4 The Digital Self

DIGITAL SELF
THE SELF IN THE DIGITAL

WORLD
THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION IS KNOWN TO BE THE
GENERATION OF DIGITAL NATIVES BECAUSE
MILLENNIALS WERE BORN IN AN ERA OF RAPID
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT. AS A RESULT, DAILY
LIFE IS ALMOST ALWAYS DEPENDENT ON THE
FUNCTIONS OF TECHNOLOGY, ESPECIALLY THE
INTERNET WHICH PROVIDES PEOPLE WITH A VENUE OF
PRESENTING THEIR IDENTIFIED THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORMS.
THE ADVENT OF TECHNOLOGY COMES WITH A
CORRESPONDING CHALLENGE: TO ENSURE THAT
TECHNOLOGY IS USED PROPERLY. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP, WHICH REFERS TO THE NORMS OF
APPROPRIATE AND RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS
TECHNOLOGY USE. DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP IS ANCHORED IN 3
GENERAL PRINCIPLES: RESPECTING, EDUCATING, AND
PROTECTING ONESELF AND OTHERS. DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
SERVES THE PURPOSE OR REGULATING HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR IN A HIGHLY-TECHNOLOGICAL AND DIGITAL
WORLD.
A MAJOR CONCERN OF LIVING IN THE DIGITAL ERA IS
HOW TECHNOLOGY SHAPES ONE’S SENSE OF SELF AND
IDENTITY. ONE CONCEPT THAT IS RELATED TO THE
CONCEPT OF THE DIGITAL SELF IS ONLINE DISINHIBITION.
IT IS DEFINED AS THE LACK OF RESTRAINT ONE FEELS
WHEN COMMUNICATING ONLINE IN COMPARISON TO
COMMUNICATING IN PERSON.
SOME INDIVIDUALS LOSE THEIR INHIBITION IN SOCIAL
INTERACTIONS BECAUSE THERE IS AN ASPECT OF BEING
PRESENT ONLY IN THE VIRTUAL, A SORT OF ANONYMITY.
ANONYMITY MAY SERVE AS AN OPTION FOR INDIVIDUALS
WHO ARE NATURALLY SHY AND INTROVERTED TO EXPRESS
THEIR THOUGHTS, WITHOUT THREAT TO THEIR SELF-
ESTEEM.
NOWADAYS, HOWEVER, PEOPLE ARE MORE INCLINED TO
SHOW THEIR OWN PERSONALITIES VIA ONLINE CHANNELS.
THE INTERNET BECOMES A MULTI-MEDIA VENUE FOR
SHOWCASING PERSONAL TRAITS, QUALITIES, AND EVEN
EXPERIENCES. THE VALUES AND BELIEFS HE/SHE UPHOLDS
ARE ALSO EXPRESSED IN HIS/HER ONLINE BEHAVIOR.
THUS, TECHNOLOGY, THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF
VIRTUAL SPACES AND COMMUNITIES ACCESSIBLE
THROUGH THE INTERNET, CAN BE A BASIS OF EVALUATING
THE CONSISTENCY OF THE SELF.
THE PERMEATING NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY HAS ALSO
INFLUENCED VARIOUS TECHNOLOGICAL AND ONLINE
BEHAVIORS PEOPLE MANIFEST. WITHIN THE CONCEPT OF
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP, THERE ARE 9 THEMES THAT COVER
THESE BEHAVIORS:
• DIGITAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
• DIGITAL SECURITY
• DIGITAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• DIGITAL LITERACY
• DIGITAL LAW
• DIGITAL ACCESS
• DIGITAL COMMERCE
• DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
• DIGITAL ETIQUETTE
TECHNOLOGY OFFERS LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES; ITS
PRESENCE IS INEVITABLE. HOWEVER, TECHNOLOGY NEED
NOT CONTROL THE SOCIETY AND PEOPLE’S LIVES. AN
