Online and offline Identities are essentially interchangeable. The two identities are in essence static, they are only visible in key situations. While offline any characteristics that may be seen as undesirable in particular settings may be suppressed the characteristics of that identity is still present. The use of anonymity simply provides a sense of security to allow certain perceived unacceptable behaviors or opinions to be expressed without fear of retribution. As Philips and Milner put it on page 72, the two identities can be viewed as ambiguous masks. Although I view the masks as interchangeable the ambiguity is still present. Which of our two identities is our true identity? After reading this chapter one thing has become clear to me I don’t control my mask as I initially thought I did. I thought that having an anonymous online account on a social media platform (Instagram) meant that I controlled my mask but by virtue of the fact that my profile is anonymous means that I, in fact, do not control my mask. I feel as though I am forced to be anonymous simply to be able to enjoy and like pop culture posts. Fear of being misunderstood for following and leaving laughing emojis under the posts a teacher created page that pokes fun of the occupation is one of the driving forces behind my anonymous profile.
Work Cited
Phillips, Whitney, and Ryan M. Milner. The Ambivalent Internet: Mischief, Oddity, and Antagonism Online.
interesting thoughts on how anonymity can be just as constraining as it can be liberating. it all depends on our motives for acting anonymously, perhaps.
I recently found an old copy of Erving Goffman’s book The Performance of the Self in Everyday Life. it’s fascinating to look back at his foundational work on identity and relationships seen through theatrical metaphors.
as you all work on your interface analyses, it might be interesting to ask about how each platform enables different kinds of identification– are profile photos, user names, other identifiable information encouraged? does the platform have policies on the names one can use? how does the platform track individuals’ activites (or not)?