Cultivating Internet Identities
This week we discussed concepts of personal and professional identity networks. Until this week, I didn’t realize how much I truly cultivate distinct internet identities depending on where I’m virtually existing. Relatively speaking, I maintain what I feel is a very small social media presence. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram. I previously used Snapchat, but I don’t anymore and only maintain it for “Saved/Archived” snaps. Other than that, though, I rarely post on any of the other platforms and- as I’ve previously discussed- am much more of a consumer than a producer.
Yet, I still feel the need to craft and utilize these
platforms for specific purposes. Facebook? High school and college friends,
family members, and church friends. LinkedIn? Only professional and academic
connections. YouTube? I subscribe only to creators who I highly respect
and whose brand I strongly support. Instagram? I follow people from a variety
of spaces, from a generally younger demographic, and only post picture perfect
moments of my life occasionally each year. Why do we cultivate these identities?
In an era that often promotes authenticity and transparency on social media, why
do some of us still wish to remain cool, calm, and crafted?
In some ways, I think this gives us a sense of control. On
platforms where you can easily share your most personal thoughts and
vulnerabilities with the entire world in mere seconds, it feels more comforting
to control the narrative. One bad post or video clip can land you on the wrong
side of media and I feel there are many -including myself- who want to stay far
away from the pitfalls of posting. However, this could change with time. I imagine
that my presence will ebb and flow as I age with certain platforms garnering
more attention while others fall to the world wide web wayside.
-SMT
SMT, why DO we feel the need to craft these identities? I think that is a very thought provoking question!
ReplyDeleteThis quote from RuPaul comes to mind, "We all came into this world naked. The rest is all drag. When you become the image of your own imagination, it's the most powerful thing you could ever do. We're born naked, and the rest is drag." The identity we craft for ourselves is uniquely ours. In real, offline spaces, we might feel more comfortable to be a more transparent version of ourselves. However, I think the internet has such a vast audience with drastically different vibes in each social media space, that we need to modify what we are projecting in that space.