Journal #2: How do we define who we are, and shape or reaffirm our identity using social networks?

In examining who we are online, there are several tangible elements which set the foundation for this identity.  To start, when joining social networks, users are often prompted to provide certain control elements which will start the process of how they wish to be identified online.  These elements might include their screen name, their avatar, as well as providing information on personal, professional, and geographical related items from their past.  This information will often allow the user to be automatically pointed in the direction of people they know, or people who have common interests.  Looking at this further, the choices in avatar, screen name, etc. also will provide other users information on how someone might want to be approached.  A screen name like “Tech Geek” or an avatar of a favorite spots team quickly gives information on a person such as their interests, maybe their profession, or perhaps where they have lived in life.  Beyond the control elements, however, the choices one makes while using social media will often shape their online identity further.

                Many items go into how we use social media.  To start, one defining characteristic online is frequency of use.  Beyond a potential initial start-up phase, many people begin to get into a routine with how much they use social media.  Some people like to use it frequently, updating their page hourly with the events of the day.  Other people enjoy only updating their status when a major event has occurred, or they have something they specifically want to address.  Ultimately, other users begin to pick up on how frequently one uses social media and expectations begin to develop.  Beyond frequency of use, one of the greatest factors of online social media identity is choice of topics for discussion.  Some people feel comfortable sharing with all of their online friend’s intimate details about their lives, children, and profession.  In some ways, some users can find the use of social media, and the connections made online, as therapeutic.  Other users are more selective with what they post, and put distance between their posts and their personal life.  Along with choosing to share personal information or not, there are other identifiable post inclusions which go far in demonstrating to the world who you are as a person and what you believe.  Topics related to religion and politics are often as sensitive to people online as they are face-to-face.  Choosing to make posts containing aspects of these topics goes a long way in showcasing one’s identity online.

                Other aspects, specific to social media, which can have positive and negative results, are being able to take time crafting a post, as well as the permanent nature of comments online.  Many studies have been conducted connecting social media presence and teenagers specifically.  As seen in the video “Social Media Impact on Teens” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3aoVruEsNU&feature=related), teenagers are given the power to change or reinforce stereotypes online from what is perceived during the day.  Some students act similar online as they are at school, while other students are the opposite.  The ability to take time and craft a response online allows for some students, who are too shy at school to speak out, a forum to be heard.  Choosing what to say, and knowing ultimately that even retracted comments can stay alive online and be forwarded by others, makes online posting a stressful and/or intoxicating endeavor for some teenagers.  With this in mind, some teenagers learn quickly to be moderate with their online voice, but many others enjoy the attention bold comments can receive.  The feedback people start to receive for their posts can also shape their identity.  Users often have one intended reaction in mind when making a post, but can receive conflicting or different feedback.  If people like the feedback they get, they might continue in that direction, while they might change course or retreat if they get feedback they do not enjoy.  Interestingly, this video ends by stating that while social media affords people the opportunity to re-invent themselves online, or to take the time to think before writing, often online identities are just amplified versions of the students demonstrated at school.

                In the end, the Internet and social media afford people many avenues for self-expression.  People have the freedom to discuss their interests, their career, share pictures of their happenings and children.  As posts start to accumulate, factors like tone, frequency, topic, and inclusion of multi-media begin to create an online identity.  In addition to many different ways people can highlight who they are and their interests; there are also many different locations to participate as well.  With this in mind, some people have a very different social media presence specific to the forum they are choosing to participate.  Within my own Facebook profile, I participate in my general page with my selected friends, but am also a member of a page related to my work as well as pages related to my interests in educational technology.  I certainly feel freer to be “me” when talking with friends, versus my participation on my work related page.  This example, of course, makes peoples online persona similar to their “real” persona in that they act one way around their friends versus their co-workers and supervisors. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3aoVruEsNU&feature=related

Journal #1 - The "Real" You Versus the "Online" You

Identity… The “real” you versus the “online” you.

