What is digital identity?
Just as every individual is assigned an identity based on their name and various forms of physical identification, one’s digital identity is equally as important as their physical identity. As the digital age continues to progress and become incorporated within our daily lives, it is quite essential to understand certain aspects concerning the impacts and benefits; particularly how the two identities work together to impact our personal and professional lives. The idea of digital identity might come off as simply a digitized version of various documents detailing one’s identification. While that may be a portion of digital identity, this transfer from physical to digital entails more than one’s ID and credit history might provide. From social media accounts and search engine histories to one’s purchasing behavior, this digital identity provides a compiled outlook at how an individual portrays themselves online as well as how their time spent on the internet defines themselves.
How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?
It is important to create a separation between personal and professional approaches to digital identity, particularly when it comes to social media usage. On one hand, it comes down to a privacy factor; not wishing to disclose personal lifestyles and hobbies to the workplace environment. While that is important in itself, there might be certain aspects from their workplace that an individual might wish to remain within their working hours. It is also considered more professional to maintain this distinction between the workplace and personal life so as not to disrupt the environment upon coworkers, as well as the company itself. As to how this affects social media use, a comparison between Facebook usage and Linkedin usage displays a clear distinction between personal and professional approaches to digital identity. For most individuals, Facebook is a platform where photos and updates regarding personal life and communication between friends occur which can be tied to their digital identity. While it may seem harmless, certain posts and language used could go on to harm their professional profile and create a negative effect within the workplace environment. On a different scope, Linkedin provides a platform for those same individuals to present a more professional image towards their company, as well as future partners or employers. Though the functions of these two platforms are quite alike with posts and forms of communication, the networking and sharing are narrowed down to strictly career-themed topics of discussion. With many various forms of social media for individuals to choose from, each has their own unique platform which allows users to display either their personal or professional lifestyle so as to build their digital identity.
What are the impacts and benefits?
The most distinct impact of a digital identity would arguably be the privacy factor, particularly with the advancement of technology and accessibility towards private information. While posting to social media and other platforms are done with the individual’s consent, other factors such as search engine history and shopping habits are easily traceable by companies looking to take advantage of said information. Although the idea might seem harmless, all of this data could essentially be stored and filed under one’s digital identity; in turn, compiling a file of what that individual’s lifestyle is like, unbeknownst to the individual themselves. While the results of utilizing a digital identity is rather beneficial, it is equally as important to be cautious of the negative impacts it may have in terms of privacy. Referencing the previous statement regarding professional and personal identities through social media, the benefits prove to be quite substantial particularly through the professional aspect of utilization. By building a digital identity for professional use, an individual could open themselves up towards future opportunities and partnerships, as well as building an online portfolio more accessible in comparison to traditional paper-form.
June 2, 2022 at 6:46 pm
Hi Gavin, I enjoyed reading your blog, it is very detail and mindful. My new thinking after reading your post is struck a chord. On the first paragraph, you give your definition of the digital identity, you said the digital identity is the alternative form of physical identity in the real life. The digital identity may give us more convenient role to pursue whether that is private or realistic. On the second paragraph, you mention the big difference between personal and professional approaches toward digital identity is the workplace. Indeed, the personal approach to digital identity usually wants to be private and limited to their sizes whereas professional approach to digital identity faces the public and requires more effort to work on. Users have their obligation and responsibility to maintain the safe and positive environment in the professional approach which we should pay more attention on it. On the third paragraph you mention privacy, technology, and others are co-related to the digital identity while using the social media. It is crucial for us to protect our information and identity from others.