 (Hall, 2017). Online role-playing games could be said to create multiple smaller communities simply due to the format. A group of players is its own small community, that group would also be a part of the greater community of the game that they choose to play which is itself a part of the even larger community that is online role-playing games. Individuals may exist within each of these communities to the extent that they wish however there must be input in the initial community in order for the game to function. Due to the multiple layers of communities it becomes a necessity for players to portray multiple identities (Koivisto, 2003). Players who wish to participate in the greater community will be unable to use the identities they have created at the table due to the lack of knowledge the community has regarding individual game stories.

 

Conclusion

 

This paper aimed to explore the concept of identity, primarily its creation and performance, within the context of online role-playing games. A history of Dungeons and Dragons was given as well as the impact shifting to an online platform has had on both how the game is played and its player base. The importance of identity and the differing ways in which it can be performed was also discussed. Concepts of identity-as-performance and frontstage/backstage play were also introduced and explored. The problem of meta-gaming and how it affects identity driven systems such as role-playing games was explained and discussed. Lastly the community and social factors were explored with regards to the online space as opposed to the traditional format of offline play. While there have been discussions online regarding the importance of a ‘true’ identity and the value of anonymity, it could be said that certain platforms such as online role-playing games should be viewed outside of this argument as one of the core aspects of the game is to create a fictional identity (Van der Nagel & Frith, 2015). Through exploration and discussion of the various topics introduced this paper argued that identity creation is a core aspect of online role-playing games which enables the performance of a separate fictional identity in a socially accepted format.

 

References

 

Edwards, R. (2001). GNS and Other Matters of Role-Playing Theory. Retrieved from                                http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/1/

 

Hall, C. (2015). Dungeons & Dragons is booming online, but not in the way that you think.            Retrieved from https://www.polygon.com/2015/8/20/9172559/dungeons-dragons-dnd      -4th-edition-one-year-later-twitch-youtube

 

Hall, C. (2017). More people are playing D&D online than ever before. Retrieved  from                             https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/20/16005982/dungeons-and-dragons-online-roll20-data

 

Huvila, I. (2013). Meta-Games in Information Work. Information Research: An International                       Electronic Journal, 18 (3). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1044641.pdf

 

Koivisto, E. (2003). Supporting Communities in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing                        Games by Game Design. Retrieved from                                                                                        http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/05150.48442.pdf

 

Kollock, P & Smith, M. (1996). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved            from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

 

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web’s a stage: The performance of identity in online                     social networks. First Monday, 14 (3). Retrieved from                                                   http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2162/2127

 

RPG Stack Exchange. (2018). Best way to kill a problematic fellow players character. Retrieved                from https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/68688/best-way-to-kill-a-problematic-                fellow-player-character

 

Schiesel, S. (2008). Gary Gygax, Game Pioneer, Dies at 69. Retrieved from                                            https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/arts/05gygax.html

 

Van der Nagel, E & Frith, J. (2015). Anonymity, pseudonymity, and the agency of online                          identity: Examining the social practices of r/Gonewild. First Monday, 20 (3).                      Retrieved from http://www.ojphi.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/5615/4346

 

Whitlock, K. (2012). Traumatic Origins: Memory, Crisis, and Identity in Digital RPG’s. In                            Whitlock, K & Voorhees, A., G (Eds) Dungeons, Dragons and Digital Denizens: The                  Digital Role-Playing Game (1st ed., pp. 135-152). New York, NY: Continuum                              International Publishing Group.

 

WoTC. (2018). History: Forty Years of Adventure. Retrieved from                        http://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-dd/history/history-forty                 -years-adventure

 

Behavioral impact of youth on social media.

Abstract

In recent years, social media have become a major part of our lives and it has impacted our ways of socializing both in the real world as well as the online communities that are present. With advancement in Web 2.0 and the growing popularity of social networking sites amongst teens, users are conformed in creating online identities that may resemble or largely differ from reality. How the youth participate and represent themselves on social media platforms reflect valuable information on their identities and peer-to peer sociality (Danah, 2007). Using the works of Goffman’s theories of social performance, this study looks to analyze the behavioral impacts on the youth on the virtual creation of identity through social networking sites. This research fits within the streams of Identity in communities and networks. This essay will point out certain behavioral traits of virtual identity creations supported by the works of Dannah and Pearson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behavioral impact of youth on social media.

Over the years, social media have gained popularity amongst users of all age groups. Nowadays, one can find almost any type of information online within a matter of minutes. As a result, sites are becoming more user friendly and generating more traffic. Social networking sites are still growing in popularity. With it, also comes the amount of time the user spends on those sites. Now, the availability of accessing these sites have become much easier. Users can access almost any social media sites via their mobile phones rather than their personal computers (Pew Research Internet Project 2013).  Social media has allowed for information to be carried out far and wide. Communication is by far the most common social media tool. On sites such as Facebook or Twitter, users can share comments, upload photos or videos or even establish relationships with other users. These platforms can also be a way to collaborate with other users. For example, Wikipedia is edited and constantly updated and reviewed by users. Blogs are platforms where users can again collaborate and share opinions or review movies, restaurants, products and so on. Social media also gives its users the ability to upload videos and encourage participatory culture amongst audiences especially on YouTube.  In a way social media touches upon vast areas. It is developing at a fast rate and has got a large portion of the society hooked up on it. With the concept of users staying connected with their online community, a phenomenon has risen wherein users can create their ideal identity online.  Today’s teens spend a lot of time online connecting with friends and sharing photos or expressing their views over matters that they are concerned about. To narrow down this vast spectrum, I have decided to carry out the research on the behavioral impacts of the youth on the virtual creation of identity through social networking sites.

 

The teen demographic has been chosen as an area to research since this group is currently growing alongside social media and they spend an enormous amount of time on those sites. As a result, certain social networking sites such as Instagram and YouTube will be considered to better illustrate the arguments made. Most teens engage with a form of social media without realizing it. They tend to get into a habit of maintaining an online social presence rather than a physical one. The teen demographic can be observed as a group that is moving more towards being concerned of online friends rather than face-to-face interaction. It can be argued that there are some positive effects of spending time on social media, however, there are equally as many dangers with social networking sites. Teenagers, find it constantly hard societal pressure on them. They are constantly told to behave a certain way or function a certain way which is regarded acceptable for the society. However, online, they have the freedom to create an identity for themselves and likewise, connect with other people with similar tastes. Behavioral traits that are created online can be beneficial for some people, but the dangers outweigh the benefits. Teenagers find it necessary to be the best versions of themselves when sharing part of their lives online. Ironically, social media platforms in a way have put more pressure and restrictions on teenagers to fit the ‘’virtual community’’.

 

As stated above, this essay will be supported by using examples of Instagram and YouTube. While the option of researching on Facebook was also available, it was decided to stick to these two mentioned sites as these are networking sites which have allowed teenagers to post pictures or videos on a professional level, thus having the pressure that everything that is posted must be perfect. Instagram is a free photo and video sharing service (Instagram, 2018), that allows users to post, edit photos and videos, write captions, like and comment as well as share posts. This site allows users to upload their best photos and videos which are esthetically pleasing to the Instagram community or their audiences. Instagram can be accessed via personal computers or mobile phones. This means that an Instagram user is always connected with the application. Users as young as thirteen years old use the site (Instagram, 2018), which is the stated age limit for users on this application. However, there are users who are younger than the age limit and have accounts on Instagram. As of 2017, there are 800 million active users worldwide (Statista, 2018).

 

A feature of Instagram is that it functions as a window for the user’s daily activities. Users post photos or video clips of what they are wearing, eating, going to and so on. Moreover, Instagram has a feature that allows users to post stories which disappear after twenty-four hours. These stories can be perceived as the different activities that this user has done throughout the course of the day.  Users can comment and like photos, which for most users like posting on Instagram. Having an online environment where one can comment on photos, allows its users to develop certain behavioral traits. Users follow other ‘’Instagrammers’’ and try to level up their photos or videos to them.

 

YouTube is a web 2.0 platform that allow users to upload videos which can then be streamed by viewers. The audience have the option to like, dislike or comment on videos. The idea of being able to share opinions and comments open a new virtual community where the viewers can communicate with other people from around the world who share the same interests, be it in music, politics and so on. With the concept of creating channels, certain people have made a career out of YouTube. Commonly known as Youtubers, these people create content and post them on the social networking site. They in return generate money by advertisements. When someone clicks on an advert or watches 30 seconds of it, the advertiser pays the Youtuber. Famous YouTube channels of the moment include PieDiePie, Smosh, Niga Higa, Jenna Marbles, Superwoman and so on. These content creators have between 15 to 55 million subscribers (McAlone, 2017).

 

YouTube has over one billion users worldwide (YouTube, 2018). It is also one of the most diverse communication and social platform and is available in 88 countries and 76 languages. On average, teens and young adults spend 34% of their video watching time on YouTube compared to other formats such as TV, Netflix and so on (McAlone, 2017). This research has involved exploring this social networking site as to understand what kind of behavioral identities can be identified to the process of maintaining a brand on YouTube.

 

 

Considering the context of Instagram, some people may say that social media platforms are elaborate forms of popularity contests. Researches have showed that adults and teens use them differently. The youth use Instagram merely as a tool to self-express and solely focus on photos that will generate attention. Their posts on Instagram mainly reflect their emotions or use hashtags to attract more followers. Teenagers want large audiences and more of a way to emphasize on the popularity status amongst their group. Internet celebrities have risen from amassing large followers and posting consistently to maintain their brand. As a result, other teens are also pressured to follow the same. We live in the era of the ‘’perfect selfie’’. Teens spend a generous amount of time in taking the perfect photos at the perfect places and find captions that will surely boost their brand. In doing so, most teenagers opt to alter or create new identities that will allow them to gain more likes and followers.

 

This identifies that teenagers can decide how they want to be represented to the online community. This can be in the form of their avatars which is usually the new identity they have created on their chosen online platform (Pearson, 2009). Pearson (2009), argues that these behavioral changes exist in the imagination of users. This means that, the user merely uses social networking sites as tools to project and constantly improvise or revise their online presence. It is also observed that by doing this, users meticulously plan and stage what their identities should look like when they’re presented to the virtual community.

 

Teenagers can alter or create new identities through their choices of usernames, photos and online behavior while communicating with other users online. Instagram has become an online community where only the best photographers and only accounts which have a massive following can thrive. Teens find it needful to step up their photography skills just to be able to get likes and followers. It has also become a dangerous addiction where teens are willing to spend any amount of time just to get the right photo which may ultimately bring in some new followers. They are obsessive over the idea of portraying how they want to be perceived online and in return they are drifting away from the real society. The time teens spend on Instagram is roughly 25 minutes per day. This translates that teens spend an average of 8 months using Instagram in their lifetime (Asano, 2017).

