With the development of technology, the internet is becoming increasingly popular among people. In this environment, many social media and platforms came into being, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and the Little Red Book. (A lifestyle platform and consumer decision-making portal) On those platforms people can create their own identities, such as beauty bloggers, pet bloggers, fashion bloggers, and so on.
However, construction of identity in a digital world not only includes who you are on the internet, but also includes your personal privacy, health status, and the footprints you have browsed on the internet. But in this blog post, I will focus on how to create identity in the digital world.
How to Construct Identity in the Digital World
Step 1. Create an account that belongs to you
Creating an account that belongs to you is the most important step in construct identity in a digital world. It should be noted that different platforms should set up accounts with different characteristics. For example, Facebook is what you use to connect with your family, so there is a high possibility that you will only share content related to your family or that you want your elders to see on Facebook, while Instagram may share clothing or daily life.
Step 2. Determine what your account wants to convey or share with the public
Specifically, you need to determine the main content of your account, which can be clothing / food / makeup sharing / daily learning, etc., and the content you share needs to be consistent in order to attract specific audiences. (If you want to become a blogger in a certain field) If you only want to have a regular identity on the internet, you can publish anything you want on your account.
Step 3. Participate in online communication
Participate in online communities and discussions that interest you to form your digital footprint. In addition, blogs that are interested in likes and comments also belong to the category of digital footprints
Step 4. Improve personal online information
Improving personal information online is more conducive to establishing identity in the digital world. Publishing personal information such as zodiac signs, beliefs, values, and interests on the internet can promote digital interaction. But at the same time, it is important to pay attention to preventing personal information leakage.
Reference:
1. Quintas-Mendes, A & Paiva, A 2023, ‘Digital Presence and Online Identity among Digital Scholars: A Thematic Analysis’, Social Sciences, vol. 12, no. 7, p. 379,
Accessed from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/socsci12070379. (6, Oct, 2023)
2. onfido(21,Mar, 2022) What is digital identity? | You guide to digital identity
Accessed from: https://onfido.com/blog/digital-identity/ (6, Oct, 2023)
Hi Ruiwen,
I really liked your blog you explained the main ways of constructing an identity in the digital world very well.
You mentioned that each app has to have a specific identity presented in it, for example Facebook being for family, why do you think that its? Is it because of what elders are known to use as their social media platform or could it be because of the audience you are engaging with, posting a family picture on Instagram is not the expectation from your audience. That also adds to the point you made that if you want to to maintain a regular identity on digital platforms then you can post what you want, is that really the case? Instagram has very strict guidelines on what you can and cannot post so as a ‘normal’ person on social media you are still restricted.