Identity practices in communities and networks may differ\nfrom one to another due to the influence of the context. In this particular\nform, context refers to the different communities and networks that surround a\ndigital body. For example, different social network publics will influence the\nidentity practice of an individual as all network spaces operate differently.\nIdentities on offline communities may differ in comparison to online social\nnetworks as individuals may manipulate and exaggerate their digital bodies on\nnetworks but unable to allow this in communities. However, every networked\npublic space shares a common purpose of how it allows publics to gather. Boyd (2007,\np. 8) describes how \u201cthe types of publics that gather on social network sites\nare deeply affected by the mediated nature of interaction\u201d this is because\nidentity practices in communities and networks are challenged from traditional\npractices. Traditional practices include individuals who sought to program\ntheir information online without being biased nor providing fake information in\npursue to focus on mainly interaction of peers. \u201cSocial network sites are based\naround profiles, a form of an individual home page, which offers a description\nof each member\u201d (Boyd, 2007, p. 6) therefore profiles that are constructed\nonline will have plenty of room for them to manipulate the profiles to express\nthemselves. Within the networks online, people have ware control over identity\nonline and could easily manipulate and exaggerate while constructing their\ndigital bodies. Similarly, Turkle (1997) also explains that \u201c in the text based\nvirtual realities that exist today, people are exploring, constructing and\nreconstructing identities\u201d (p. 166). Therefore, in this conference paper, I\nwill discuss the influence of different types of social networked publics on\nshaping identity practices and the different behavioral identities in\ncommunities and networks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the literature of Akmam and Huq (2016) they raise the\nconcerns of the digital age becoming a part of the existence of human life and\na form of an extension of self by stating \u201cwith the marketing of the digital\nage, all forms of digital technologies become part of the existence of human\nlife, thereby, an extension of self\u201d (Akmam & Huq, 2016, p. 230). From this\nquote, it simply comprehends the other literatures as it raises the concern of\ndigital age becoming part of human life. Akmam and Huq explains by stating the\never increasing popularity of cyberspace has become a great concern for critics\nbecause of the effects they generate on human behaviour and relationships where\nboth Akmam and Huq furthers by saying \u201ccyberspace has come to affect human\nlife\u201d (2016, p. 231). In this circumstance, cyberspace refers to the\nenvironment in which communication occurs over the computer. It has also been\nnoticed that the type of social networked public site influences the behaviour\nof an online individual. Where the literature explains that \u201cthe online and\noffline world are two separate ones, and there are marked differences in their\nmechanism and interaction with self\u201d (Akmam & Huq, 2016, p. 232) from this\nwe can say that people behave differently in the virtual world from the real world\nthis is because the people online have a much greater control on what other\npeople see of them therefore creating and exaggerating an identity into\nsomething they want others to see them as. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In regards to identity practices, demographic factors may also\ninfluence the interaction of digital bodies on network public spaces as\ncharacteristics of an individual may influence the actions of ones online.\nIdentity practices may differ in networked publics due to demographic features\nof the accessibility one has to the Internet that may influence the\nconstruction of a digital body. Boyd (2007, p. 3) explains that \u201cwhen it comes\nto social network sites, there appears to be a far greater participatory divide\nthan an access divide\u201d which comes to conclusion that access of network public\nspaces can be reached by every individual as most social class plays a small\nrole in terms of access. However the participatory divide is the main concern\nof Boyd\u2019s (2007) literature, looking at demographic factors, gender appears to\ninfluence participation on social media sites. Boyd (2007) concludes that\nyounger boys are more likely to participate in the online culture however as\nage increases the participation rate decreases among the boys. Which then\nleaves the females to significantly rise on participation when they are older\nwhere we can see the change of identity practices among different networks.\nIdentity misinterpretation is common among the online networks as Boyd suggests\n\u201cdigital bodies are fundamentally courses, making it easier to misinterpret\nwhat someone is expressing\u201d (2007, p. 12). In addition, the younger generation\nis more exposed to the digital age more than ever which raises concerns of the\nbehavioral attitudes that surrounds these social sites. By being exposed to\nthese social sites at a very young age will encourage them to participate\nsooner and adapt to behavioral attitudes commonly used on the network space. By\nadapting to the digital era, the younger generation is oblivious to strict\nauthentication of an individual\u2019s personal profile. Therefore, these young\ngeneration users may have conducted misinterpretation of identities online as\nthey are oblivious to the purpose and privacy laws introduced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rise of Internet has impacted many users in the\ncontemporary society