 

With YouTube, behavioral traits are quite varied. The pressure of maintaining an online brand and personality is even greater than that of Instagram.  Youtubers have a reputation at stake. They are just like celebrities but the only difference is that they get to choose how they want to be perceived. Youtubers spend countless hours in creating videos and understanding their audiences’ tastes. Therefore, it is crucial for a Youtuber to maintain good quality videos on their channels. Youtubers at the beginning would film their videos with a simple video recorder. Today, youtubers have professional teams, use industry standard equipment and shoot at well know studios and production houses. YouTube videos have become extremely professional even if a lot of viewers do not get to witness what goes on behind the scenes of shooting a YouTube video. YouTube is the largest video platform and can shape society.

 

YouTube gave rise to the term ’Vlogging’. It is the process where users video blog their experiences and post it on YouTube rather than writing and posting it on a blog. Studies have showed that vloggers and their viewers can have a sense of connection between the two parties (Wesch, 2008). Certain YouTubers have had to completely change identities or renew themselves to able to appeal to an audience or to generate views. Moreover, makeup tutorials and beauty channels have created a new environment where viewers are expected to follow the same. Teenagers fit the right targeted audience to follow these trends of what is popular now. Teenagers behavioral traits can be attributed to certain negative events that can shape long lasting effects. In 2014, a United Arab Emirates court convicted 8 people over a documentary video. The video was aimed at teenagers living in the UAE and insinuated a gangster culture that is supposedly rising amongst teens. The matter of concert was that the video was perceived as defaming the teenage demographic and fear of disturbing the state security (BBC, 2013).

 

Teenagers have made social networking sites as a place to grow and develop according to how they want. Social class and race play a very little role in determining which sector of the demographic use these sites (Dannah, 2007). Poor teens are also more likely to join the virtual community of Instagram and Youtube as their wealthier counterparts. However, behavioral traits in identity change highly depends on what the teens do online. Those who use social networking sites in schools, use them as a more asynchronous method to connect. Those who use them continuously at home, spend more time modifying their identities, surfing the web and maintaining their online presence.

 

Self-identity is easily changed amongst teens. Spending time on social media such as Instagram, can lead to uses feeling jealous or insecure. Identity is then evaluated through the number of likes, followers or subscribers that have been received. As a result, teenagers spend a lot of time online to modify or create new identities that will be appealing. It is therefore really important to recognize the power of social media pertaining to how it can alter identities amongst teens and that it should not be allowed to define who we are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blbliography

Asano, E. (2017, January 4). 1. Retrieved from socialmediatoday.com: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic

 

Baron, C. (2017). The Statistics Portal. Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/250176/social-network-usage-of-us-teens-and-young-adults-by-age-group/

 

Boyd, D. (2007). Why Youth (Heart) Social Networking Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning- Youth, Identity And Digital Media Volume. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press.

 

Donath, J. S. (n.d.). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved from MIT Media Lab: http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

 

Gordon, K. (n.d.). Instagram. Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/topics/1882/instagram/

 

Gordon, K. (n.d.). Youtube. Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/topics/2019/youtube/

 

Hynes, N. and Wilson, J. 2016. I do it, but don’t tell anyone! Personal values, personal and      social norms: Can social media play a role in changing pro-environmental behaviours. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 111: pp. 349-359

 

Pearson, E. (2009). The Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. All The World Wide Web’s A stage.

 

UAE Court convicts Eight over “Spoof Documentary Video”. (2013, December 23). Retrieved from BBC : http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25495256

 

Walrave, M., Ponnet, K., Vanderhoven, E., & Haers, J. (2016). Youth 2.0: Social Media and Adolescence. Springer International Publishing.

Online Media Platforms and Social Networking allow for Deceptive Communication to Occur Online with Ease

 

Online Media Platforms and Social Networking allow for

Deceptive Communication to Occur Online with Ease

Abstract

This paper explores the connection between social networking platforms and the arise of deceptive communication in cyberspace as social media and technology become more interweaved into everyday routines.  The purpose of this paper is to assess how online platforms are changing the role and meaning of identity when evaluating online forums and whether social networking has encouraged deceptive communications upon individuals as new technologies have allowed for misleading and disingenuous interactions with ease. Through analyzing examples and various author studies, further clarity on this topic should be provided to understand if social platforms do indeed influence traditional communications and interactions and if in turn, have affected how identity and communities should be comprehended online.

 

Keywords: social networks, identity, online identity, community, social media, deceptive interactions, catfishing.

 

 

Online Media Platforms and Social Networking allow for

Deceptive Communication to Occur Online with Ease

 

Technology has had a profound effect on the way it has encouraged individuals to come together and communicate (Smith and Kollock, 1999). Online media platforms allow for interactions to differ from traditional face-to-face encounters, which can allow for deceptive communication to occur online, which can result in the presence of a misconstrued and phony identities being commonplace online. This has given way to the arise of catfishing and dishonest interactions in social networking platforms and within dating communities. These social networks have stripped away many of the core signals and concepts that make up the qualities of a conventional face-to-face encounter and therefore has made it easier for phonies to appear on social networks as someone they are not.  (Smith and Kollock, 1999) On these said online networks, communication is fast, inexpensive and reaches people at a world-wide level with platforms that allow for collaboration and interaction that has not yet been seen before this recent decade. (Smith and Kollock, 1999) This raises questions such as “How is the internet changing our basic concepts of identity, self-governance, and community?” (Smith and Kollock, 1999, p. 1). The powerful rise of social networking in accordance with the intensive reliance on technology this modern age has allowed, has encouraged individuals to take part in deceptive activities online, such as the introduction of ‘Catfishing’ on online platforms.

How the Rise of the Net has altered the meaning of Identity Online

The role of identity when evaluating social networks (and the communities that are created within these networks) is significant. When interacting within these social networks and communities, being aware of the persons who you are communicating and interacting with is vital. When communicating in the physical realm, individuals can be certain of whom they are connecting with, due to all the bodily cues that come with physical interaction. When evaluating virtual communication, it’s a very different premise (Donath, 1999). The online world allows people into a space which is abundant with interactive social platforms in which individuals are able to engage and meet with each other. “Instead of people talking to machines, networks are being used to connect people to people…These shifts make the creation of thousands of spaces to house conversations and exchanges between far-flung groups of people practical and convenient. Using network interaction media like email, chat and conferencing systems people have formed thousands of groups to discuss a range of topics, play games, entertain one another and even work on a range of complex collective projects” (Smith and Kollock, 1999, p.3) This has given rise to a completely new definition of identity when evaluating users of the internet, with parallel and multiple identities existing through innumerable platforms through virtual screens at a global scale (Turkle, 1997).

As Pearson (2009 n.p) outlines “Identity- as- performance is seen as part of the flow of social interaction as individuals construct identity performances fitting their milieu. With a heightened self–consciousness, online environments take this construction of performance to another level.” The internet’s technological advancement that has made way for an abundance of social networks, has indeed contributed to the sense of identity for individuals online. The introduction of these social networks is substantial, as the usage of these networks has webbed its way into countless individual’s everyday lives. Considering the limitless social network communities available to people, individuals can now express their identities through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Through Blogs, Wikis or YouTube or even through dating communities like Tinder, eHarmony, and Bumble. There are endless opportunities for consumers of the net to latch their identities onto and “Real life can be just ‘one more window’” (Turkle, 1997, p. 74) These social spaces and platforms in which people are now engaging in and expressing these identities has given rise to the question, are the people we meet and interact with online, in this window, to be trusted?

The Net is Allowing for Deceptive Communication Online with Ease

The rise of the internet has also given rise to questions about the genuineness of the individuals we interact with online, as self-presentation of individuals is an aspect that can be controlled easily raising thought about the authenticity of others online.  “We begin with a consideration of identity, the basic building block of social interaction. All of our interactions, even those with strangers, are shaped by our sense of with whom we are interacting. In face-to-face and telephone interactions, there are a wealth of cues of varying reliability to indicate our identity and our intentions. Our clothes, voices, bodies, and gestures signal messages about status, power and group membership. We rely on our ability to recognize fellow group members in order to know who we can turn to and what we can expect.” (Smith and Kollock, 1991, p.8) With these distinctive physical cues stripped away, it leaves space for the imagination to replace what isn’t there. This means anyone on the internet can be anybody or anything they wish to be. The ease of self-presentation has never been so achievable for individuals and the will to create a persona for yourself is one that many find intriguing. “Critics worry that life on the net can never be a meaningful or complete because it will lead people away from the full range of in-person contact. Or, they worry that people will get so engulfed in the simulacrum virtual reality, they will lose contact with real life” (Wellman & Guilla, 1997). Not only is it of concern that meaning, and loss of contact is possible, But, what does self-presentation mean for individuals online? Are internet users under threat of ingeniousness and unsafe encounters? “O’Brien points out that there is a strain between those who view online interaction as an opportunity to ‘perform’ a variety of perhaps fabricated roles versus those who see cyberspace as a new communication medium between “real people” (Smith and Kollock, 1999, p.12). Moreover, how are we to define and decide who a real person is?

On differing social network platforms, the terms and conditions generally differ regarding whether the users of the site are able to communicate through an alternative identity than the one they were ‘legally assigned’ (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015). An example of this; is the controversial “real-name” anti-anonymity movement that Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg is leading. The user policies Facebook outlines specifically state that users are expected to identify as one person. With Zuckerberg stating, “having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity” (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015, n.p). However, this has caused some uproar from the drag queen community after Facebook commenced a mass deletion of personal pages from those who prefer to use stage names rather than legitimate names (Buhr, 2014).

Participants of the drag community believe they identify with their stage identities more so than their lawful one and are protesting for the right to express this online. (Buhr, 2014) An extract from their appeal is as follows; “We cannot emphasize enough that Facebook is a poor arbiter of what is or isn’t a real name. Performers with legitimate-appearing names get locked out of their accounts while people with account names like “Jane ICanBeBadAllByMyself Doe” go without scrutiny” (Buhr, 2015, n.p). However, on the flipside of this argument, some argue that the allowance of using multiple identities or illegitimate identities online can be extremely dangerous and can cause major turmoil for some participants of the online world, there have been known “catfishing” incidences that are becoming commonplace amongst Facebook as well as many other social networking sites. “The net is only one of many ways in which the same people may interact. It is not a separate reality. People bring to their online interactions such baggage as their gender, stage in the life-cycle, cultural milieu, socioeconomic status, and off-line connections with others” (Wellman & Guila, 1997, p.3) But what does this signify for our basic concepts of identity, self-presentation and community when people connecting on the social realm have imagined up their own separate reality, and these factors are not true to the person behind the screen.

 Deceiving Communication, Phoney Identities and Catfishing Incidence on Social Media and Dating Platforms

The use of modern technology has become a 21st-century cultural necessity to most individuals, most finding it hard to function without the usage of social media in their daily routines. That being said, there are also certain risks that may accompany the use of particular social networking sites. With online deception and catfishing becoming relatively normal to the online realm, users are at risk of experiencing threatening and misleading encounters online (Blazka, Smith & Smith, 2017). ‘Catfishing’ is a term that encompasses the action of an individual online, enacting on an incident of treachery and deceit by fictionalizing an entire being on the virtual realm (Kotteman, 2015). These predators assume the role of an alternative identity to deliberately trick people into a fictitious romantic or emotive relationship by stealing somebody else’s personal information and pictures or by fabricating a unique identity, and in online forums, this act is becoming progressively more mainstream (Kotteman, 2015). One of the first globally documented cases of Catfishing was recorded by known NFL football player Manti Te’o who was fooled into believing his cyber girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, had passed away from leukaemia, or had even existed (Blazka et al., 2017).

