Identity in the Digital World
According to authors Wängqvist & Frisén (2016), online contexts are important settings for adolescent identity development. The authors write that online contexts for identity development might add valuable knowledge about the ways in which identity processes are contextualized (pg. 2). Another important thing is that participation in online contexts is less dependent on geographical proximity and time. The physical distance of online life may also be helpful for people who don’t feel comfortable showing their true identity offline. This holds true for adults too, but definitely not on the same level. Digital media affects youth greatly because their brain is still developing, therefore their online presence and identity will have a greater impact on adolescence than adults. It also hold true for adults because their are adults that are just as effected by digital media and their online presence, but most adults don’t even want to make an online identity because they are content in their real life, they are only visitors, and they simply just don’t care as much as adolescent, with exceptions of adults that are just, if not more involved in media. Social networks offer a wide range of educational tools.
The authors of Digital Identity Formation: Socially Being Real and Present on Digital Networks write that the “most profound impact of the Internet is its ability to support and expand the various aspects of social learning which assumes that learning is socially constructed through conversations about that content and through grounded interactions, especially with others, around problems, or actions” (pg. 10). Based off of this reading, the other materials for this week, and my own understanding and experience, I have learned that social networks offer social education. People are able to communicate with so many people all over the world and work on so many different things that can develop their social skills. It definitely has improved my social skills.
In Alec Couros’ in his TED talk video he says that “we owe it to our kids to help bring them to this particular space to see the affordance of these new technology” because we live in a privileged space when we are able to connect and experience so much through our screens. It’s not fair to completely deny kids of this privilege because of the fear that they might be unsafe or lose their identity, but instead monitor them closely and make sure they are using the internet for their best benefit while prioritizing their safety. Safety is important to consider for all of us on social networks. We can learn a lot from the internet, but it can also be very harmful, we just have to pick and choose carefully.
