We are always told we should be careful what we post online and what we allow people to see because of potential employers who are likely to search your name. So in order to present yourself and maintain a good reputation online. Being able to control your privacy settings permits you to control the way you present yourself to those employers. Forbes has an article on how your online reputation can damage your chances of finding a job and how you can screen it.
Online identity is a social persona which is grows every time you interact on a website. Whether it’s uploading videos and pictures on social media, commenting on blogs and YouTube videos, or even emailing people – it all leaves a digital footprint. The Internet Society (n.d) states: “you have one true identity and many partial identities.”
Someone who is against having multiple online identities is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. In an interview he says:
“Identity is authenticity, that you are online who you are offline, and to have multiple identities is to lack integrity.”
(Krotoski, 2016)
When Facebook first came about in 2004, online identity was not a thing like it is now. “A Facebook account became a sort of passport to the rest of the web…” (Stone and Friar, 2014). In the 12 years since it’s been created, it has around 1.71 billion users all with individual identities. The argument against this is due to some using social media to deceive people or creating accounts for cyberbullying.
Christopher Poole is who believes users have multiple identities is the creator of a website which contrasts Facebook, 4Chan. 4Chan is a website where users do not need an account so therefore stay anonymous online. Poole says: “Individuals are multifaceted. Identity is prismatic…” I agree with this because you’re not the same person you are at work in comparison to who you are with your friends and when you are with your family. So why would being online be any different to that? Having multiple identities allows you to compartmentalise your work life and your personal life, and many people have multiple social media accounts in order to do so. Read this article for more about people having multiple accounts. Below is a video of Christopher Poole talking about online anonymity and why it’s a good thing to have.
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Nicole Gildone 
October 31, 2016 at 11:54 am
Hi Nicole,
I like your ideas in this blog post. I’d never heard of 4chan before, so it’s definitely something I will look into. I also like how you’ve included your own opinion when talking about Poole – it’s an interesting point you make that having various online identities depending on the context is exactly the same as in the real life – I’ve essentially never thought of the two spaces as allowing for the same identities to be performed – mother, worker etc. whilst online.
Maybe you could have included a few more cons of having multiple identities online, in order to inform your readers more.
A brilliant second blog post, well done.
Alice
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November 6, 2016 at 7:17 pm
Hi Alice,
I’m glad that my blog introduced you to something you haven’t heard of before. I personally haven’t used 4Chan before or really understood the purpose of it before researching them so it was something new for me as well.
I agree that I should have added more cons but it’s something I was struggling to find disadvantages with. Also with finding the space to put everything I wanted to say in!
Thanks for your feedback,
Nicole
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November 2, 2016 at 3:05 pm
Hi Nicole,
This being the first time I have read your blog I’d like to point out I found the page easy to navigate and the layout was a lot clearer than others I have seen. Your first paragraph talked about being careful with your digital footprint, this lead to me googling myself to see what potential employers might find. Luckily I came across nothing too concerning as it only revealed my band and Young Enterprise company. I enjoyed reading your take on online anonymity as it’s something I discussed in my blog too. Your mention of 4Chan was a good example of allowing people to reveal their true self without the threat of repercussions due to attaching a person to a comment. Though, do you feel allowing people anonymity can be a good thing as well as bad as it allows people to say negative things with little to no consequence?
Chris
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November 6, 2016 at 7:32 pm
Hi Chris,
Thanks for reading my blog, and thank you for your comments. Having my name Googled is something I was taught about in college so I’m glad that my blog led you into searching yours and finding nothing bad!
I do think allowing people to be anonymous is a good thing as well as bad. A negative of online anonymity is, of course, people using this to bully others because the chances of them being discovered is slim. However, I sometimes find that people are more likely to support and stand up for someone online when their own identity is hidden. This is because the bully can’t start also attacking someone who’s identity is anonymous. But without more researching who knows if the good outweighs the bad. I like to think humanity will eventually grow out of being hateful though.
Nicole
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November 3, 2016 at 2:18 pm
Hi Nicole,
I really appreciate that you have inserted some interesting thoughts into this blog. Especially the idea that a Facebook account has become sort of a passport to the rest of the web, I think that it is almost like a key that fits to all locks.
I also like that you have pointed out how we can be different people depending on what environment we are in or who we are with, so naturally, we would act the same way online.
On the other hand, I found the Forbes article by Meghan Casserly particularly intriguing – would you prefer using your online identity as a marketing tool to reach the most valued audiences or putting it into a more human level, that is, to show flaws and the bad or boring sides of you too?
Finally, other than the interesting thoughts on having multiple identities, I failed to see your clearer thoughts on the pros of having only one identity; maybe having a better structure would help to express your thoughts in a more balanced way and make it easier for readers to follow.
Nevertheless, thanks for sharing!
Hei Lam
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November 6, 2016 at 7:46 pm
Hi Hei Lam,
I quite liked the idea of a Facebook account being a passport to the internet as well. I thought about it, and thought about the amount of times I’ve gone to register to a website and they have simply put that I can log in with my Facebook account to make the process easier.
Personally, I’d rather split my social media accounts into 2. One for a more professional look and to use it, as you said, as a marketing tool. Then a personal account for my own leisure. What would are your views on having split accounts?
This is something I did notice when I finished writing my blog, however I think this is because I struggled to find the advantages of only having one identity. But for my next blog, having balanced arguments is something I intend to improve on.
Thank you for your feedback,
Nicole
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