The investigators of the case state; “There was no Lennay Kekua. … She was not diagnosed with cancer, did not spend time in the hospital, did not engage in a lengthy battle with leukaemia. She never had a bone marrow transplant. She did not request he send white flowers to her funeral. Her favourite colour was not white. Her brother, Koa, did not inform Manti Te’o that she was dead. She did not exist. (Kotteman, 2015, p. 2).  She was merely a creation of someone’s imagination to intentionally deceive. After the relationship between Te’o and fictitious Lennay had been so deeply broadcasted by the media, the world was introduced to the phenomenon of Catfishing, and individuals felt disturbed and scared of the online realm they assumed they could trust (Kotteman, 2015). Catfishing is not only common on social networking sites such as Facebook but has also found its way into genuine dating platforms used by innocent customers whom are intentionally searching for a life partner. “With more than one-third of relationships being facilitated through Internet dating and with 45% of online daters citing social networking sites as the primary way in which they connect with potential mates, there are clear psychological and relational implications that make studying online interaction more important than ever” (Kadrich, 2016, p.9).

The conception of online dating has given humankind the chance to witness and observe the shifting traditional standards surrounding relationships online and understand the significant features of online behaviour, such as “impression formation and self-presentation strategies” (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015, p. 415). As online dating has considerably transformed from being a “marginal to mainstream social practice” (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015, p. 415) over the past decade with 17.5% of internet users claiming they have tried online dating (Kadrich,2016 ), it can be imagined how many individuals now contribute to the online dating world and what that could signify for the genuine partakers who are forced to engage with phonies, and how these misconstrued identities are becoming more common to ensnare a stranger. In some cases, Catfishing is used as a method to scam lonely and vulnerable romantics. Ian Doney was one of many victims of Catfishing, who at 51 years of age, trusted he had finally found love after finding a woman on a single persons website (Computer Act!ve, 2017). He was scammed out of thousands of dollars, sending his ‘love’, money to meet him abroad. She never showed up. He tried again to send her money and meet her, again, to no avail. Doney was eventually scammed into substantial debts and subsequently struggled to afford basic necessities or to even eat. He eventually spiraled into an immense depression and eventually paid the ultimate price by slitting his wrists and ending his life (Computer Act!ve, 2017).

This is just one example of the dire and extensive effects Catfishing and dishonest social networking can have on innocent victims, with researching showing “that roughly 20% of online dating service users use deceptive tactics” (Kadrich, 2016, p. 52) Even if the deception is something as minor as to enhance their appearance online to appear more desirable or lying about education, culture or class (Kadrich, 2016). It is evident that the technologically reliant world in which we live is increasingly becoming more deceptive on these social networking platforms used by individuals everyday, due to the ease and effortlessness it takes for individuals to conjure up a phony identity and ensnare a stranger.

Conclusions

To close, it is undeniably apparent that modern technology has had a powerful impact on the development and progression of social networks and the way in which individuals are now choosing to interact and communicate online with other fellow networkers. As the net provides a space for individuals that is substantially varying to that of a traditional face-to-face encounter due to the lack of bodily cues, it is proving to be a space that can allow for deceptive communication with ease. The existence of fraudulent and phoney identities is becoming more commonplace with cases of catfishing and deception occurring at a high rate on varying social platforms. This is due to the effortlessness it takes for these imitation artists to fictionalise an entire identity on these platforms that run with accessibility and convenience. It is ascertaining to be a space that is potentially threatening concepts of identity and community as we know it and revolutionising how we comprehend these concepts online.

 

References

Blazka, M., Smith, L.E., & Smith, K.D. (2017). Follow Me, What the Harm? Considerations of Catfishing and Utilizing Fake Online Personas on Social Media. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 27, 32-90. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/HOL/Page?public=false&handle=hein.journals/jlas27&page=32&collection=journals#

Buhr, S. (2014). Facebook won’t budge on letting drag queens keep their names. TechCrunch  Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/18/facebook-wont-budge-on-letting-drag-queens-keep-their-names/.

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How False Performance of Identity on Instagram Influence Social Comparisons

Abstract

Social networking platforms allow users the ability to control how their identity is presented to others. In the case of Instagram, users can edit and add filters to photos of their choice to be seen by public or private audience. While these features can be used as a form of self-expression, there are often other motivations for performing identity through Instagram. This paper identifies these motivations and outlines the affect that false representations of reality can have on audiences. The paper will examine the work of various researchers on performing identity offline, online identity, social networking use, and Instagram use. The research discussed in this paper suggests that people modify their identity online to conceal negative aspects of themselves in order to achieve a desired impression on their audience, which often includes impressing their social groups and communities. This paper also identifies that distorted representations of identity can cause negative self-evaluation in audiences, who engage in social comparisons online.

Keywords: Identity, Instagram, Social Networks

 

Introduction

This paper will discuss the motivations for self-presentation of identity and how false performances of identity can impact others, with specific reference to Instagram. The paper will draw information from many researchers in the communications field to present the argument that since Instagram allows users to choose how to portray themselves, they can create false perceptions of their identity to others, which in turn, can have a negative impact on the self-evaluation of their audiences. These audiences consist of the user’s offline communities, including friends, family and acquaintances, as well as their online social networks.

According to Pearson (2009), people online can “deliberately choose to put forth identity cues or claims of self that can closely resemble or widely differ from reality”. Due to the nature of online profiles, users do not accurately depict themselves but rather articulate chosen performances (boyd & Heer, 2006). The “performer” manages disclosure on social networking sites, choosing whether to share more private aspects of their constructed identity (Pearson, 2009). Furthermore, social networking platforms with fluidity allow for users to “play with aspects of their presentation of self” while communicating with others (Pearson, 2009). Through the social networking site Instagram, users often present their identity to make themselves appear more favourable, which can induce negative comparisons from their audience who may feel jealous or view their own life in a less positive light.

 

Presentation of Identity Online

Since the way people present themselves online can be significantly different from how they present themselves offline, it is believed that communicating with others in various contexts involves showing different aspects of one’s identity according to the situation (Goffman, 1959; Lazebna, 2015). According to Rettberg (2014, p. 51), when posting a photo to Instagram, people intentionally choose what they “want to remember and share” and what they “want to leave out”. Individuals will conceal aspects that could be perceived negatively and only share positive situations (Seehafer, 2017). Rosenberg and Egbert (2011, p. 4) define the process in which individuals regulate their own behaviour to expose desirable traits as “self-monitoring”. This involves creating strategic profiles and engaging in self-presentation tactics to expose their identity in a favourable light and have a desired impression on an audience (Rosenberg & Egbert, 2011; Seehafer, 2017).

Performances of identity in social networks start within the imagination of users and then are brought to existence with the aid of the tools and technologies of the platform, allowing users to “project, renegotiate, and continuously revise their consensual social hallucination” (Pearson, 2009). It is expected for audiences to believe the online content of others to depict accurate representations of identity that mirror reality, when instead these performances may not be genuine (Goffman, 1959; Seehafer, 2017). In contrast, Lee (2006) argues that self-presentation online is dependent on context, and therefore, interaction is not necessarily dishonest and deceptive. This argument supports Hardey’s (2002, p. 570) belief that rather than constructing “fantasy selves”, anonymous online interactions act as a foundation for building trust and establishing relationships.

Presentation of self on Instagram is mainly made up of an individual’s username, pictures and descriptions, profile photo, and bio, all of which take a part in constructing a user’s online identity. Users often upload photos of themselves with friends, at events, and “selfies” to make their life appear a certain way. A study by Adler (2017), found that the primary motivation for posting selfies was for ego-reinforcement, as these individuals feel better about themselves when receiving likes from others. In contrast to the arguments made in this paper, Adler’s (2017) study also found that participants posted selfies due to high levels of self-esteem and confidence, with one participant stating that posting selfies acted as a way for her to build her self-confidence and show love and appreciation for herself. While some Instagram users may present their identity candidly and confidently, many others use online identity as an opportunity to shape themselves as more favourable to others.

 

Using Online Identity to Belong

Much of the research into the way in which people present themselves to others is based on Goffman’s (1959) belief that individuals modify their identity to adhere to societal understandings and expectations. Goffman (1959) believes that people become characters that play out a performance when interacting with others to achieve a desired impression. Goffman’s beliefs can be applied to the modern Web 2.0 context whereby online users maintain their character and express performances through their social networking platforms, which have grown to become a fundamental factor in the management of identity and social relations (Mascheroni, Vincent, & Jimenez, 2015; Seehafer, 2017). According to Rosenberg and Egbert (2011, p. 5), individuals use self-presentation tactics in order to “make a desired impression on a particular audience”. The motivation for this is derived from individuals’ intrinsic need for acceptance and inclusion (Rosenberg & Egbert, 2011).

According to Pearson (2009), people construct their identities in relation to their networks and communities. People can often feel pressured to fit in with a certain group identity through the construction of their online identity, which can affect one’s reputation within a community (Kollock & Smith, 1999; Rettberg, 2014). Furthermore, Kollock and Smith (1999) argue that upholding and developing one’s identity or reputation is actually essential to the formation of communities. In modern society, people create and update online profiles that conform to society’s standards of self-presentation and social expectations (Mascheroni, Vincent, & Jiminez, 2015). The motivation for individuals to carefully manage and monitor the impressions made by their online identity is enhanced by the public nature of social network profiles (Rosenberg & Egbert, 2011).

One way that individuals try to impress their social groups on their social networks, mainly through Facebook and Instagram, is through uploading photos from particular events. According to boyd and Heer (2006), uploading event photos indicates “friendship structure to outsiders and an expression of appreciation to friends”, which displays participation and inclusion. Instagram has a feature that enables users to tag other people depicted in pictures and add the location that the photo was taken (Ridgway & Clayton, 2016). Additionally, each user’s profile has a “Tagged In” section that shows viewers all the photos that user has been tagged in. Tagging friends in photos can enhance the feeling of community online between friends. It can also help to achieve a desired impression on audiences, possibly that the individual is popular if they upload photos with many people.

 

Using Filters to Alter Reality

Rettberg (2014) argues that people upload photos to Instagram to heighten their own daily experiences and make themselves feel special. Instagram allows users to edit their photos and apply various filters that may conceal aspects of their performance (Seehafer, 2017). Filters are manipulation tools that can be used as a form of self-expression, involving the ability to adjust brightness, colour, saturation, and various other qualities (Hochman & Manovich, 2013; Seehafer, 2017). Instagram filters can create a different “feel” by altering the message communicated by the image (Hochman & Manovich, 2013). Using filters on photos allows for individuals to see themselves from a distance that “makes them new” (Rettberg, 2014, p. 27). By editing and using filters on photos, people are able to display an idealised image of “a socially-accepted and desirable persona” (Lazebna, 2015, p. 2). This idea is supported by Seehafer (2017), who argues that performances of identity online are expected to meet ideal standards and disguise everything that does not fit into these standards.

