Digital America
The invention of the internet has changed many things in
the world; business, media, communications, even romance. One of the most
recent impacts the internet has had is on personal identity. Nowadays nearly
everyone has an online presence, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter or even
blog sites such as this one. People now almost have two identities, their
real-life persona and the image they present online.
Is everyone the
same online?
People are always different; this is a fact regardless of
whether you are talking about real-life or the digital world. In both worlds
there is the need to fit in, to be normal and therefore many people act
similar. However I think what the internet offers is the opportunity to realise
that no matter what you like, how you dress, who you find attractive, there are
always people who feel the same. In a way this means that people have more
freedom to be different through their digital identities, they will always be
accepted. So no, not everyone is the same online, but there are common social groups.
Impact on
identity in the future
I think the shift into the digital universe is going to have
massive ripple effects on identity in the future. Already you see stories about
people who have met partners through virtual worlds, and the dating scene (which
is all about who someone is) has flourished online. People put up profiles of
themselves; what they like, their personalities etc, in short they sum up their
identities online. In the future I can only see this gaining in popularity, the
reason for this is that people live such busy lives these days that online
dating becomes convenient and timesaving, it clearly takes less time to create
an online profile that others can look at while you’re at work or walking the
dog, then meeting someone by chance or being set-up. It also increases the
chances of finding compatible partners, if of course, people are honest...
This whole concept of quick, easy communication is what
makes having a digital identity so appealing and I feel this can only grow.
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