as they are oblivious to their behavior online as majority\nof the users are spending too much of their time online and challenges the\ntraditional roles of interaction and communication. In this particular form,\nMUDs refers to a Multi User Dungeon which commonly is the routine of playing,\nthen becomes a part of their players everyday lives. This typically challenges\na traditional form of identity in a community as individuals are devoted to\ntheir digital bodies making their everyday lives to revolve around their social\nnetworked publics interaction. Traditional social interactions between people\nis declining as individuals adapted to the behavior of the digital era where\nmeeting people offline are not everyday lives. Traditional social interaction\nhave declined because people feel more comfortable and a bigger sense of\nsuperiority when present online. \nTherefore, people in the contemporary society that has been affected by\nthe digital era has relied on networked public spaces to meet people and interact.\nIn the contemporary society, the rise of the use of the Internet has\nsignificantly impacted individuals as an increasing participation rate are\nclear to be seen among the users in the virtual world as Turkle mentions \u201cfrom\nall over the world, people use their individual machines to access a program\nwhich presents them with a game space- in the high tech world such spaces have\ncome to be called \u201cvirtual\u201d (1997, p. 159). Turkle (1997) also raises the\nresponse of \u201ctoday\u2019s life on the screen dramatizes and concretizes larger\ncultural trends that encourage thinking about identity\u201d (1997, pg. 72) where\nonline experiences have challenged what stereotypically traditional people may\nhave called identity. Identities in the virtual community has become significant\nin people\u2019s everyday lives as being their real community as some are highly\ndevoted to their digital bodies constructed on networked publics like MUDs. The\nrise of the use of the Internet has impacted many in the contemporary society\nas they are oblivious to their behavior online as majority of the users are\nspending too much of their time online therefore it challenges traditional\npractices. The sense of superiority and control that people have online has\ninfluence the declined of traditional interaction. \u201cVirtual communities like\nMUDs are the most dramatic example of the way culture of simulation challenges\ntraditional notions of human identity\u201d (1997, p. 164) this literature can be\nexplained as social practices in virtual communities has become adapted by this\ncontemporary generation where interaction of peers are more common online\nrather than in traditional communities where face to face interaction happens.\nThis can be explained by Turkle\u2019s literature where she believes that\n\u201cindividuals use computers to work through identity issues that center around\ncontrol, second where computer used as communication medium for intimacy\u201d\n(1997, p. 159). Therefore, social interaction between people in the community\nhas declined in the digital era as people are relying on online practices on\nnetworked publics as interaction because users have more control on the\nsituation and a sense of superiority when online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The concept of the representation of self raises concerns in\nthe contemporary society as individuals creating their identities online have\nfull responsibilities to portray their real self however some may be\nexaggerated by creating fake profiles leaving the online community with\nmultiple identities. In Donath\u2019s literature she mentions that \u201cin communication\nwhich is the primary activity, knowing the identity of those whom you\ncommunicate is essential for understanding and evaluating an interaction\u201d she\nraises this concern as the more digital bodies are constructed online the\nhigher the risk of fraud identities therefore risking personal privacy on these\nvirtual communities. Knowing the identity of whom you connect with is highly\nimportant in the contemporary society as many fake profiles and accounts are\naround. Fake profiles and accounts are fairly common in the contemporary\nsociety as people are so easily accessed to the Internet and social media and\ntherefore increases fraud and raises concerns of authentication. \u201cThe option of\nnot using real names online allows people to control what they reveal about\nthemselves and who they reveal it to, opening up possibilities for identity\nexploration, exhibitionism and connections with people who share different\ninterests without being limited to social factors\u201d (Van Der Nagel & Frith,\n2015) concludes that even with multiple identities online the benefits of\nseeking opportunities are much rather thought about than fake profiles. In the\nstatement from the literature, concludes that there are much greater\nopportunities online in the virtual reality for communication with others than\nin the real world. It is much easier to communicate online and form a\nrelationship with another individual as the identity of an individual may be\nexaggerated and come across the way the user prefers. With the ability for\nheightened and exaggerated identities online, raises the concerns of\npseudonymity and anonymity (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015). \u201cResearchers have\nrecognised the value in the identity construction enabled by social practices\nof pseudonyms and anonymity\u201d (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015). The concept of\nthe presentation of self raises concerns in the contemporary society as\nindividuals creating their identities online have full responsibilities to\nportray their real self however some may be