A study by Reece and Danforth (2017) found that depressed individuals were less likely to apply filters to their photos than healthy individuals. Additionally, the depressed participants preferred a black and white filter as opposed to the healthy participants that favoured the Valencia filter, which lightens the tint of the photo (Reece & Danforth, 2017). This suggests that people who are not depressed are the ones that are more likely to use filters on their photos, and hence, take notice of their impression management.

 

The Effect of Online Performances of Identity on Others

Since social media platforms allow for users to control how they present themselves to others, they contain idealised versions of identity (Hendrickse, 2016). According to Appel, Gerlach and Crusius (2016, p. 44), information presented online is positively skewed, increasing the “probability of unflattering social comparisons”. According to Wood (1996), social comparison refers to comparing oneself to others in terms of self-evaluation, self-improvement and/or self-enhancement. Social comparisons can result in envy, which is heightened when one compares themselves to their friends and peers due to its high personal relevance (Appel, Gerlach & Crusius, 2016). Vogel, Rose, Okdie, Eckles and Franz (2015) support this idea by arguing that social comparisons on social media construct negative effects on well-being and self-evaluation. Goffman (1959) suggests that social distance assists in generating admiration within an audience. This distance is enhanced in an online environment, especially between individuals that have not met offline as a comparison does not require direct contact (Wood, 1996). As many individuals use social networking sites to learn about others without engaging in any social interaction, the likelihood for social comparisons to occur is very high (Vogel et al, 2015; Wood, 1996). This not only involves looking at the profiles of family, friends and acquaintances but also those of strangers, whether famous, a friend of a friend or someone with no social connection whatsoever.

Many celebrities and models have an active presence on Instagram, with millions of followers that see every image they post. One of the most followed people on Instagram is Selena Gomez, who often shares photos containing her “thin-ideal body” (Hendrickse, 2016, p. 2). Gomez and other prominent Instagram influencers all have the ability to apply filters to their images, controlling the way others see them (Hendricks, 2016). While these body and beauty standards are conveyed through various social influences, the most prominent force is mass media, and therefore, social networking sites (Groesz, Levine & Murnen, 2002).  A study by Shelly, Ward, Hyde and Shibley (2008) discovered that exposure to thin body images in the media positively relates to body image insecurities. This evidence is supported by Hendrickse’s (2016) study that found a strong relationship between body image concerns regarding thinness and appearance-related comparisons made on Instagram. Repeated exposure to such images in the media lead audiences to accept such portrayals as representations of reality, causing the thin ideal body to be seen as normal, and even expected (Shelly et al, 2008). Evidently, this affects many women’s satisfaction with their own body, and in turn, decreasing their self-esteem (Shelly et al, 2008).

 

Conclusion

Social networking sites provide a platform for people to represent their identity online through alternate performances (Pearson, 2009). On Instagram, users upload selfies as a way to perform their visual identity. Through performance, individuals engage in impression management in order to make a desired impression on an audience (Rosenberg & Egbert, 2011). Desired impressions are often based around fitting in with social groups, which can help users feel as if they belong within an online community. Rettberg (2014) argues that performance of visual identity online is coercive, and users feel pressured to display a group identity. Instagram allows users to tag others in photos, demonstrating inclusion and popularity while also enhancing the sense of community. Another feature that is widely used on Instagram is the ability to apply filters to photos. While filters may be used as artful expression, they are also a manipulation tool that can distort reality (Hochman & Manovich). Since users can control their performances online, identities often represent an idealised version of reality (Hendrickse, 2016). When viewing the profiles of others online, people use social comparisons by assessing their own life in contrast to the person online. Misrepresenting true identity online can cause audiences to experience negative self-evaluation, and even envy (Appel, Gerlach & Crusius, 2016; Vogel et al, 2015). Such social comparisons are present in examples of thin body performances throughout social media and Instagram. Overall, the affordances of social networking sites like Instagram allow users to perform their identity however they please, and false performances of identity can cause negative social comparisons from audiences.

 

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Facebook is ruining our real identity

Abstract

This paper explores several articles that report on result from research conducted on how Facebook is ruining our real identity. The articles show how Facebook is ruining our identity in different forms. The article of Mehdizadeh (2010) demonstrates how the target for some now in their use of Facebook ends up being the way by which they can curry affirmation, status, being celebrated and, by development, certainty through their profiles and postings. This paper examines Jabee and Afshar (2016) to suggest that there were more than 148,000 setbacks of personality burglaries in the UK in 2015, differentiated and ideal around 94,500 of each 2014. Facebook has made individuals lose a few fellowships and overlook how to collaborate with others up close and personal. It can be argued that Facebook has been ruining our real identity by changing people’s self-esteem as it makes them to think what people are thinking about them. Facebook user’s identities are in danger as their personal information are being stolen by hackers which is causing lots of problems nowadays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facebook is ruining our real identity

INTRODUCTION

Social media site is a famous type of communicating with companions around the bend and around the world. It has turned out to be one of the best types of communications even over the mobile phones. Like innovation, our species has adjusted to fit present day times. Through these adjustments, we have started to impart through our recently created innovation by methods for online networking. In the present society, we are encompassed by social media sites, for example, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and different sites that can customarily devour our lives. The world is closer and more associated due in no little part to social media sites, and loved ones a huge number of miles away are yet a tick away. Anybody with an email account and an Internet connection can transform Facebook into a soapbox and this social media platform has featured worldwide governmental issues and made nearby groups more tightly. With around 350 million dynamic users, Facebook is a standout amongst the most famous networking site ever (Valenzuela, Correa & Gil de Zúñiga, 2017). While it might have advantages, for example, interfacing one with companions, it might likewise have exceptionally negative impacts that could be irreversible. At a speedy look, Facebook might be seen as a captivating and pleasant site, yet the addictions that occasionally emerge from abuse connect to lethal impacts. In this conference paper, it will be shown how Facebook has been ruining our real identity as it brings the world together. People’s real identities are in danger in this virtual world as their self-esteem are being destroy by making them think what people believe or talk about them and also their identity are being stolen by other people for dangerous activities. Also Facebook is detaching users from their digital persona is another way of how their real identities are being affected.

  1. FACEBOOK IS DESTROYING SELF-ESTEEM

Social media sites are not simply taking your information and spreading false news, in the present day online networking is making us paranoid, envious and harder to interface with. Facebook was at first set up to have just a single sort of “companion,” so every individual you acknowledged as a companion would see the greater part of your posts. For the last number of years, the site has been extending its alternatives for arranging by “close friends,” “colleagues,” and different groups, for example, those in light of region or school friends, so users can shape their news feeds and make focused on postings (Gonzales & Hancock, 2011). Some new social issues have risen because of these merged groups of friends. Would it be advisable for a Facebook user to tag his companion “JONH” in a photograph he posted on Facebook in the event that he realize that his companion Ben disdains her? In the event that he doesn’t tag her, will she be affronted? Regardless of whether he don’t post an update, does he has to request that John not tag him in one of her updates since he is worried about Ben’s conceivable response? All these types of questions keep copping up on a Facebook user’s mind. Also Facebook has made us move far from communicating our self-identities and toward developing facades in view of the responses to these questions, “By what means will others take a look at me?” and “How might I guarantee that others see me positively?” The objective for some now in their utilization of Facebook turns out to be the manner by which they can curry acknowledgment, status, being famous and, by expansion, confidence through their profiles and postings (Mehdizadeh, 2010). Mindfulness and self-expression offer approach to impression administration and self-advancement.

The cruel truth is that the majority of us are simply searching for validation. We simply need a group of individuals to “like” our post. It influences us to feel imperative. It influences us to feel well known. You cherish hearing that a notification come in. You cherish standing out enough to be noticed. You cherish the sentiment endorsement that accompanies every single “like” your new post receives. The issue is that Facebook enables you to “enjoy” this intuition without any difficulty. And after that you get dependent. You “require” to feel this validation now and again to like yourself… You start to depend on “likes” keeping in mind the end goal to be sure (Kariou, Antoniou, Bebetsos & Athanasios, 2016). When you’re exhausted, or anxious, checking your telephone gives you a comment. However, in the event that you’re always perusing through photographs, sending messages, or contemplating what to post straightaway, you can never really be locked in with what you’re doing. Your brain will dependably be wandering. You’ll never have the capacity to hang out with companions, watch a film, or go out on the town without worrying about checking your telephone. And this will keep you from being a sure, grounded man (Andreassen, Pallesen & Griffiths, 2017). Confidence comes when you connect with completely with what you’re doing and act without considering or second-speculating yourself. Be that as it may, in case you’re dependent via Facebook, at that point it will be about difficult to accomplish a completely certain, current situation with mind. You will dependably have that “desire” to see the most recent updates.

  1. FACEBOOK IS RUINING OUR IDENTITY BY GIVING RISE IN IDENTIFY THEFTS

Hackers are progressively utilizing social networking sites, for example, Facebook for prompting enormous ascent in identity fraud. The quantity of casualties of data fraud ascended by 57 computers a year ago, Cifas, the fraud prevention service, said. There were in excess of 148,000 casualties in the UK in 2015, contrasted and right around 94,500 of every 2014 (Jabee & Afshar, 2016). Fraudsters frequently trawl online networking destinations to discover individual data, for example, your name, date of birth, address and name of your bank. They will accumulate the data in various ways, including hacking if an organization that holds data about you doesn’t ensure its information appropriately. They will likewise utilize web-based social networking to “put the bits of somebody’s character together”. With the expanded worldwide utilization of social networking sites, there are more open doors than any other time in recent memory to take characters or execute misrepresentation on the web. For instance, information posted on Facebook and numerous other online networking destinations can be utilized by offenders. On the off chance that you post that you’re away in the midst of a vacation, you’ve opened yourself up for theft. On the off chance that you specify that you’re away on business for an end of the week, you may leave your family open to attack or burglary. With regards to stalking or taking a personality, utilization of photograph and video-sharing sites like Flickr and YouTube give further bits of knowledge into you, your family and companions, your home, most loved side interests and interests (Nosko, Wood & Molema, 2010). Regardless of whether you delete your Facebook account and cut yourself off from online networking sites, there’s likely sufficiently still data about you out there to help the hackers get to your budgetary life. Free games and quizzes appear like fun, however ordinarily their motivation is to steal data about you and your companions. Identity tests on Facebook. Numerous are set up by character criminals to get individual data about you.

