Language and Identity in Cyberspace_A Multidisciplanary Approach_2017.pdf (original) (raw)
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Cyber-Identities and Social Life in Cyberspace
Handbook of Research on Social Software and Developing Community Ontologies
Information and communication technology gradually transform virtual communities to active meeting places for sharing information and for supporting human actions, feelings and needs. In this chapter the authors examine the conceptual definition of virtual community as found in the traditional cyberliterature and extend it to accommodate latest cybertrends. Similar to the ways that previous social and mass media dissolved social boundaries related to time and space, cyber-communities and social software seem to also dissolve the boundaries of identity. This, in turn, questions the trust, privacy and confidentiality of interaction. The authors present a way of classifying and viewing self-presentation regarding cyber-identity management in virtual communities. It is based on the characteristics that cyber-surfers prefer to attribute to themselves and accordingly present themselves to others. In so doing, the authors coin the terms for five distinct phenomena, namely nonymity, anonymi...
Looking at identity construction processes in the cyberspace
Medimond, International Proceedings, 2010
This paper presents some results of the analysis we conducted on patterns of online self-presentations and interactions among a sample of late Italian adolescents. Our study was conceived as a preliminary investigation on some psychosocial processes underpinning online communication aspects of identity construction. Our sample comprised 31 Italian undergraduate psychology students (age range: 19-21) that were invited to join anonymously a virtual community including both a weblog and a forum. The exploratory text analysis we performed on weblog and forum contents showed the presence of recurrent themes referring to crucial areas such as academic engagement, professional dimensions of future, interpersonal relationships (romantic and family issues) and personal interests. Our contribution tried to adopt a new narrative perspective on the use of electronic communication devices both as instruments of self disclosure and ways to gain access to a relational network in which the real and the virtual merge into one another.
CHANGING SOCIAL IDENTITY IN CYBERSPACE AND ITS IMPLICATION
International Conference for the Arts and Social Sciences, IJAS, Harvard University. , 2012
The study explores changing identity in cyberspace and its implication with specific focus on the types of fake identities online, how anonymity in online interactions influence the construction and expression of social identity, the implications of identity fluidity and multiplicity in cyberspace for individual well-being and social relationships, how communities and social media platforms influence the formation and maintenance of collective identities, and the policy implications of fake identities online on safety and security of users and nations. The qualitative study relied on secondary literature, drawing themes from the crux of the study, which is changing identity in cyberspace. The study found the following common types of online identities-Some common fake identities prevalent online are Pseudonymous Impersonation, catfishing, sockpuppetry, identity theft, anonymity and deindividuation, role playing, phishing, Fake Reviews and Testimonials. The study found that anonymity offers users opportunities for exploration and self-expression and can lead to the development of a more authentic collective identity it also poses challenges related to accountability and authenticity. Fluidity and multiplicity of identity in cyberspace offer opportunities for personal growth and diverse social connections, but also pose challenges related to authenticity, accountability, and the stability of social relationships, but it can also result in negative behaviors, such as trolling and harassment, which can undermine the sense of community. Lastly, by implementing robust identity verification technologies, establishing clear legal frameworks, and fostering international cooperation, policymakers can mitigate the risks associated with fake identities and enhance the security of users and nations in the digital age.
