{"id":635,"date":"2018-05-07T11:13:16","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T03:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/?p=635"},"modified":"2018-05-07T11:15:51","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T03:15:51","slug":"are-all-identities-presented-online-real-identifying-managed-identities-within-virtual-online-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/2018\/05\/07\/are-all-identities-presented-online-real-identifying-managed-identities-within-virtual-online-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Are All Identities Presented Online Real? Identifying Managed Identities within Virtual Online Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Are All Identities Presented Online Real? Identifying Managed Identities within Virtual Online Communities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jack Walton<\/strong><\/p>\n

Curtin University<\/strong><\/p>\n

ABSTRACT:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This paper explores several published articles that argue how one\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Throughout modern society, virtual online communities have become dominant in many peoples (particularly millennials) lives. \u201cVirtual communities and social network sites are becoming ubiquitous among those who communicate via the internet\u201d (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.<\/p>\n

Keywords: millennials, identity, communities, virtual<\/p>\n

Discussion<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOnline community is composed of members sharing common interests\u201d (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. \u201cParticipation in online cultures of sharing and interaction via social media is becoming increasingly \u2026 compulsory among groups of young people\u201d (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 \u201cmanaged\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

In general, one must constantly update one\u2019s profile or statuses within the social media platform if one wants to maintain a positive image to one\u2019s 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, \u201cIdentification requires individual members to maintain an active relationship with other community members\u201d (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 \u201cgroup goals, values and conventions when they join a community\u201d (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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cvirtual teenage bedroom\u201d and argues how social network communities have influenced (or deceived) their identities. \u201cSocial network sites retain intimacy and the individual-centred format continues to facilitate the exhibition and mapping of identities\u201d (Hodkinson, 2015, p.1). In today\u2019s 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\u2019Keefe and Clarke-Pearson (2011) who go into depth about the reasons and risks behind teenagers\u2019 virtual identities. \u201cBecause 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\u201d (O\u2019Keefe 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\u2019 will not gain them any attention from their peers because the key communication tool is the \u201clike\u201d button.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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 \u201cpopularity\u201d approval from their peers. Even though Gross\u2019s 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 \u201csuperior\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cconstructing an autonomous identity is a fundamental task for adolescents and pre-adolescents.\u201d Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez (2015) makes it clear that in young girls particularly, exposing the human body is seen as a way to attract \u201clikes\u201d and \u201cfollowers\u201d on social media platforms. \u201cGirls post pictures consistent with conformist beauty standards to avoid being marginalised\u201d (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 \u201cfit in\u201d 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 \u201clikes\u201d 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 \u201cthe number of likes they receive on their profiles is understood as an indicator of their inclusion in the peer group\u201d (Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez, 2015, p.N\/A). They have \u201cincorporated selfies in the process of exploring their identity and as a means of \u201cpresentation, representation and embodiment\u201d (Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez, 2015, p.N\/A).\u00a0 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. \u201cWhile cyber sexual bullying is called many names: sexting, online sexual bullying, or generally cyber bullying, they all refer to the same activity \u2013sending 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.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cWarranting 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), \u201ca user could set up a fake social network profile, link it to her [or his] ODS profile and \u201cCertifeye\u201d it.\u201d\u00a0 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. \u201cRomance scams are international in scope and no centralised database tracking victims and their losses are currently available\u201d (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).<\/p>\n

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 \u201csending nasty e-mails or text messages, creating insulting websites dedicated to an individual, or posting hurtful or embarrassing pictures online.\u201d All of these forms of cyber bullying can have a significant impact on one\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.\u00a0 Bullying and sexting can be devastating and can lead to depression and even suicide.<\/p>\n

References<\/em><\/p>\n

Donath, J. (1999) \u2018Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community\u2019, London: Routledge. Retrieved from: http:\/\/smg.media.mit.edu\/people\/Judith\/Identity\/IdentityDeception.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0First Monday 17<\/em>(9),\u00a0http:\/\/firstmonday.org\/ojs\/index.php\/fm\/article\/view\/3935\/3288<\/a><\/p>\n

Gibbs, J., Ellison, N.B. and Lai, C. \u2018First Comes Love, Then Comes Google: An Investigation of Uncertainty Reduction Stratagies and Self-Disclosure in Online Dating.\u2019 https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0093650210377091<\/a><\/p>\n

Gross, M. (2017). Cyber sexual bullying,\u201csexting\u201d in schools, and the growing need to educate the youth.\u00a0The University of the Pacific Law Review<\/em>,\u00a048<\/em>(3), 555-574. Retrieved from: http:\/\/scholarlycommons.pacific.edu\/uoplawreview\/vol48\/iss3\/11<\/a><\/p>\n

Hodkinson, P. (2015) \u2018Bedrooms and Beyond: Youth, Identity and Privacy on Social Network Sites\u2019, New Media and Society, online before print, DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1461444815605454<\/a><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 9<\/em>(1). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5817\/CP2015-1-5<\/a><\/p>\n

No Bullying (2017). \u201cJessica Logan \u2013 The Rest of the Story\u201d. Retrieved from: http:\/\/nobullying.com\/jessica-logan\/<\/a><\/p>\n

No Bullying (2017). \u201cThe Unforgettable Amanda Todd story\u201d. Retrieved from: https:\/\/nobullying.com\/amanda-todd-story\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Norcie, G., De Cristofaro, E., & Bellotti, V. (2013, April). Bootstrapping trust in online dating: Social verification of online dating profiles. In\u00a0International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security<\/em>\u00a0(pp. 149-163). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Retrieved from: https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/1303.4155.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

O\u2019Keefe, G. and Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011) \u2018Clinical Report \u2013 The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1542\/peds.2011-0054<\/a><\/p>\n

Porter, C. E. (2015). Virtual communities and social networks. In L. Cantoni and J. A. Danowski, (eds).\u00a0Communication and Technology<\/em><\/a>. Berlin: De Gruyter. pp. 161 \u2013 179<\/p>\n

Rege, A. (2009). What’s love got to do with it? Exploring online dating scams and identity fraud.\u00a0International Journal of Cyber Criminology<\/em>,\u00a03<\/em>(2), 494. Retrieved from: https:\/\/search.proquest.com\/openview\/75ff9576e029c3f25473da1b53790d9d\/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=55114<\/a><\/p>\n

Zhou, T. (2011). Understanding online community user participation: a social influence perspective.\u00a0Internet research<\/em>,\u00a021<\/em>(1), 67-81. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/10662241111104884<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  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\u2019s 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 … Continue reading Are All Identities Presented Online Real? Identifying Managed Identities within Virtual Online Communities<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[23,154,21,155,156,153],"class_list":["post-635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-identity","tag-communities","tag-cyber-bullying","tag-identity","tag-managed-identities","tag-virtual","tag-web2-0"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":637,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635\/revisions\/637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2018Bentley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}