After some time, Facebook affects singular prosperity, rising awful emotions on an opportunity to-time premise and reduction fulfilment of life. One of the primary reasons is fake identity. A report has stated that around 83 million profiles from various one billion were not genuine profiles (Demange, 2010). It is to be featured that a person’s actual personality is the thing that separates and recognize one’s self on the planet. It is molded through the impacts of religion, culture, encounters and individuals in a single’s life However, Facebook has to a great degree empowered fake personality, which are thus reassuring the digital dangers and ruining genuine characters of individuals. Digital threats are e-borne acts; they can possibly influence a computer or system frameworks or even their information or honesty. One of the fundamental illustrations that will be considered as for the exchange of fake character and digital dangers is digital stalking. Digital stalking might be thought to be where one can steal the client’s personality by distributing purposeful publicity about the client as far as photographs or content to pornhubs. One case is a “requital porn stalker” who utilized private photographs which was saved money on a memory card making a phony profile of his ex and transferred “unequivocal” photographs of her. This prompted the ex’s endeavour to suicide. The fake introduction in this manner demonstrates a fake character overshadowed the genuine personality in the above case through Facebook (Wu, Chou, Tseng, Lee & Chen, 2017). Hereby, it can be expressed that genuine character has been dissolved with the nearness of individuals who claims to be the client on acclaimed SNS among which Facebook is one.

  1. FACEBOOK IS DETACHING US FROM DIGITAL PERSONA

Facebook won’t be a positive impact in a person’s life in the event that it is being utilized as a genuine expansion of their real identity. It is a personality that is as of now delicate to genuine ecological powers and mental hindrances and can be entertaining. Facebook can be fine, on the off chance that users treat it like what it is at its centre and nothing more. It isn’t worked for depth, riveting exchange and common talk. It is particularly not worked for significant social personality. This social media tool is worked to share goodies of data, pictures and memes. It is for keeping free tabs on individuals we don’t generally have room schedule-wise to become more acquainted with on a more profound level. Getting it done Facebook is a façade where we consent to not consider excessively important, in light of the fact that we comprehend our real life identity runs considerably more profound than a photo and two or three updates (Hevern, 2011).  Facebook is enticing people to assemble ‘mediated associations’ with screens, gadgets, the cloud and soon, by means of expanded and virtual reality, as opposed to with genuine individuals that are directly before our noses. Facebook has astutely changed real human fellowship with a relatively dark mirror type simulation that is a sort of virtual reality that sustains off the human requirement for positive confirmation. Facebook has moved toward becoming precisely the inverse of social since there is literally nothing social around an algorithmic meta-brain whose exclusive concern is to get inside our heads and control our reasoning with the goal that it and its promoters can pitch more stuff to us.

In a national study directed from 2010 – 2015, young people by and large spend over 7.5 hours utilizing Facebook a day (Tsay-Vogel, Shanahan & Signorielli, 2016). With various types of media having a powerful impact in a youths’ life, their apparent social standards are genuinely affected. Teenagers are impacted by the content they are uncovered, concerning their insight about the world, their states of mind and values, and their conduct. The attention to Visual ID is posted all over online networking sites and is spread all around magazines and television programs, in the wake of taking a gander at a few numbers. Researchers have discovered that up to 73% of young lady’s utilization social networking sites and I do feel that there are a great deal of risks in the wake of taking a gander at these insights and how simple it is for youngsters to get to this data and the simplicity high school girls need to mirror their role models (Oberst, Wegmann, Stodt, Brand & Chamarro, 2017). Many individuals endeavour to make another self through social networking sites. With applications like Facebook, individuals attempt to make a veneer of themselves. They do things they wouldn’t do in reality, another identity is framed to seem as though somebody extraordinary. You at that point lose your trust of individuals on the web; however for a man whose lost, online networking can be an outlet to let everything go namelessly. There are individuals who can state whatever they need to the world without feeling excessively condemned. A few people utilize this unknown energy to assault other individuals (Arteaga Sánchez, Cortijo & Javed, 2014). For the general population who utilize it as a type of articulation, it enables them to have the security of demonstrating their interests without the inclination that they will be oppressed.

CONCLUSION

To conclude, Facebook has caused people to lose some friendships and forget how to interact with others face-to-face. It can be argued that Facebook has been ruining our real identity by changing people’s self-esteem as it makes them to think what people are thinking about them. Also Facebook hacks is leading to rise in identity thefts and Facebook is detaching us from digital persona. This has prompted individuals overlooking meaningful gestures and getting to be unbalanced. That as well as thought that it was harder to make companions in view of Facebook. There might be some good parts of Facebook and other online networking sites yet the good is exceeded by the bad. There are an excessive number of negative things that originate from the use and introduction to Facebook or any online networking site. Every good thing accompany a cost and the cost of Facebook is too huge for all the terrible things that accompany it.

Reference list:

Andreassen, C., Pallesen, S., & Griffiths, M. (2017). The relationship between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self-esteem: Findings from a large national survey. Addictive Behaviors, 64, 287-293. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.03.006

Arteaga Sánchez, R., Cortijo, V., & Javed, U. (2014). Students’ perceptions of Facebook for academic purposes. Computers & Education, 70, 138-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.08.012

Demange, G. (2010). Sharing information in Web communities. Games And Economic Behavior, 68(2), 580-601. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geb.2009.08.006

Gonzales, A., & Hancock, J. (2011). Mirror, Mirror on my Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking14(1-2), 79-83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0411

Hevern, V. (2011). The self on Facebook and deceptive identity. Psyccritiques, 56(45). http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0025934

Jabee, R., & Afshar, M. (2016). Issues and Challenges of Cyber Security for Social Networking Sites (Facebook). International Journal Of Computer Applications, 144(3), 36-40. http://dx.doi.org/10.5120/ijca2016910174

Kariou, A., Antoniou, P., Bebetsos, E., & Athanasios, K. (2016). Teen Athletes: Facebook, Self Esteem and Self Perception. International Journal Of Social Science And Humanity, 6(2), 94-97. http://dx.doi.org/10.7763/ijssh.2016.v6.625

Mehdizadeh, S. (2010). Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on FacebookCyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 100722182519069. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2009.0257

Nosko, A., Wood, E., & Molema, S. (2010). All about me: Disclosure in online social networking profiles: The case of FACEBOOK. Computers In Human Behavior, 26(3), 406-418. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.11.012

Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stodt, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal Of Adolescence, 55, 51-60. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.008

Tsay-Vogel, M., Shanahan, J., & Signorielli, N. (2016). Social media cultivating perceptions of privacy: A 5-year analysis of privacy attitudes and self-disclosure behaviors among Facebook users. New Media & Society, 20(1), 141-161. doi: 10.1177/1461444816660731

Valenzuela, S., Correa, T., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2017). Ties, Likes, and Tweets: Using Strong and Weak Ties to Explain Differences in Protest Participation Across Facebook and Twitter Use. Political Communication, 35(1), 117-134. doi: 10.1080/10584609.2017.1334726

Wu, S., Chou, M., Tseng, C., Lee, Y., & Chen, K. (2017). Detecting In Situ Identity Fraud on Social Network Services: A Case Study With Facebook. IEEE Systems Journal, 11(4), 2432-2443. doi: 10.1109/jsyst.2015.2504102

Creative Identities in Creative Online Communities by Tikvah Jesse Vismer

Creative Identities in Creative Online Communities

by Tikvah Jesse Vismer

Abstract

The following paper argues that social media has not weakened creative identity in the creative communities online. This paper uses a number of journal articles, the book Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon, as well as the Instagram photographer Dominique Davis, @allthatisshe, as a case study. The following paper will introduce the idea of identities and communities and will look at the concept of a creative community and the concept of a creative identity within this community. Then, it will discuss the concept of originality and demonstrate how originality. Next, this paper will discuss the concept of remixing and how this concept is linked to the concept of originality. Finally, using one Instagram photographer as a case study, this paper will aim to specifically use the concepts of originality and remixing to prove that social media has not weakened a creative’s identity in the creative communities online.

(Note: The photo set as my featured image is my own work)

Conference Paper

Introduction

Identity, the idea of identity, and the consciousness of one’s identity has always existed. This identity can be defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). As seen by Pirandello, an identity is something which is fabricated and the idea of one’s identity is dependent on the love and loyalty of others for its existence, and therefore, the performance and action through which identity is created is important (Merchant, 2006). The idea of community is something that has been constructed and is something which has also always existed. Community can be defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having particular characteristics in common” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). Online communities developed around social media sites exist in much the same way as well as vary, just as they do offline so to speak. Social media has become the foundation for an extensive range of practices and interests. Even though social media sites have users from all around the world, people come together to form communities based upon shared activities, interest, etc (Boyd and Ellison, 2007).

In these online communities, identity plays a very important role. In these types of communities, people can be whoever they want to be and they can choose what they wish to reveal or even make up about their identity (Pearson, 2009). This freedom found on the Internet through social media allows people to experiment with their identity and has provided both new potentials and challenges for the idea of identity. These communities have both created an opportunity for people to re-invent themselves, help in portraying themselves in new ways, or be a platform for people to express themselves and their identity. (Merchant, 2006). The idea of a community and the idea of having an identity are both dependant on the other in the way that an individual has an identity because they belong to any certain community, and therefore, one may very well have more than one identity or choose what parts of this identity to reveal to which community. Among many of the communities online, the creative community is one that is quite extensive, consisting of many different fields of creativity. Within these creative communities are many different creative identities, and like in any community, there are issues relating to one’s creative identity.

The following paper will look at the concept of a creative community as well as the concept of a creative identity within this community and argue that social media has not weakened identity in the creative communities online. More specifically this paper will aim to look at a photographer’s identity on Instagram. Firstly, this paper will describe and define creative communities and creative identities in more depth. Then, it will discuss the concept of originality and demonstrate how originality is linked to identity as well as how the concept of originality supports the argument. Next, this paper will discuss the concept of remixing and how this concept is linked to the concept of originality, as well as demonstrate how the concept of remix supports the argument. Finally, using one Instagram photographer as a case study, this paper will aim to specifically use the concepts of originality and remixing to prove that social media has not weakened a creative’s identity in the creative communities online.

Creative communities and creative identities

Firstly, having described the basic concept of identity and community, it can now be explained what is meant by creative communities online as well as what identity refers to in the context of this paper. The word creative can be defined as “relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something; having good imagination or original ideas” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). An alternate definition of the concept of community is “the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). Therefore, by combining the definitions of ‘creative’ and ‘community’, one can identify the concept of a creative community. A creative community can then be said to be a place where people who are creative share common interests, that is, their creativity, their want to create, and the medium used to express this creativity. Creative communities extend over numerous social media platforms and branch off into many common interests, such as on Instagram with photo content, on YouTube with video content, as well as blogs and many others.

Looking at another definition, identity can also refer to “the characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). Jenkins (1996) once referred to identity as “the ways in which an individual and collectives are distinguished in their social relations with other individuals and collectives” (as cited in Fearon, 1999). In the context of this paper, another word to describe identity is ‘aesthetic’, which can be defined as “a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). Therefore, when identity, or rather creative identity, is referred to in this paper, it specifically refers to the characteristics that distinguish one artist from another through their specific aesthetic or style. This type of identity in creative communities relates to creative performance and is connected to how much of it is valued by the creative (Glaveanu and Tanggard, 2014). Therefore, more specifically in the further context of this paper, the concept of creative identity will refer to the aesthetic or style an individual photographer has that is evident in his work, or photographs. This specific style or aesthetic then creates a certain creative identity for the photographer within the creative community on Instagram and it is by this identity that the photographer is known.

