Personal Learning Networks and Digital Identity

What is a Digital Identity?

Digital Identity can be thought of as your own collection of data that is permanent and is available online. From posting pictures on any social media platform to writing comments under posts and sharing photos/videos, digital identity is who you are online (Stroller, 2016). Anything that you may do on the web, can be traced as your digital identity. Having a digital identity creates ample opportunities for connections made throughout the internet like YouTube or Instagram, Snapchat etc.

How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

It is expected by 2022 that over 60% of the world’s GDP will be digitized (Davos, 2019). How we use our digital identity can vary depending on what our intentions are meant to be. Digital identity can provide people with a probabilistic image of who they are based on comparison to other people (Boyd, 2012). For a professional approach to digital identity, one can showcase their work like blog, portfolio, website, or whatever it may be, if posted online, it can be viewed by anyone which can create opportunities (Stroller). And this can easily make an employer who may want to hire online reach out to that person. On the other hand, there can be a dark side to digital identity which can deteriorate your career or chances of getting a job based on your comments or actions that are showcased on your digital identity. On the other hand, a personal approach to digital identity would change the use of social media, as you are not sharing your personal work, rather you are sharing your personal life without any form of intention.

How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?

This can vary depending on what and who you are as a person. With a digital identity, the truth can come to the surface and that can be devastating for some people whose intentions online are vastly different from in real life. This can cause harm to companies if an employer has said or posted something online that has caused a lot of negativity towards that company.

References

Boyd, Danah. “Networked Privacy.” View of Networked Privacy, https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/networked/networked.

Davos. [World Economic Forum]. (2019, Feb 5). Press Conference the Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7lyxrOmw&ab_channel=WorldEconomicForum

Stroller, Eric, director. What Is Digital Identity? YouTube, YouTube, 25 Nov. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0&ab_channel=UniversityofDerby. Accessed 23 May 2022.