Abstract:

This piece of writing reflects on how different involvement of individuals throughout digital networks and communities has the ability to Influence personal perceptions of various global factors and events in addition to the ability of users to find their voice in a world of conformity online.

 

A background to identity and communities within a digital realm

Digital identity regarding social networks and communities is a major part of expressing our ideologies and viewpoints in a world full of digital social values and attitudes. Our involvement in these communities regarding identity also helps individuals to form a stance and take on advocacy towards various global issues, and movements and to further advocate through the use of tools such as networked publics. In a digital sense advocacy refers to the rallying and organisation of a collective of like-minded individuals through digital means and networks to achieve political or social goals and raise awareness. (Quorom, n.d.). Within a modern scenario, digital advocacy can appear in a multitude of avenues such as Online petitions such as the ones on change.org, Hashtags on X (Formerly Twitter), And also trends/ challenges of all varieties relating towards certain social issues on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, etc are all examples of widespread digital advocacy in digital networks. Furthermore, A majority of these forms of digital advocacy actually take place in the form of digital communities, however, more in a temporary sense. Digital or online communities refer to Collective mindsets and ideologies presented within a digital platform of which users can collaborate, interact and share. (Higher Logic, n.d.). In a sense, it is within these online communities and subgroups that one can find individualism and also personal online advocacy towards specific issues and passions. This paper will focus on three different aspects of online identity and advocacy. Firstly, The influence of online communities and subgroups towards individual’s advocacy and social beliefs and values online. Secondly, The rise of misinformation through mainstream social media such as X or Reddit and the effect it is having on personal political/social decision-making. And finally, The ability of social networks and online advocacy to help individuals find their own voice and form a strong online moral compass. As a result, digital networks through the form of online communities and media can positively promote individualism online and boost social-political advocacy in digital realms.

 

Online communities and social networks

As mentioned before, online communities consist of a wide range of individuals on a large platform with a multitude of subgroups and subcategories regarding any topic or niche within the internet. Some of the most popular online communities to date are Reddit, X and even Facebook (Generally with older generations, but more so for millennials.). These online communities can help individuals find their internet home for specific topics they are interested in and also specific movements or social-political issues/topics.  Freedom of speech and sharing, ease of access, Removal of barriers, and inclusivity are all major beneficial points of online communities and all work towards promoting positive online social advocacy. (Gunduz, 2017). Moreover, we can see that online communities are widely open to anyone and encourage individuals to share and promote their experiences and topics within these vast networks. Concerning identity, this is a major positive as individualism can shine through digitally via the use of sharing digital content and memories. Also, within these networks, through subcommunities and niches, personal identity can be found within the context of relating and understanding on a deeper level anecdotes from other individuals. In recent years, there has been a major positive use of online communities towards social advocacy regarding the COVID-19 crisis which took place in 2020. Health awareness, Vital connection and contact, socialisation and essential services were all conducted through online communities and networks during the pandemic which worked to help keep people together and society afloat in volatile times. (Vaughn, 2020). During such an uncertain and unpredictable time these services were a major way for society to stabilise during an era of mass confusion and panic. As a result, these are some ways that online communities can work towards building positive social advocacy and can help to build or maintain infrastructure in uncertain times.

 

The effect of misinformation social-political advocacy and the attack on identity.