The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 2020
Identity is the source of meaning and experience for people. Identifying and self-defining, which is always a form of making, is never completely separable from how others are known. The process of meaning-making and identity-finding is based on a cultural feature or a coherent set of cultural traits. From the sociologists' point of view, identity is a process that is constantly subject to reconstruction, and the causes of this reconstruction vary socially, historically, and culturally. (Rafat Jah, 2004: 3). Thus, identity as Hall (1987) puts it, is an acquired phenomenon that forms the core of the first few years of life and is constantly changing through the acquisition of new information throughout life. In the past, people's identities were shaped in person-to-person interactions, but today with the advent of new technology and media, interactions have become virtualized, where face-to-face communications no longer determine the identity of individuals but they are created through the channel of virtual spaces, One has the opportunity to interact with people beyond the place and the time they are there. Mark Pasteur (1995) in the "second age of media" emphasizes that in the new era which internet and electronic communications dominate the society, it is virtual communities that make people's identities. Identities are in a completely new situation. Social structures influenced by information technology and communication reveal a new understanding of the mentality that views human beings as a multilayered, changeable and passive phenomenon, and it fights with any kind of identity consolidation. "The issue of media influence is one of the most important and debatable for the researchers. The importance of this issue doubled when Marshall McLuhan (1964) stated; 'media is the message'. 'technologies of the self' allow us not only to think about our identity and to transform the way we think of ourselves, but also to change ourselves to who we want to be' (Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic, 2004). Therefore, technologies enable us on virtual social networks to redefine our desirable identity online, which is distinct from our real or offline identity. This distinction puts us in a reciprocal space, constantly in conflict with or interacting with our true and virtual identity. One of the features of online and offline identity in virtual social networks is anonymity or forgery, which means concealing identity, affecting the multiplicity of social identities, and causing fluidity of the identity of users of these networks. This effect of identity and virtual social networks has been studied by various researchers, which suggests that identity in cyber space is undergoing transformation (
Communities, Communication, and Online Identities
Digital Identity and Social Media
Social media and online communities offer increased possibilities for connection, interaction and participation but also new media with tools for self-presentation and identity management. Interacting anonymously or eponymously, having one, none or many identities online expresses richness in online communication. Contentious identities for communication are part of everyday online and offline interaction. The authors examine critically five types of online identity and analyse the differences, similarities, advantages, pitfalls, and disadvantages of using them. Examples illustrate the usage of these identity types, clarify possible misconceptions, and provide the reader with an improved understanding, increasing at the same time the usage awareness and knowledge on their distinctive features.
The advent of the Internet has given rise to a wealth of online environments through which the everyday construction of identities are mediated by textual and multimodal tools involving what are arguably new literacies and communicative genres. In this chapter, we explore chronologically, and in some cases also ontologically, new language and literacy practices such as Internet-mediated intercultural communication, blogging and instant messaging, and fan fiction communities that enable learners to develop language skills as they participate in socially meaningful practices. Drawing upon socioculturally informed identity research (e.g., Block, 2007; Bucholz & Hall, 2005; Gee, 1996, 2004; Pavlenko & Lantolf, 2000), we describe Internet-mediated interactions that involve indexical linkages to macro-level categories and fluid shifts in language choice, stance and style that enable participants to move forward a variety of social actions. Through these analyses, we suggest that language development in online environments is intimately linked to the capacity to construct functional selves through interaction and empirically, we assess various Internet-mediated contexts as sites for such engagements.
The Virtual Me. A New Way and Practice of Identity Construction and Language Use
The paper is based on a sociological research (2009) focused on the population of a social networking site in a smaller East European town (Miercurea Ciuc, Romania). 1327 iWiW accounts were chosen by sampling and a database was created based on the visible data from each account. Using this database, we can draw a picture about this town's iWiW users: along what kind of socio-demographic parameters we can describe its population, what they present about themselves, how many connections they have, how much information they share, what they say about themselves and in what way. Besides the database, content analysis was used as well. This was applied in two main categories: (1.) about myself: given answers to the open questions of the profile page: length (whether there are short or long phrases), language (Hungarian or other), spelling (correct, incorrect, use of emoticons), originality (own words or quotations), style (sober or funny, likely or unlikely valid), and (2.) the photographs they share, along five aspects: character(s) (presented on the picture), theme (of the profile picture), place, subtitle (whether there are any or none, metaphoric or simple ones, in which language, whether there are any emoticons used) and design (whether they are " original " or " edited "). A comparison was also made between younger and older users (under the age of 20 and older than 20), with regard to the major differences between different age-groups: the younger users' " behavior " was very dissimilar to that of all the other users.
The growing popularity of computer mediated communication (CMC), as shown in mushrooming digital technologies available for the public, has brought a unique challenge for researchers: new, emerging online practices are taken for granted so quickly that when they have been sufficiently incorporated into teaching and research, a sense of datedness is almost inevitable. As such, the merit of CMC research often hinges on whether a study can " capture the moment ", revealing the deeper social-cultural dynamics that will exist beyond digital infrastructure. In this regard, " Discourse and identity on Facebook " offers an insightful exploration into online identity construction and performance. It adds another welcoming volume to the widely-circulated Bloomsbury Discourse Series. The central focus of the volume is how Facebook, as a vibrant socio-cultural arena, mediates online identity manifestations. Based on a detailed longitudinal online ethnography of five Greek Facebook users, it convincingly demonstrates the diversity and complexity of online identity formation.