The Impersonal Nature of Social Networking Sites - Case Study Example

THE DIGITIZATION OF IDENTITIES Social networking is unquestionably a part of life for a majority of the people around the globe. This position emanates from the presence of quite a number of social media websites and applications that enable communication among individuals in the current generation. The applications are egocentric in nature. For this reason, they allow individuals to extend their actual personalities to the online platform through the social networking sites. Conversely, the impersonal nature of social networking sites makes it possible for people to create unrestrained and new personalities or identities that they might not reveal in real life (Alfano and O’Brien 16). With these provisions, it would be possible to determine that social media interactions dominate online as well as offline conversations between people. This confirms the presumption that online communication has become the norm in the current society. Social media acts as a platform for identity construction, wherein an individual could identify him or herself differently from the real life. Due to technological progressions, there is a gradual altercation on ways of communication, socialization and the way people interact. By extension, the technological developments affect the manner in which people maintain relationships (Gross and Acquisti, 45). Individuals in the current generation are privileged to use multifunctional technologies that can combine internet access with the cell phone, global positioning devices, music, and camera functions. The new communication tools have become an integral part in people’s social lives, which makes it difficult for them to imagine how they can cope without them. Social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, among others, facilitate efficient and easier communication in the current fast-paced global society (Gross and Acquisti, 52). This takes place by connecting multiple audiences through a single platform. Ultimately, it enables fundamentally new forms of interaction. The popularity of social networking sites is evident in the changes made to latest technologies. The technologies have gone through transformations to accommodate easy access to different sites. For instance, mobile phone companies incorporate direct links to sites such as twitter or facebook into their software, which makes it easy for people to connect and share their interests with others. This is a confirmation that the social networking sites have permeated into the daily lives of individuals. One of the major elements in the functionality of facebook is the photograph application. The application provides people with the ability to disseminate some of the images that they choose to represent them (Wynn and Katz, 24). The image that the people choose becomes vital since other users view it as a representation of one’s identity. Every social networking user is responsible for their self-representation and identity construction. In the real world, people have the ability to construct their identities through their mannerisms, how they make their hair, their dressing, as well as their use of language. In the virtual world, an individual constructs his or her own identity by the language in whatever they write, and how they choose to display themselves visually. Even though the real and virtual worlds contain similar forms of self-representation, the virtual platform enhances the ability of users to construct and control their identities. It is easier for the users to control their online appearance and reputation since their can either enter and leave their virtual spaces at their own discretion. This means that people have different ways in which they structure their privacy settings, the groups that they identify with, their pictorial representations, and how they define themselves textually in their profiles. Online systems become a space where people can share their constructed identities rather than a platform where people can keep in touch. The image that users disseminate is a presentation of a version of themselves in the social networking sites, which might or might not go with their realistic self. The dissemination is a presentation of the manner in which people have become accustomed to the idea that the self can be summarized adequately in an image. However, the identity of a person is complex since quite a number of external factors that contribute to and influence person’s identity. Apart from the use of photographs, the other way through which an individual might construct his or her online identity is through the content that he or she posts. In this case, the social networking users predominantly state their identities implicitly rather than do it explicitly. In simpler terms, the users show, rather than tell other people who they are, which is possibly identified to the consumer identities of the user over the personally narrated identities. Some social networking users go through a lot of effort to construct visual and textual portraits of self-representation or identity, thereby choosing different aspects of their identity carefully. Boyd equates this to graphic avatars used in that people use in online games, “…to act out the intentions of their creators” (Boyd 56). In order to compensate for the inexistence of physical presence, other people with access create ways that can enable them to read the signals depicting an individual’s identity, and ways through which the individual is representing him or herself. In this case, the user gives off information about his or her cultural identity, individual personality, social class as well as his or her psychological state. Despite the fact that other users could utilize the cues to identify the individuals, they are also vital for determining the appropriate modes of interaction that other users will adopt. This gives one a leeway to develop an identity that is likely to attract a given group of people. One of the most basic questions to consider in relation to the development of the online systems is whether it is of greater benefit to society or otherwise. One of the positive effects emanating from the development of online systems in my generation is the fact that communication is now easier and much faster than it was previously(Alfano and O’Brien 15). Consequently, the social networking sites have led to an increment in communication between individuals. On the other hand, the sites serve as a vital medium that encourages people to be socially