INDIVIDUAL MUST DEFINE HIMSELF/HERSELF BASED
SOLELY ON HIS/HER TERMS.
THE DIGITAL SELF: WHY DO WE EXPRESS
OURSELVES ON SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE WE
DO?
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIGITAL SELF
THE IDEA OF THE DIGITAL SELF DEVELOPED FROM THE
ORIGINAL PHENOMENON OF THE ‘EXTENDED SELF’,
PIONEERED BY RUSSELL BELK IN 1988. HE BELIEVED OUR
POSSESSIONS ARE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO AND
REFLECTION OF OUR IDENTITIES. BACK IN THE DAY, IT WAS
EXTERNAL OBJECTS, SUCH AS CLOTHES, JEWELRY AND
CARS ETC. THAT HE BELIEVED WE USED AND CONSIDERED
AS PART OF OURSELVES. THINK ABOUT IT, COULD YOU LIVE
WITHOUT YOUR SMARTPHONE OR LAPTOP? (BE HONEST...)
WHY DO WE HAVE A DIGITAL SELF?
THE IDEA OF THE DIGITAL SELF IS AN INTERESTING AND
RELATIVELY NEW TOPIC DISCUSSED IN CONSUMER
BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH. RESEARCHERS, SUCH AS STONE
(1996) AND HEMETSBURGER (2005) CLAIM THAT THE
DIGITAL WEB ALLOWS US TO TRY OUT DIFFERENT
PERSONAS THAT DIFFER FROM OUR REAL LIFE IDENTITIES.
BUT WHY WOULD WE WANT TO EVEN DO THIS? WE WERE
ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT WHY WE EXPRESS
OURSELVES ONLINE THE WAY WE DO AND WE WANTED TO
SHARE THE MOST COMMON REASONS:
• WE WANT TO MEET THE EXPECTATION OF OTHERS: RESEARCH
SHOWS OVER 50% OF WOMEN WOULD EDIT THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA
PHOTOS TO LOOK BETTER AND MEET THE EXPECTATIONS THAT THE
MEDIA AND MAGAZINES HAVE SET
• WE WANT TO BOOST OUR SELF-ESTEEM: PEOPLE UPLOAD PHOTOS
AND STATUSES ONLINE THAT THEY FEEL WILL RECEIVE ‘LIKES’ AND
POSITIVE FEEDBACK IN WHICH ULTIMATELY HELPS THEIR EGOS
• TO FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING: SOME OF US WANT TO FIT IN
WITH THE CROWD AND UPLOAD THINGS THAT ARE ‘DOWN WITH
THE TREND’ - FOR INSTANCE, WHO NOTICES THE AMOUNT OF
PEOPLE POSTING PICTURES OF THEIR FOOD INCREASING? IT DIDN’T
COME FROM NOWHERE.
• BIGGER SENSE OF FREEDOM: UNLIKE REAL LIFE,
DIGITAL PLATFORMS ALLOW US TO EXPRESS OURSELVES
IN ANY WAY WE WANT TO WITHOUT ANYONE THERE TO
PHYSICALLY JUDGE US
• STRIVING TO BE OUR IDEAL SELVES: DIGITAL APPS,
SUCH AS FACE TUNE, THAT ALLOW US TO IMPROVE OUR
APPEARANCES ON PHOTOS (THROUGH TEETH WHITENING,
SKIN SMOOTHING AND BODY SHAPE EDITING) HELPS
CONSUMERS TO EXPRESS AS THEIR ‘IDEAL’ SELF ONLINE
AND INEVITABLY FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES
IN CONCLUSION, THE DIGITAL WORLD HAS PROVIDED US
WITH GREATER OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPRESS OUR IDENTITY
IN ANY FORM WE WANT TO. BUT WHAT WE ALL NEED TO
REMEMBER IS: HOW WILL WE FEEL IF WE GO SO FAR TO
EXPRESS OURSELVES DIFFERENTLY ONLINE THAT WE
FORGET WHAT REALITY IS, OR WORSE, WE END UP
RESENTING IT?
THANK YOU !!!

4 The Digital Self

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4 The Digital Self

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DIGITAL SELF

THE SELF IN THE DIGITAL

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