This week, in our online course, we have been asked to consider the differences between the “real” version of ourselves, with the “online” version of myself.  Through reflection, I have worked to map out where, when, and why I typically become the online version of myself.  Unfortunately, I have also identified that with the convenience of my Smartphone, I also often participate online during circumstances or environments where I used to only be Internet free.  For example, reading a book is now often interrupted by looking at websites, and a trip in the woods camping is now augmented with the ability to start connected to the Internet.  While I see positive and negative aspects for all of this personally, I want to move away from examining where and why I use the Internet, and dissect more how the two versions of my are similar and different.

                When considering the persona of “online” Mark Hart with “real” Mark Hart, it is perhaps easiest to examine what is tangible and quantifiable.  The real Mark Hart lives a quiet life, surrounded primarily with work, a wife and my three kids.  Sprinkled in would be various acquaintances at work, who I have shallow conversations with throughout the day.  Online Mark Hart, however, is much more concerned with sensing the amount of “friends” I have, how many likes I get on a post, and who is following me on Twitter.  Everything online is very quantifiable, and it makes me think often how other people have “x” more friends of followers than I have.  Are these people more interesting than I am how “close” are they really to their “friends” and what steps did they take to procure such a following?  Real Mark is not very concerned about how many people come in and out of my life; I obviously have my family which keeps me very busy as well as a small group of friends I keep in touch with more intimately than just saying hi to on Facebook.  With this group of friends in my life, I really never think about adding friends or seeing someone’s affirmation to things I say in my real life.

                In dissecting my persona, online and in real-life, I need to consider what I talk about, how I say it, and frequency of topics as well.  In my real-life I am nearing the end of my doctoral program in educational technology.  With that said, however, it is not really something I discuss in my real life as I do not talk about ed tech often with my wife, kids, or friends.  I do have a full-time job in educational technology, but most of my work is solitary and I am considered the expert in the field as I work with professors who are experts in their content fields.  My online persona, conversely, centers a lot on educational technology, especially on Twitter.  While both are considered social media, in my usage I differentiate Facebook as a tool I use with friends, while Twitter is an area I interact with strangers who share similar interests, namely educational technology. 

                A final look at how I am different online, and in real life, relates to how I act and how I say what I am trying to express.  Anyone who knows the “real” me, knows me to be very quiet, not ask many questions and have a very dry sarcastic sense of humor.  Online, I am very different, as the mere participation online often requires the need for me to initiate conversation, something I never do in person.  Furthermore, sarcasm is a tool which I have learned needs to be refined in an online environment.  In real life, I find people can often sense my sarcasm within one or two comments as I have a full arsenal of expression, body movements, etc. to highlight that I am joking.  Online, there are ways to also show you are joking, but often it relies on being a bit more obvious, like after a comment saying something like (just kidding).  Embedding posts with pictures and videos, however, is another way to show my sense of humor as I often enjoy posting satire on topics like politics and everyday life.  In the end, I hope people would see some of the same “me” online, as they would in real-life.  While I need to be more extroverted online, I am not someone who has made 10,000 Tweets in my life.  I think my sense of humor comes through, as well as my areas of interest.

                To further examine the ways, my real-life persona could be different than my one online, I examined a few blog posts on the issue, including the article “Online persona rarely match real-life behavior, observers say” ( http://phys.org/news193046619.html ).  In this article, they highlighted how people are more prone to be extreme with their postings and comments online than they would be in real-life.  Observing some comments I often see in the “Comments” section at the end of news articles online, I can certainly agree with this way of thought, though I am not sure that would apply to myself.  Recently I have noticed that many news organizations are requiring people to not make anonymous posts in the comments, but have to sign-in through their Facebook accounts.  With that in mind and not that I have ever made an anonymous outrageous post prior, I do not think I would say something online that I would not say myself to people in person.  The article also confirms some of my own findings that people who are very talkative or comment a lot online are not necessarily like that in real-life.  Another factor discussed in the article “The Online Disinhibition Effect” (http://users.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/disinhibit.html ) discussed how people are prone to have interests online that they do not have in real-life.  For example, some people who are very calm and passive in real-life enjoy watching fighting videos and violent content online.  Personally, I again can see the truth in these observations, though I would say that most of my online tastes: sports, movies, comedy, and topics I enjoy watching and discussing in real-life.