Greg Pidgeon

There can be many reasons why any person or group of people would consciously construct an online identity from corporate image to personal enlightenment. I will discuss a few of these motives for the creation of an online identity that interest me.

Beginning with having a look at the phenomenon of the personal homepage. More popular now than ever is the personal homepage as it gives anyone who has access, often for free, the opportunity to represent themselves and establish presence on the Internet. Various companies now make it extremely easy to create a home homepage, often giving space with some sort of template to start authors off for free. These companies include Yahoo! GeoCities, Lycos Anglefire and many more. Personal homepages include information about the author such as personal photos and videos, diary and autobiographical material, opinions on everything from T.V to politics, interests, hobbies, and links to other favourite sites.

One reason for creating a personal homepage is as a celebration of self. This involves constructing a persona (again this may be inadvertently) to present to other Internet users. You can be whoever you want to be in this virtual environment which can be extremely self liberating in so much as any inadequacies in real life are easily hidden and overcome. For instance a homosexual person does not have to fear the judgements cast in reality due to their sexuality and can present him or herself freely online, even if they haven’t revealed this information to their peers. Due to the emancipatory freedom of the Internet it enables homepage authors to shed any negative characteristics both physical and emotional in order to communicate thoughts without fear of reprisal. This also enables authors to meet and talk to people with similar interests or views due to the increased accessibility of the Internet coupled with their representation of themselves through their homepage.

Another reason to create a homepage is for the author to explore their personalities and who they really are. Quite the opposite of my first example these are people who are not trying to change or reveal aspects of themselves that differ from the real world but are exploring their personalities in order to find out who they are. These types of homepages are often created in the autobiographical or diary format usually reflecting on daily life and their views on it. This can be a platform to test or experiment with different images of self in order to establish acceptance or reassurance from other users or to find users that are experiencing similar life circumstances. For example a recently divorced middle-aged woman may be ready to begin dating again but isn’t sure. She could write a diary of her daily life, thoughts etc on her homepage, looking for a positive response in relation to her situation. If then receiving this encouragement may then have the confidence to apply this image of self to the real world.

Despite the usefulness of the homepage unfortunately many seem to fail. This can be due to many reasons. One is a lack of effort on behalf of the author, starting a homepage but losing interest and never getting around to finishing or updating it is a common problem. Even if finished it may only hold basic information such as vital statistics with maybe one or two pictures. These types of site have a tendency to be distinctively boring and are often just abandoned. These sites can then fall into disrepair and join the large number of ‘unavailable’ homepages on the web space providers.

Another area where online identity can be utilised by an Internet user is within ‘online communities’. These are created for the most part by linking websites with similar themed content to one another then users can navigate around this content, enter forums and post comments on their chosen topics with ease. Online communities can be based on anything including examples such as a fan community for a television show, like Star Trek or Buffy, or a sports team such as Manchester United. Even when entering these types of communities a user is portraying their online identity by expressing their interest in a certain topic that they may or may not show interest in, in the real world. This enables users to find other users that share the same interests. Online communities can also carry heavy sociological undertones having been created for a purpose or with a specific motive in mind. For instance a political movement may develop a community to find others who stand for the same ideas. Due to the anonymity of the Internet users can express their thoughts no matter how subtle or extreme, using their assumed online identity.

Gender representation on the Internet is also interesting when considering online identity. Both males and females approach and are subjected to different environments when using the Internet. For men in today’s society the definition of masculinity, I think, is not at all clear. This is reflected by the content of websites and online communities aimed at men. There are many places where a man can explore his masculinity on the Internet using his online identity. There are many forums for instance that discuss masculinity where users can voice their thoughts and be exposed to the opinions of other users. This can be an opportunity to use an assumed online identity to explore different ways of thinking, again without becoming vunerable to confrontation from an individuals peer group. Along with discussion forums on masculinity there are also many online guides giving advice on being a ‘man’ in today’s society, which can be approached using an online identity. This may be a different identity from that which is presented in real life.

Gender online is also very interesting because you can very easily change gender whilst using the Internet. This is mainly because aesthetics don’t come into the equation so the Internet provides a perfect platform for people who wish to explore an opposite gender. Stereotypes can be discarded and characteristics adopted. For instance a women might feel that people don’t take her seriously when talking about mechanics purely because she is female. When online she can enter forums on this topic without a gender stereotype attached and talk freely without preconceptions of other users. Or maybe a man knows he is more sensitive than he is able to show to his friends he can assume a genderless identity online and express all the sides of his personality. The female-targeted online presence seems to take a slightly different approach. A lot of the websites and communities seem to be based on feminism and to cease the oppression towards women based solely upon gender. But this difference by no means diminishes the value of an online identity whilst engaging in this area. A woman who feels oppressed in everyday life can use the Internet as a place to voice all their opinions and to discuss with other women the oppression they perceive they are subjected to. Using this resource can be extremely productive and means people no longer will have to bite their tongue and keep emotions pent up. Also on a more serious note using the anonymity of an online identity a woman who is subject to domestic violence can find information on what action to take and to receive advice and encouragement from others that have been through similar experiences. Which is a very positive use of an online identity.

I thought it would be interesting to look at my own online identity as well. As I don’t generally enter forums or am actively engaged in any communities, I found it interesting thinking about how, even though I am not consciously trying to create an identity, there can still be one present. For instance whenever I have brought items from the Internet my details and what I have brought are stored and next time I log on to the same site items are suggested explaining that they may be of interest to me. Even when browsing sites without entering any specific information, cookies are left on my computer that tell the site what I have looked at and can guide navigation around the site if I re-visit without me ever knowing.

In conclusion whatever you use the internet for, whether you participate actively on a certain topic, shop, research or even just generally browse the internet you have an online identity. This can enhance your experience without you ever knowing or if considered can be a tremendously positive aspect of the Internet. Think about your online identity. Who is the virtual you?

Bibliography

http://www.walthowe.com/navnet/history.html (06/12/04 8.22pm)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/09/990914081638.htm (06/12/04 7.58pm)
http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/identitymanage.html (06.12.04 8.05pm)
Web Studies 2nd Edition, 2004, Edited By David Gauntlett and David Horsley.