exaggerated. \u201cTaken together,\nanonymity and pseudonymity with criminality and chaos, perpetrating mistrust of\nthose who do not reveal their real identity\u201d (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015)\nconcludes that it should be a major crime of not revealing your true self\nonline as a community in the virtual world should reflect the same as the real\nworld where real identities cannot be hidden. The literature then points out\nthat \u201cwhen anonymous Internet users are the subject of mainstream news article,\nit is often in the context of either large scale political protests, or abusing\nothers on Internet through inflammatory posts\u201d. In this circumstance, majority\nof online identities construct their profiles as either a pseudonymity or\nanonymity so that when an argument takes place, there is no blaming on a user\nas there are no traces of their real identity. However, Van Der Nagel and\nFrith\u2019s (2015) and Boyd\u2019s (2007) literatures may comprehend one another as Boyd\nsummarizes that people have more control online and able to control what\ninformation they put online. Where Van Der Nagel and Frith\u2019s explains how\n\u201csocial media sites vary as to whether their users are allowed to communicate\nthrough an identity not including their real information\u201d (2015). Take for\nexample, Facebook requires legal name and only one identity online however\ndating sites like OkCupid does not allow real names for privacy purposes. With\nthe fact stated, it is clear that an increase in multiple identities are\nmajority found on dating sites because these sites are not strict on\nauthentication. In conclusion, the different social sites that requires\ndifferent levels of personal authentication influences the behavior of a\ndigital body and their representation of their online self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion, identity practices do change through the influence of different social networked public sites as an individual behaviour differs from one to another in the virtual world. Boyd (2007) concludes that identities in communities may differ with identities in networks as individuals may manipulate and exaggerate their digital bodies on networks but unable to allow this in communities where similarly demographic factors may also influence the interaction of digital bodies on network public spaces as characteristics of an individual may influence the actions of ones online. As Turkle (1997) covers that different networks construct online communities for digital bodies to interact and communicate to generate an ongoing community but also influencing their identity practices such like on MUDs. Where Van Der Nagel and Frith\u2019s (2015) concludes that the concept of the presentation of self raises concerns in the contemporary society as individuals creating their identities online have full responsibilities to portray their real self however some may be exaggerated as pseudonymity and anonymity. Finally Akmam and Huq summarizing the concerns of the digital age becoming part of the existence of human life. In conclusion, this conference paper covers the topic on how identity practices are shaped by the context which in this case are the different social networked public sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Akmam,\nJ & Huq, N. (2016). Living Parallel-ly in Real and Virtual: Internet as an\nExtension Self. Defining Identity and the\nChanging Scope of Culture in the Digital Age<\/em>. Retrieved from\nhttps:\/\/www-igi-global-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au\/gateway\/book\/142208<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boyd, D. (2007). Why Youth\n(Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of\nNetworked Publics in Teenage Social Life<\/em>. In D. Buckingham (Ed.), MacArthur\nFoundation Series on Digital Learning Youth, Identity, and Digital Media\nVolume. Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donath, J. (1999). Identity\nand Deception in the Virtual Community. In P. Kollock, & M. A. Smith\n(Eds.), Communities in Cyberspace<\/em>\n(pp. 29-59). New York: Routledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pearson, E. (2009). All the\nWorld Wide Web’s a stage: The performance of identity in online social\nnetworks. First Monday, 14<\/em>(3).\nRetrieved from: https:\/\/firstmonday.org\/ojs\/index.php\/fm\/article\/view\/2162<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turkle, S. (1997).\nConstructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality. In S. Kiesler\n(Ed.), Culture of the Internet<\/em>.\nHilldale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turkle, S. (1997). Multiple\nSubjectivity and Virtual Community at the End of the Freudian Century. Sociological Inquiry, 67<\/em>(1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Van Der Nagel, E. and\nFrith, J. (2015). Anonymity, pseudonymity, and the agency of online identity:\nExamining the social practices of r\/Gonewild. First Monday, 20<\/em>(3), Retrieved from http:\/\/www.ojphi.org\/ojs\/index.php\/fm\/article\/view\/5615\/4346<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Identity practices in communities and networks may differ from one to another due to the influence of the context. In this particular form, context refers to the different communities and networks that surround a digital body. For example, different social network publics will influence the identity practice of an individual as all network spaces operate… Continue reading Identity in Communities and Online Networks<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-identity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":505,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions\/505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}