active. For instance, facebook makes it possible for its users to communicate with friends in the virtual platform, comment on friend’s statuses, send and receive instant messages, play games or even join some of the organizations with an account in facebook. Ultimately, the site is suitable for entertainment purposes. Given that people have different personalities, there are those who might not feel comfortable when communicating face-to-face, or those that might have difficulty socializing. Using the social networking sites might make it easier for such people since they are more likely to interact with others via the internet. The comfort emanates from the absence of an actual person, who in this case is replaced by the screen, which provides a more protected and relaxed environment. Virtual communication platforms allow people to develop more confidence in a given situation since they are able to communicate their thoughts via the internet rather than confront a situation that they might be facing. Apart from the enhancement of communication or interactions between individuals at a personal level, the online systems positively affect the business practices of this generation. The sites make it possible for businesses to market or advertise their services to a huge audience. Since setting up a profile is free, the sites essentially provide the businesses with a platform through which they can freely advertise their products or services. For this reason, the businesses gain attention on the sites because their profile is available for all users of the given site to see. On the other hand, businesses might use the social networking sites to learn a few things from potential employees, which might have an effect on their decisions. In this case, their decisions might be based on the information that the potential employees provide on their personal profile. Conversely, an individual might be interested in working for a given organization, and they might use the profile information on the company from a social networking site to learn a few things about the company. Even though the overall purpose of social networking sites is to provide people with an avenue through which they could interact, there are potential dangers that emanate from the widespread access to personal information. With widespread personal information, there is a high possibility of identity theft, which mainly occurs in situations wherein the user provides a high volume of his or her personal information. This mainly occurs in cases in which the user allows other people to view his or her personal contact information, whereabouts, interests, and habits, among other personal information (Alfano and O’Brien 32). There is also a possibility that the user might be a victim of cyber stalking without even knowing it. With widespread personal information, it means that it might be possible for a stalker to view a users profile even by using popular search engines. This criminal offence under the harassment laws, slander and state anti-stalking laws. This makes it vital for users to consider restricting access to some of their personal information to avoid being a possible victim of cyber-stalking or victims of identity theft. Widespread personal information might also enhance an individual’s vulnerability to sexual predators, which mainly applies to individuals that have disclosed a considerable amount of their private information on the online social networking sites (Alfano and O’Brien 56). Since it is easier for an individual to construct a false identity about himself, one might hide behind a pseudo-identity, which is a popular way through which sexual predators use in getting their victims. Even though the number of sexual predators using the social networking sites to get their victims is small, the number if gradually increasing by the day, thereby enhancing the threat levels to their victims. However, the implications depend on a number of factors that is inclusive of whether the information given by the user is identifiable, as well as the possible users and recipients. For this reason, the social networking site should be able to develop privacy policies that will prevent a user’s private information from spreading widely. There are a number of ethical issues for social networking sites. Some people are usually tempted to post deceptive information on the social networking sites. The main reason why they do this is the lack of accountability and an intangible physical presence online. Social network services make it possible for users to handle their self-presentation in a manner that is not possible to achieve in real life. One of the ethical considerations that emanate from this provision is whether the normative value that the content of aspiration derives is definite. The other factor that guides the ethical considerations is whether there are values and aspirations are explicit to the social networking sites depending on the heterogeneity of the origin or their expression in contexts that do not relate to the social networking sites. For this reason, it would be vital to look into these ethical considerations from a moral perspective and encourage users to cultivate practical virtues that are necessary for the flourishing of the network as well as the embodied relations. Conclusively, there is a possibility of determining that social networking sites are a necessity for individuals in this generation. The necessity emanates from the idea that they assist in the expansion of social connection between individuals as well as the gaining of knowledge. Even though there are a number of risks associated with the social networking sites, their power is undeniable since they do more good than harm. However, in the construction of an online identity, individuals should consider taking measures that are likely to minimize their exposure to some of the harmful elements using the social media for other purposes other than communication and knowledge seeking. Work Cited Alfano, Christine L. and O’Brien, Alyssa J. Envision in Depth 3rd edition. London: Longman, 2011. Boyd, Danah. Representations of digital identity. MIT Master’s Thesis. 2002. Gross, Ralph and Acquisti, Alessandro. Information Revelation and Privacy in Online Social Networks (The Facebook case). Pre-proceedings version. ACM Workshop on Privacy in the Electronic Society (WPES), 2005. Wynn, Eleanor and Katz, James. Hyperbole over cyberspace: Self-presentation & social boundaries in Internet home pages and discourse. The Information Society, 13(4): 297- 328. 1997. Read More