Week 5 Post
In the past human beings have had multiple identities depending on the situation they were in. A person could have a work identity, a friend identity; a family identity, etc… people shape how they want to be perceived depending on their situation. In the past 10 years or so technology has given us another way we can form another identity; this identity is an online identity. In today’s world we can put ourselves out on the internet as much as we want to. Anybody could be anyone if they choose to be; a person can have social media identities, gaming identities, etc… This has altered how people interact and has brought up taboo issues such as privacy, online relationship, and surveillance. For example in the article “Say Anything” by Nancy Nussbaum she talks about a 26 year old bartender named kitty who has a live journal that pretty much reveals a lot of stuff about her, such as very intimate photos, personal problems, etc… In this society we can put that out publicly if we choose on the internet, however there has to be some caution because everybody can see that. On the internet there is no privacy anyone can find information about you only so much can be private which tends to be the problem; people expose themselves to much. Than we have this idea of big business data mining and surveillance who is to say if that is good or bad. In some cases it is good when Google syncs your account to your phone that sort of surveillance/data proves to be helpful, but it can also be harmful if it gets into the wrong hands. Identities on social media sites can be whatever people choose, but these are the most dangerous in my opinion because you do not actually hide behind an avatar or surname. If you are on Facebook for example you will have your name out there and anything you say is you there is nothing to hide behind. A blog can reveal someone’s hobbies, or deepest secrets, twitter can be a way to vent problems and stress when someone has nobody to turn to, second life can be an escape from reality for some people. The internet and technology makes this possible whether people benefit from this or get in trouble for it depends on how smart they are online and that is what we have to really be careful about.