The concept of originality 

Now that the concepts of creative communities and context of identity has been defined, the concept of originality can be discussed as well as how originality is linked to a creative’s identity and how this can prove that social media has not weakened a creative’s identity in the creative communities online. The core of the argument of whether or not social media has weakened a creative’s identity is the issue of originality and the sensitivity of people when it comes to being inspired by another creative’s identity. There is much argument, across many social media platforms, especially Instagram and YouTube, over whether or not being inspired by another creative’s identity and imitating their work is stealing from and weakening their identity as a creative.

The first problem with claiming that people are stealing from or copying other creative’s identities is that no identity is original, or completely their own, to begin with. Nothing is new and nothing is original. As the well-known writer, Anton Chekov (1860-1904) once quoted, “There is nothing new in art except talent” (as cited on Good Reads, 2018). Therefore, no one has a creative identity that is just theirs, the only thing that one has that is different is their talent. When asked about where creative ideas come from, an honest creative will say that they were stolen. Nothing is original and all creative work is built on what came before. It is important to understand that nothing comes from nowhere. On the notion that nothing is truly original, originality can be seen rather as uniqueness (Simonton, 2016). No creative person is born with their creative identity, style, or aesthetic. An individual learns who they are, and they learn this through copying. Copying, however, in this case refers to practice, not plagiarism, as that is when one tries to pass another’s work off as their own, and a true creative is not trying to do that. A creative is a selective collector of ideas they love, and they accept inspiration instead of run from it (Kleon, 2012). William Ralph Inge once stated, “What is originality? Undetected plagiarism” (as cited by Kleon, 2012, p.8). The idea of a creative identity is linked to the idea that their identity is original. However, this cannot be the case, as mentioned earlier, nothing can ever be completely original. Therefore, due to the fact that nothing is original to begin with, creative identities in online creative communities cannot be weakened, as each creative identity was initially inspired by someone else’s identity.

The concept of remixing 

Next the concept of remixing will be discussed and how remixing can be connected to originality as well as how this concept can support the argument that social media has not weakened creative identity in the creative communities online. The word remix can be defined as to “produce a different version of (a musical recording by altering the balance of the separate tracks” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018). Therefore, in the context of this paper, the concept of remixing refers to someone creating and taking a different photograph, however, still using a balance of the key separate aspects from the creative identity they were inspired by in the creative community of photographers. Being constantly inspired by other creative identities helps to create our own creative identity, as every new idea is simply a remix of things seen before. Although a creative’s identity may be developed through the identities of others, what is unique about each individual identity is their talent. One’s creative identity is then formed through what they let into their life and then they become the sum of their inspirations (Kleon, 2012). As Goethe once said, “we are shaped and fashioned by what we love” (as cited in Kleon, 2012, p.11). Therefore, if no one ever imitates, or remixes, anything, no one will ever create anything. However, the idea behind being inspired by other creative identities is not to blatantly always do whatever they do and exactly as they do it. The idea is that in order to start creating one’s own identity, they steal from whatever inspires them and they choose only the things that stand out to them and then from there they begin to find their own identity and aesthetic. Therefore, one is not only taking ideas from those who inspire them, they are also taking from the way they think (Kleon, 2012).

One slowly becomes as good as the things they choose to surround themselves with and be inspired by. No creative ever truly knows who they are, ever. Every creative is consistently trying to create, and one learns and finds their own creative identity though copying and remixing others. If people waited until they found their identity before they started creating, they would never create anything and they would never find their identity. Creative identity comes from constantly being inspired by what is found in the creative community, and a creative identity is found by remixing another’s. The same is true about learning how to write, one needs to copy down the alphabet in order to put it together for what they eventually want to say. Then, at some moment in time, this imitation game turns to emulation, which is one step further into finding one’s own creativity identity and breaking into their own aesthetic (Kleon, 2012). As Francis Ford Coppola once said, “We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what we give you and you will put it in your own voice and that’s how you will find your voice. And that’s how you begin. And then one day someone will steal from you” (as cited by Kleon, 2012, p. 37). However, whatever the case, as quoted by Kleon (2012, p. 34), “the human hand is incapable of making a perfect copy” and therefore, a creative’s identity cannot be weakened as those who are inspired by it are only ever remixing it.

Case study – Dominique Davis 

Finally, after discussing how a creative’s identity cannot be weakened by social media in the online creative communities because of the concepts of originality and remixing, one Instagram photographer can be used as a case study to  specifically demonstrate how the concepts of originality and remixing can be used to prove that social media has not weakened a creative’s identity in the creative communities online. The one Instagram case study will be Dominique Davis, @allthatisshe. Her very well-known Instagram photographer identity will be discussed and then will be compared to another smaller, less well-known Instagram photographer, in order to show how one’s creative identity cannot be weakened through creative communities on social media.

Dominique Davis, @allthatisshe, is a content creator, Instagram coach, and writer who lives in Durham, United Kingdom. She has a very specific creative identity is very well-known for her creative photographs, especially those involving her and her two daughters together, dressed up very similar and doing the same thing, as shown in the screenshots below.

Below is the less well-know Instagram photographer Sina, @happygreylucky. Her Instagram profile can be accused of being a copy of Dominique’s due to pointing out a few similarities, thus weakening Dominique’s creative identity. However, due to the fact that nothing is original and within the creative communities, people remix other ideas and make them into their own, it can be said that Sina does not weaken Dominique’s creative identity or who she is on Instagram, but in fact has her own unique creative identity on Instagram.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it has been discussed within the various creative communities online whether or not the extensive nature of social media has weakened a creative’s identity within these creative communities. However, through discussing the concept of a creative community and the concept of creative identities as well as the concepts of originality and remixing, it can be said that this is not the case. Creative communities are places were people who are creative share common interests. Creative identity refers to the aesthetic and style a creative uses to distinguish themselves from each other. Due to concept of originality, it can be said that no identity is original and because of this, no identity can be weakened as a creative’s identity has always been formed through someone else’s ideas or concepts. Due to the concept of remixing, it can also be said the social media has not weakened a creative’s identity in creative online communities, as one is simply using another’s way of thinking to create their own, and therefore, this process of remixing cannot weaken someone’s creative identity or who they are within a creative community online. All these point were also demonstrated through using Dominique Davis, @allthatisshe, as a case study and by comparing her creative identity to another seemingly similar creative identity within the photographic creative community on Instagram. It was seen that these two profiles in no way weakened the other’s identity, even though similarities could be pointed out. In the end, that is the whole idea behind being in a creative community: to inspire and be inspired. Therefore, rather than weakening creative identities in creative communities, social media has only created an even bigger platform for people to be inspired and then in turn strengthen and grow their own creative identity. After all, as Pablo Picasso once quoted, “Art is theft” (as cited by Kleon, 2012, p.1).

Reference List

Boyd, D. M. and Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communications, 13(1), 210-230. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x.

Davis, D. (2018). Dominique Instagram Profile [Screenshot]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/allthatisshe/.

Fearon, J.D. (1999). What is Identity (as we now use the word)?. Retrieved from https://web.stanford.edu/group/fearon-research/cgi-bin/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/What-is-Identity-as-we-now-use-the-word-.pdf.

Glaveanu, V. P., and Tanggard, L. (2014). Creativity, identity, and representation: Towards a socio-cultural theory of creative identity. New Ideas in Psychology, 34, 12-21. Retrieved from https://business-institute.dk/media/1193/vlad-lene-2014.pdf.

Good Reads. (2018). Anton Chekhov: Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/400240-there-is-nothing-new-in-art-except-talent.

Kleon, A. (2012). Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/reader.action?docID=3418972&query=steal+like+an+artist+austin+kleon.

Merchant, G. (2006). Identity, Social Networks and Communication. E-Learning, 3(2), 235-243. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/elea.2006.3.2.235.

Oxford Dictionary. (2018). The definition of ‘aesthetic’. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/aesthetic.

Oxford Dictionary. (2018). The definition of ‘community’. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/community.

Oxford Dictionary. (2018). The definition of ‘creative’. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/creative.

Oxford Dictionary. (2018). The definition of ‘identity’. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/identity.

Oxford Dictionary. (2018). The definition of ‘remix’. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/remix.

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web’s a stage: The performance of identity in online social networks. First Monday, 14(3). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2162/2127.

Simonton, D.K. (2016). Defining Creativity: Don’t We Also Need to Define What is Not Creative?. Journal of Creative Behaviour. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/doi/10.1002/jocb.137.

Sina. (2018). Sina Instagram Profile [Screenshot]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/happygreylucky/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are All Identities Presented Online Real? Identifying Managed Identities within Virtual Online Communities

 

Are All Identities Presented Online Real? Identifying Managed Identities within Virtual Online Communities

Jack Walton

Curtin University

ABSTRACT:

This paper explores several published articles that argue how one’s identity has been formed online and how it is represented within virtual communities. Hodkinson (2015) goes into depth about how young millennials express their personal identities (of which sexting is a component) online and contribute to some of the consequences that can go with it. This then leads to the question, are all identities expressed in online communities necessarily real? This paper will use these references to back up the point that online social media platforms and communities can lead to a world of managed identities or identities that cannot always be represented in the physical world.

Introduction

 Throughout modern society, virtual online communities have become dominant in many peoples (particularly millennials) lives. “Virtual communities and social network sites are becoming ubiquitous among those who communicate via the internet” (Porter, 2015, p.161). Many people form their identities within these virtual communities and these can be either real, completely fake or somewhere in between. This paper will argue that whilst the virtual world gives you the freedom to explore your identity, it can lead to a world of managed identities or an identity that cannot be fully expressed in the real world. It will argue that millennials are focusing on virtual online communities to gain popularity within their circle of friends and peers in their real lives; life is generally full of both positivity and negativity, however, most of the time, young millennials only post the positive aspects of their life on social media. This paper will examine some of the major consequences that can come from this anomaly. It will also examine the different types of virtual communities that can enable users to construct an identity of their choice.

Keywords: millennials, identity, communities, virtual

Discussion

“Online community is composed of members sharing common interests” (Zhou, 2011, p.3). Ever since Web 2.0 was formed, millennials in particular have been relying on virtual social media communities to prove their personal identities to their peers. “Participation in online cultures of sharing and interaction via social media is becoming increasingly … compulsory among groups of young people” (Robards, 2014 in Hodkinson, 2015 p.2). Donath (1999, p.N/A) makes it clear that in reality, there is an inherent unity to the self, the human body is something that is strongly connected to our personal identities. Once users have signed up to a social media platform, they begin constructing an online identity, which can be real, something in between or completely false. Boyd (2007, p.13) makes it clear that the common-sense approach to an online identity is to express the most noticeable or important aspects of identity and to leave others to interpret. This generally means that only the positive aspects of our personal identities will be expressed online. Whilst we do this in real life to some extent, the difference with online communities is the extent to which these profiles can be “managed” often as the user is often exaggerating/boasting about how optimistic their life is, when in fact the reality of life is that it is full of ups and downs.

