Digital Identity

In real life we tend to define who we are by what we do, we and convey that to others through our actions, words and appearance. In the online world however, these actions, words, and appearances take different forms. Although the online identity can take many forms the social network is the one of the more popularized online representations of one’s self.
Online actions are the least represented of the three, but are existent in some small ways. The most common way our actions are defined is through associations and games. “Yet, for all of the social discomfort, these Friends help provide group structure, further indicating the meaningful identity markers of the individual” (Boyd, 2008, p. 14). The people that are chosen as friends create associations that help define that individual, in other words we are who we associate with. It is also indicated in this quote that these associations, particularly the top friends list on Myspace, can also cause social drama between individuals. The other action that helps to define the individual is that of online social networking games such as Mafia Wars and Farmville. These games involve collaborative quests where individual’s results or needs are posted on the wall for others to view or interact with. Each of these games gives the participant virtual rewards and status.
Appearance online is just as powerful in real as it is online in defining an individual. It stems from things as the more apparent posting of pictures to the more intricate decoration of the person home page. It will contain video and graphics of favorite bands, movies, or pastimes that the individual identifies with. These images do not necessarily shape the individual, but do reflect them.
Words and communication amongst individuals in social networks is by far one of the largest ways individual define and shape themselves. Unlike face to face communication, communication in social networks is both asynchronous and public. As a result posts are more thought out and often have more intent than the typical everyday discourse between individuals in real life. In some cases people will act in a non-participatory case know as lurking and simply read the public posts of others shaping their opinions and ideas in association with their offline experiences before making them their own and then participating in later discussion regarding its context. “Functioning as vibrant public spaces—imagined territories developed by CCI [
Community Connect, Inc.] made real in typed discursive exchanges—participants, who are stripped of their local exigencies, shape online communities to sometimes reflect, refine, reject, and reproduce social knowledge as informed by their offline experiences” (Byrne, 2008, p. 20).
It is clear that social networks play a big part in defining individual as well as shaping identity. This is particularly true of young adults who sense of self is constantly in transition as they figure out who they are and what their part is in society. As technology progresses the conduits from which we communicate ourselves as individuals will continue to change and reshape the socialization process.

Boyd, Dana (2008) “Why Youth love Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life." Youth, Identity, and Digital Media. Edited by David Buckingham. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Byrne, Dara (2008) N. “The Future of (the) ’Race’: Identity, Discourse, and the Rise of Computer-mediated Public Spheres." Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media. Edited by Anna Everett. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. 15–38.