Fake news is described as Manipulated or falsified accounts spanned across digital mediums such as social networks or mainstream television which are presented as factual news to gain political or social advocacy and awareness. (NLA, n.d.). Within a modern scenario, fake news is appearing everywhere, especially on a digital scale. Whether this is false reports on natural disasters, health crises or other major social issues, these reports and takes are spread far and wide. Furthermore, within recent years the introduction of generative artificial intelligence such as Chat GPT or the new Sora Ai allows individuals to enter usually a basic prompt of virtually anything for either a text or image-based response. These forms of artificial intelligence can be quite dangerous in terms of advocacy, especially towards political campaigns and other socio-political movements. Polishchuk (2024), warns that fake news through the use of popular social networks and platforms has the ability to manipulate voter viewpoints and ideologies toward electoral proceedings. This is one of the major modern threats facing advocacy in a digital age via relating to political movements. Agreeable viewpoints, Preserving dignity, and presenting false scenarios are all major facets of the reason behind the use of AI in socio-political spheres. (Pennycook & Rand, 2021). As a result, we can see how advocacy can be effected via the use of fake news and manipulated viewpoints and can further affect political identity in critical times such as national elections and also in solidifying individuals’ lifelong political beliefs, choices and values. One of the main issues this can cause with personal advocacy is t h the fact that it creates echo chambers. Echo chambers refer to a collective closed mindset via individuals or groups which prohibits ideas and viewpoints that are separate or opposing. (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). Echo chambers can be very manipulative in terms of ideologies in today’s digital society as many of these are formed across the span of the internet and often take on extremist views of certain topics or issues. Recently a major example of a global echo chamber was the discussion of whether the earth is flat. Widespread digital presence, debates, scholarly material and political movements are some of the major infrastructure within the flat earth echo chamber as well as over 4 million individuals following and consuming media regarding this topic. (Ruiz and Nilsson, 2022.). From this, it is evident to see some of the power behind these echo chambers and how massive they can get in support and movement. Evidently, via the analysis of echo chambers and further disinformation, we can see how these factors are posing a threat towards personal or group advocacy towards certain issues and further its attack on personal digital identity.

 

Social media and the effect on positive identity formation and the attack on conformity.

Within current digital networks and realms platforms the freedom of expression and ability to share virtually anything from someone’s heartbreaking story of loss to someone else’s new puppy, users can find where they belong more in digital realms than physical and develop positive identities online which can reach across the globe. This is a factor many individuals online hold close to their hearts. Furthermore, through social networks such as online platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok etc individuals can share these ideas and further express their individualism thus finding more of their own identity. One of the main facets regarding social networks is the fact that they can help individuals break free from some traditional values where conformity is common and let their individualism shine through via the use of different mediums such as trends, challenges, anecdotes/experiences and more. Freedom and ability for critical discussions, expression of new ideas or talents, and a space for individuals to become vocal are major facets in the fight against conformity and promoting individual factors on social networks. (Chou, 2023). As a result, many individuals feel they can have more open expression within social networks due to the freedoms mentioned. The major benefit of online social networks is the fact that it is not discriminate based on location, culture, or gender which allows for the identities of millions around the globe to be formed and shaped in ways that resonate with important issues, topics and more. The development of major technological advancements in the modern era has allowed more in current times than ever for users to positively shape individuality as a result of major social mediums. (Calisir, 2014.) Another main way that individualism is critical within a social scenario is via the development of social infrastructure and new services or essential products. Some of the major technological developments throughout history have been the result of either teams or individuals promoting individualism and in a sense radicalism towards new ideas which have now proven vital to societal advancement and progression. This is a major factor as to why individualisation is important, especially in a digital world where one may feel saturated or drowned out as it can potentially lead to beneficial social developments in years to come.

 

Conclusion:

On reflection, after speaking on these various topics it is apparent that there are a large number of facets in the digital landscape that affects both identity and also individual or collective advocacy whether through various mediums such as social networks, political motivations, or by the use of vast online communities such as Reddit or X. Furthermore, all these factors link in a way which illustrates in a wide array the online experience as a whole and the search of finding identity within a digital realm. As mentioned, the development of digital communities has been paramount in connecting others digitally whether through the use of networked publics such as hashtags or various other niches. The accessibility to these alongside many other global digital resources has resulted in a new age of information online in which millions of resources and knowledge are available to users at their fingertips. Another majorly important factor also mentioned within this paper was the use of fake news and misinformation in current politics in assistance with AI. With the overwhelming advancement of technology part due to exponential growth resulting from the Industrial Revolution era new technologies and experiences are being constantly formed globally which have the main aim of accelerating future growth. Furthermore, as machine learning is improving concerning artificial intelligence, individuals will need to be more wary in terms of their political influence and in terms of finding identity within those sectors. Another major factor mentioned within this conference paper was via touching on how social networks in a modern period are affecting personalisation, identity and also individualism. The development of social media went from most users being exclusively anonymous upon its creation to many sharing intricate and wide views of their personal and day-to-day life activities and viewpoints. The creation of further infrastructures online such as the introduction of short-form content, vlogs and self-personalised content has led the evolution to a larger amount of content in the digital era relating to personal identity and expressing individual viewpoints, talents and characteristics. So in conclusion, it is evident to see how social networks and online communities have the ability to positively promote online advocacy and further uncover and develop personal identity within digital realms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                      Reference list:

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