In general, one must constantly update one’s profile or statuses within the social media platform if one wants to maintain a positive image to one’s peers. Forman, Kern and Gil-Egui (2012) make it clear that individual identities are part of the formation of an online community; hence bringing people who share similar interests together. These communities can be further expanded with more members joining. Within an online community, “Identification requires individual members to maintain an active relationship with other community members” (Zhou, 2011, p.8). This means that one must make an effort to keep up to date with what is going on in the community and they have to understand “group goals, values and conventions when they join a community” (Zhou 2011, p.8). Hence, there is peer pressure to comment on or update members of the community. This pressure can sometimes lead to the building up of a contrived image.

Numerous studies have explored the relationships between millennials and the digital world as well as the impact it has had on them. Hodkinson (2015) raises the analogy of the “virtual teenage bedroom” and argues how social network communities have influenced (or deceived) their identities. “Social network sites retain intimacy and the individual-centred format continues to facilitate the exhibition and mapping of identities” (Hodkinson, 2015, p.1). In today’s generation, many millenials feel the need to express a different (managed) identity on social media platforms (most notably Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat) to make themselves fit in to their peer communities and to gain likes. This is further backed up by O’Keefe and Clarke-Pearson (2011) who go into depth about the reasons and risks behind teenagers’ virtual identities. “Because of their limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer pressure, children and adolescents are at some risk as they navigate and experiment with social media” (O’Keefe and Clarke-Pearson, 2011, p.800). Physical communities such as school, sport clubs or other extra-curricular activities can influence these different identities online. For example, a young millennial Facebook user may constantly add photos of positive events that happen in their life (such as outings or travels) to gain likes. This results in making their life look like it is perfect all the time. Posting negative status’ will not gain them any attention from their peers because the key communication tool is the “like” button.

As likes seem to be very important (and competitive) to some adolescents during their high school days, creating overly positive identity representations online is a way for them to gain more likes and followers. This has led to major issues since the 2010’s era, including cyber-bullying or, worse, suicide in teenagers. This is further backed up by Gross (2017) who goes into depth about the issue of sexting and cyber bullying and the major effects it has had on millennials. According to Gross (2017), likes are so important to the point that some girls feel the need to post explicit pictures of themselves online to gain “popularity” approval from their peers. Even though Gross’s article focuses on young females posting these images, boys are just as guilty too. Based on this research at least initially young millennials inadvertently create this “superior” image of themselves, which, in many cases, because of the competitive nature of a peer group can result in peers ending up being envious of them.

The competiveness within school and communities can have a large impact on teenagers and how they choose to present their identities often ultimately resulting in sexting. Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez (2015) discusses this false idea of identity and how “constructing an autonomous identity is a fundamental task for adolescents and pre-adolescents.” Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez (2015) makes it clear that in young girls particularly, exposing the human body is seen as a way to attract “likes” and “followers” on social media platforms. “Girls post pictures consistent with conformist beauty standards to avoid being marginalised” (Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez, 2015, p.N/A). This suggests that many young girls are feeling insecure about their social lives and they feel that gaining a certain number of likes will help them “fit in” with their peers in their middle/high school community. Selfies are also seen as a major form of visual communication between young teens. To gain more Facebook “likes” from their classmates, a school student may have docked a profile picture (make themselves look skinnier, more attractive etc.). In the minds of these young adolescents “the number of likes they receive on their profiles is understood as an indicator of their inclusion in the peer group” (Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez, 2015, p.N/A). They have “incorporated selfies in the process of exploring their identity and as a means of “presentation, representation and embodiment” (Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez, 2015, p.N/A).  Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez (2015) also make it clear that whilst they may gain many likes from this false identity, it raises the question about cyber bullying and how this can have a major effect on these young millennials lives. “While cyber sexual bullying is called many names: sexting, online sexual bullying, or generally cyber bullying, they all refer to the same activity –sending nude or semi-nude photographs through the internet (Gross, 2017, p.557). It also reinforces a loss of identity within the young person as they are feeling the need to change themselves to gain attention from peers online. Furthermore, virtual communities (in this instance, social media communities such as Facebook and Instagram) can tie in with real life communities (schools and sporting clubs). For example, bullying may initiate online where identities can be hidden but read by real friends from school. This bullying can then extend in to the playground in real life. Likewise, bullying at school can be extended to online bullying.

Within online dating communities, another example of changing identities is where people can customise their own profiles as well as doctor their own images to get attention from other people all over the world. Gibbs (2010) refers to this as warranting. “Warranting refers to the capacity to draw a reliable connection between a presented persona online and a corporeally-anchored person in the physical world (Walther, 2009, p.232 in Gibbs, 2010, p.74). Online dating can also consist of both real and fake profiles. According to Norcie and De Cristofaro (2013, p.N/A), “a user could set up a fake social network profile, link it to her [or his] ODS profile and “Certifeye” it.”  This means one can create a false profile, pretending to be someone else and it can seem legitimate. Rege (2009) explores the idea of fake online identities and how people scam others around the world. “Romance scams are international in scope and no centralised database tracking victims and their losses are currently available” (King and Thomas, 2009 in Rege 2009, p.495). Even though this paper was written in 2009, tracing devices are still not available. Such scams are, however, understood to be significant in leading to many disturbing consequences for the victims. Online dating can be seen as a sub-category of sexting. When a user gets more and more comfortable with somebody they have met online, they may feel the need to send explicit images of themselves to their new found virtual partner (even if they are not fully aware if the relationship is real or not).

One major consequence from online dating, managed identities and sexting is mental health issues such as depression and anxiety which can further lead to tragic events such as suicide. Wensley and Campbell (2012, p.650) make it clear that cyber bullying can come in many different forms such as “sending nasty e-mails or text messages, creating insulting websites dedicated to an individual, or posting hurtful or embarrassing pictures online.” All of these forms of cyber bullying can have a significant impact on one’s mental health leading to tragedy. A more significant suicide was the death of an American girl Jessica Logan in 2008. According to No Bullying (2017), Logan sent a nude photo of herself to her boyfriend. However, the image was sent to many teenagers in several different high schools in the Cincinnati area (once the couple broke up). The cyber bullying continued through several different social media platforms which caused Logan to take her life. According to No Bullying (2017), another major suicide that sparked social media in 2012 was the death of British Columbian Amanda Todd. An image of Todd’s breasts exposed went viral on several different social media platforms causing her to be bullied from classmates, hence she had to move schools several times. Months later however, she took her own life. Mental health issues have been a major concern for millennials (and in some cases older generations) over cyber bullying and online harassment and there have been many attempts between governments to stop this. However, to date, they have not been successful.

Conclusion

This paper has discussed how our virtual identity is constructed influenced by the online community. It demonstrates how initially our identity is influenced by a desire for likes. This leads to an overly positive identity that can not be lived up to in real life. This can lead to a sense of a lack of fulfilment in oneself as well as in jealousy of peers. The pressure to stay connected to these online communities can also have a negative impact of one’s self esteem. The competitive nature of these communities can lead to sexting and bullying which can transfer into the real world especially in confined environments such as schools.  Bullying and sexting can be devastating and can lead to depression and even suicide.

References

Donath, J. (1999) ‘Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community’, London: Routledge. Retrieved from: http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

Forman, A. E. Kern, R. and Gil-Egui, G. (2012). Death and mourning as sources of community participation in online social networks: R.I.P pages in Facebook. First Monday 17(9), http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3935/3288

Gibbs, J., Ellison, N.B. and Lai, C. ‘First Comes Love, Then Comes Google: An Investigation of Uncertainty Reduction Stratagies and Self-Disclosure in Online Dating.’ https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650210377091

Gross, M. (2017). Cyber sexual bullying,“sexting” in schools, and the growing need to educate the youth. The University of the Pacific Law Review48(3), 555-574. Retrieved from: http://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uoplawreview/vol48/iss3/11

Hodkinson, P. (2015) ‘Bedrooms and Beyond: Youth, Identity and Privacy on Social Network Sites’, New Media and Society, online before print, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815605454

Mascheroni, G. Vincent, J. and Jiminez, E. (2015). “Girls are addicted to likes so they post semi-nakend selfies”: Peer mediation, normativity and the construction of identity online. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2015-1-5

No Bullying (2017). “Jessica Logan – The Rest of the Story”. Retrieved from: http://nobullying.com/jessica-logan/

No Bullying (2017). “The Unforgettable Amanda Todd story”. Retrieved from: https://nobullying.com/amanda-todd-story/

Norcie, G., De Cristofaro, E., & Bellotti, V. (2013, April). Bootstrapping trust in online dating: Social verification of online dating profiles. In International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security (pp. 149-163). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Retrieved from: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1303.4155.pdf

O’Keefe, G. and Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011) ‘Clinical Report – The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-0054

Porter, C. E. (2015). Virtual communities and social networks. In L. Cantoni and J. A. Danowski, (eds). Communication and Technology. Berlin: De Gruyter. pp. 161 – 179

Rege, A. (2009). What’s love got to do with it? Exploring online dating scams and identity fraud. International Journal of Cyber Criminology3(2), 494. Retrieved from: https://search.proquest.com/openview/75ff9576e029c3f25473da1b53790d9d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=55114

Zhou, T. (2011). Understanding online community user participation: a social influence perspective. Internet research21(1), 67-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/10662241111104884

LiveJournal’s use of anonymity and its place in online social networks

LiveJournal’s use of anonymity and its place in online social networks

Rachel M.Winship

Curtin University

Abstract

 

This paper sheds light on blogging social network site (SNS) LiveJournal, which has been operating since 1999. It was one of the first popular mainstream blogging services which focused on replicating diary entries. While originally popularised in the United States, LiveJournal is now currently most popular throughout Russia. It does operate in other countries but for the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on Russia. The specific age group being referred to throughout this paper is youth/teens. I argue that LiveJournal’s mainstream success is due to the fact that its users have always had the option to be anonymous and operate under pseudonyms instead of real names. The absence of real names allows for online identity play through blog posts and interactions within the LiveJournal online community.

