How do we define who we are, and shape or reaffirm our identity using social networks? EME5404

Posed with this question I spent some time reading a few required readings and a few I found online about social networks and the issues with security I have changed my view about how we define or reshape our identity using social networks. I initially felt that I could self-select my social networks and what was put on those site, or rather the image that was portrayed of myself. While I do think we can define who we are on those social networks, we cannot prevent unwanted content from appearing. What I mean by unwanted content is if we have friends or family who have taken pictures of us or been a part of an experience of ours, they often do not ask our permission to post those things on their social media networks. When those things have been posted it is nearly impossible to get them back. Not all is lost though, we can still shape or reaffirm our identity online even if we cannot control all the social media networks that have information about us.

With the growth of media online culture has come the ability to connect with more people who share our ideas and beliefs. We can now shape the type of news we get exposed to as well as other medias of interest. No longer do we have to conform to the cultural ideas created by others such as large media corporations or even parents (for those who are still youth). While we are inevitably influenced on some level by these large corporations and our parents we now have access to a wealth of information to form our own ideas which create our own unique identities.

We also get to decided what part of our lives we share to others. We can be members of multiple communities while still being our authentic self as Megan Sims mentions in her article in the Harvard Political Review. Megan claims, which I agree with, that there is more transparency as communities online have become safer.

With the move towards transparency, people have found a sense of safety online, and therefore membership in online communities has become less taboo. The move towards online transparency, likewise, increases a sense of Internet authenticity (Megan Sims)

With an increase in transparency people have become more willing to put themselves online. This has been especially true for young people. The ability to identify oneself through such textual and visual means is valuable...they also afford another level of personalization (boyd 2007). We can now share ourselves to a broader audience, while controlling how much others know about us. We can create a persona of ourselves that may show us in a positive light. We can also connect to others who share our interest and are willing and able to provide us more valuable validation.

Through what we post on social media and who we decide to share our information with along with the monitoring of our privacy settings we can define who we are on social media. If I want to be defined as a goof-off who jokes around all the time and rarely takes anything seriously I have the power to send that identity out into the world through social media. Conversely I can change that view any way I would like through the thoughtful way I present myself on social media.

We all can and should take a moment to identify the perception of ourselves online. If you don't know how your are defined, ask a good friend they will tell you.