Introduction

Technology is woven tightly throughout our lives in the 21st century and has changed how we live them. As leading psychologist Sherry Turkle says “through technology, we create, navigate, and perform our emotional lives” (Turkle, 2011). “Some of the largest changes we are facing as a society are cultural, changes to our social world and the way we interact with one another” (Levitin, 2014, p.120). We now do a large percentage of interpersonal communication with people in our lives through online platforms. We create our identity now not only face to face with people but online in social networks as well. Figuring out our place of identity in these social networks allows experimentation (Pearson, 2009). Offline when creating identity you might hold back parts of yourself in case of face to face rejection. While online in social networks, you have the option in most cases of anonymity in creating a pseudonym. Social nework site platforms provide areas which are disembodied mediated and controllable, and through which alternate performances can be displayed to others (Pearson 2009).  Freindster popularised the features that define social network sites – profiles, public testimoials or comments, and publicly articulated, traverable lists of friends. (boyd, 2007, p.4) On social network site (SNS) platforms the online performative space is a deliberately playful space (Pearson, 2009). “The fluidity and self-concious platforms of performance allow individuals and networks of users to play with aspects of their presentations of self, and the relationship of those online selves to others without inadvertently risking privacy” (Pearson, 2009). Communities are a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage (Dictionary.com, 2018). Online or vitual communities are a group of people who interact via internet Web sites, chat rooms, newsgroups, email, discussion boards, or forum (Dictionary.com, 2018). Online worlds provide rich grounds for experimentation with identity, and falsification is not uncommon; 25 percent of teen boys and 30 percent of teen girls say they have posted false information about themselves online, most commonly their age (Reed, 2014). LiveJournal is one social network platform that encourages anonymity in creating a pseudonyms. The SNS is an originally American and now Russian social networking service that allows users to keep a blog, journal or diary (LiveJournal, 2018). The option of anonymity on blog platform LiveJournal, can protect users security while enabling them to participate freely in the online social network (Nagel & Frith, 2015).

 LiveJournal and the history of blogging 

LiveJournal essentially looks and works much like other blogging sites, where the entry or posts made by the journal owner are arranged in chronological order (Raynes-Goldie, 2004). There is a link to leave and read comments for each post, where the user can read comments left (Raynes-Goldie, 2004). One of the appealing aspects which sets liveJournal apart from other blogging services is the users profile page. Every user has a journal, username and profile page (Raynes-Goldie, 2004). The profile page is where the user can input things like their interests, profile picture, contact information, etc (Raynes-Goldie, 2004). The profile picture does not have to be an exact photo of the person, which is one way they can choose anonymity. Another way they can choose to be anonymous is through their username. Unlike Facebook, whose terms and conditions require their users to use their real name, LiveJournal allows their users to choose their online identity. This is an appealing feature for people who may want more than one online identity in fear of things such as; security, judgement or scrutiny about their journal entries or interactions, from friends, family or people they know offline. By creating a profile, LiveJournal allows its users to link their blogs and identities together so that they can create and build reputations based on their journals as well as their comments and networks of friends (Raynes-Goldie, 2004). Services such as LiveJournal allow their users to specify who their “friends” are, and thus a social network is formed (MacKinnon & Warren, 2007).

LiveJournal was created in April 1999, by an American programmer named Brad Fitzpatrick. He created it as a way of keeping his friends up to date with his daily activities (LiveJournal, 2018). It reached immediate popularity and success which meant that it also became more than just one person could handle to operate (LiveJournal, 2018). There were other mainstream social networking sites around the first few years of LiveJournal’s service, like Friendster and then Myspace, but the premise of them was a little different to LiveJournal. With Friendster there was a heavier focus on meeting friends “on the premise that people were separated by six degrees” (CBS News). This was a feature that showed how you were connected to strangers and made meeting people less intimidating (CBS News). On Myspace, which is where many people from Friendster migrated to, they were known for customizable profiles, band pages and portraying who your top eight friends are. Whereas LiveJournal’s aim was and still is to blur the lines between blogging and social networking (LiveJournal, 2018). According to their own website LiveJournal is “home to a wide array of creative individuals looking to share common interests, meet new friends, and express themselves. LiveJournal encourages communal interaction and personal expression by offering a user-friendly interface and a deeply customizable journal” (LiveJournal, 2018).

Over the last two decades, the rapid adoption of social network sites had scholars begin to study their importance among teens and young adults (boyd, 2007, p.1). As boyd pointed out in an article, a large part of why many teens may use social networks is due to restrictions on access to public life that make it difficult for young people to be socialised into society at large (boyd, 2007, p.19). Restrictions on acess to public life may come from their parents or adults around them who believe that restrictions are necessary to prevent problematic behaviours (boyd, 2007, p.19). boyd argues that while social interaction can and does take place in private environments, the challenges of social interaction in public life is a part of what help youth grow (boyd, 2007, p.19). Boyd says “American society has a very peculiar relationship to teenagers – and children in general. They are simultaneously idealised and demonized; adults fear them but they also seek to protect them.  On the one hand, there has been a rapid rise in curfew legislation to curb teen violence and loitering laws are used to bar teens from hanging out on street corners, parking lots, or other outdoor meeting places for fear of the trouble they might cause. On the other hand, parents are restricting their youth fom hanging out in public spaces for fear of predators, drug dealers, and gangs. Likewise, while adults spend countless hours socializing over alcohol, minors are not oonly restricted from drinking but also from socializing in many venues where alcohol is served” (boyd, 2007, p.19). With an ongoing culture of fear surrounding youth behaviour, the end result is youth having little access to public spaces (boyd, 2007, p.19). The following statement provides insight into boyd’s argument with an example from fifteen year old Traviesa; “My [guardian] is really strict so if I get to go anywhere, it’s a big miracle. So I talk to people on MySpace…I know she means well, I know she doesn’t want me to mess up. But sometimes you need to mess up to figure out that you’re doing it wrong. You need mistakes to know where you’re going. You need to figure things out for yourself” (boyd, 2007, p.19). A main motivation for users of online social networks is that it is a space which their parents or authoritative figures usually aren’t aware of. They are spaces where they can explore, socialize and express themselves exploring their identities. 

Dear Diary: Community and LiveJournal

A diary is known to be a safe space for most, a place where a person can articulate their private thoughts and define their position in relation to others and the world at large (Dijck, 2004). Before people expressed their thoughts online, diary entires would probably only be read by another person if they had a close relationship. With the shift of sharing private interpersonal conversations, it is natural that a population of people online would want to share something deeper than what the testimonial and comment sections of Friendster and Myspace offered. For people who craved somewhere that they could share their thoughts, feelings, creativity and still function as their own version of a “community” (Lindemann, 2006). Although users may not use their real names and opt to use a pseudonym, the sentiments expressed through users comments on another users diary entry doesn’t make them any less valid. As Kurt Lindemann states “often, a communicatively artistic journal entry can make a reader feel personally connected to the author” (Lindemann, 2006, p.357). Before platforms like LiveJournal, communities involved in blogging were not likely to be very large or accessible to everyone because blogging required considerable technical skill and patience (Raynes-Goldie, 2004). Now with platforms like LiveJournal, blogging is easily accessible. LiveJournal is not restricted to blogging functions, but also integrates community tools in its functions, creating an online social network (Raynes-Goldie, 2004).

Identity and anonymity debate

There has been much debate between not only scholars but tech companies, who embrace what has been called the “real name” internet, versus those who embrace anonymity. Most of the debate about anonymity versus real names focuses on two related areas: trolling and safety (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Because the early internet sites relied almost solely on textual cues, there was little attempt to fix identity to one’s body (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015).  Whereas LiveJournal exists in an internet era where many internet users are faced with the decision of how they want to portray themselves online. If they present their offline identity, including their real name and photo, they may not be able to fully express or engage with different identities for fears of “context collapse” that come with using “real names” (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Context collapse is when “social media technologies collapse multiple audiences into single contexts, making it difficult for people to use the same techniques online that they do to handle multiplicity in face-to-face conversation (Marwick & boyd, 2011). Another definition of context collapse is that broadly, it refers to how people, information, and norms from one context seep into the bounds of another (Davis & Jurgeson, 2014, p.477). Social psychologists argue that we come to know ourselves by seeing what we do and how others react to us, and that through interaction, we seek to maintain the identity meanings associated with each role (Davis & Jurgeson, 2014, p.478). Within Socia Media platforms, a persons diverse networks have the potential to converge into a single mass, requireing the user to have all of their identities engaging simultaneously with family, colleages, and drinking buddies, each of whom harbours different views of who the actor is, and different interactional and performative expectations.  (Davis & Jurgeson, 2014, p. 478).

Scholars such as Bernie Hogan and danah boyd have argued that pseudonymity can protect users’ security while enabling them to participate freely online without the fears of “context collapse” which comes with using real names (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Hogan’s example explores the benefits of pseudonymity when he writes about a woman wanting to write ideologically on a blog but may not want her role as a supposedly objective Wikipedia editor to be damaged by her other, less neutral writings (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). His argument is that someone can be both a liberal writer and a neutral editor who follows wikipedia’s rules; one aspect of the self is not more “authentic” than another (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Expanding on this idea, if a woman was to have dinner or go out with friends, her conversation or presentation of self might be very different to the one she portrays to her family the next day. People in day to day life present different versions of themselves which are bound to that situation or context. Perhaps the most powerful point in the decision to segment one’s online identity is that it becomes a safe and secure place to discuss complex and controversial issues (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). For example Gay youths who cannot come out to their offline community may want to find people to talk to on blogging or social networking sites. Another example is teachers who may want a public-facing profile but also want privacy as they interact on other sites (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Government or other public service job employees may also want the privacy of interacting on other sites. Others may want to engage in niche communities on sites like Reddit without their Facebook friends knowing; and many people want to share political views without impacting their careers (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Danah boyd, is one of the most prominent academic critics of the argument that the “real name”  internet  makes online activity safer. On the contrary she believes that “real name policies aren’t empowering; they’re an authoritarian assertion of power over vulnerable people” (boyd, 2011). Boyd points out that there are many viable reasons to segment one’s identity online that have nothing to do with harassing people or acting uncivilly in the comments sections.

Trolling and doxing 

Of course the flip side of all the good that comes with anonymity is the fact that there is room for trolling. Trolling is something which will not be going away anytime soon, and that has been around at least as long as people have been communicating on the internet (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Trolling is when people intentionally post content designed to incite an emotional reaction in its audience (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015). Trolling is generally a main point of contention for people who support the real name movement on the internet. People who support the real name movement claim that by doing so it is a proactive way to minimise trolls. However trolls still find ways to exist and be seen implying that attempting to force users to use real names still results in the unwanted trolls. Their aim is to be provocative and attempt to be shocking, agrue with users and engage in being verbally abusive. More advanced form of trolling has advanced to what is called doxing. This phenomenon involves groups of anonymous or pseudonymous users researching an individual and then publishing identifiable facts about that person. (Van Der Nagel & Firth, 2015) People claim this is for social good, exposing information about people involved in certain things someone else may not agree with. However people do this act for things that they decide is against a belief they hold.

Conclusion 

As discussed in this paper, the option of anonymityon the blog platform LiveJournal, can protect users security while enabling them to participate freely in the online social network (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015). Although there is a current debate between the “real name” internet versus anonymity of internet users, through the use of anonymity on LiveJournal, people are able to protect their offline identities, while expressing themselves on the platform. A user is at risk for context collapse if they only use their real name when on SNS platforms. LiveJournal’s use of anonymity create’s a space where there is little risk of context collapse. Users of the LiveJournal service are able to be vulnerable and socially connected with each other while still protecting any sensitive information shared online. The users are also empowered by who they choose to share their information with, as they can make their journal entries private or share with users of their choosing.

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