Demographic changes, technological advances and globalisation have given rise to the importance of having an online identity in this current business environment. Having an online identity is like having an online persona that is made visible through selective sharing of information online on social media platforms such as Facebook profile. With so many social media platforms, it is easy to create more than one online identity.
The advantages of having more than one online identity are being able to engage in larger online communities. We have been told (or warned) that our future employers will be looking through our online profiles, and with the Internet becoming a major recruitment tool for many organisations, developing an online identity can help convey an innovative image of an individual to increase the chances of getting employed.
However, some people can be so engross in creating the ‘perfect’ online identity that people starts to question just how real are we online? Take a look at a parody of how people fake their #AuthenticLives on Instagram. http://www.seventeen.com/life/tech-social-media/news/a33773/hipsterbarbie-is-the-best-instagram-parody-account-ever/
Personally, I do not think having multiple online identities is a problem so long as you know how to manage it. Our online identity is formed of both presentation and reputation, where management of our personas’ can impact our activity both face to face and online. I agree with Scott Rosenberg’s statement, “The trouble lies with the people who have turned it into a problem”. It can either be the user sharing the ‘wrong information’ online or the people who shared that ‘wrong information’ to the ‘wrong group of people’. In this digital age where information can be accessed easily online, it is vital to choose carefully and wisely on what you disclose.
Therefore, is it alright to have more than one online identity? My answer would be why not? It is normal for a person to behave differently in different situation. For example, you behave differently in front of your close friends and your boss, likewise, it is normal to have more than one online identity for different purposes. It is not being ‘fake’, but rather exposing different set of assertions about yourself depending on the circumstances, so my advice to people having more than one online identity is to keep all your online identities professional, even when you are being personal.
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References
- Chad Brooks, Business News Daily Senior Writer, ‘Social Recruiting Becomes the Norm’, (2012) Available at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2811-social-recruiting-norm.html
- Cristina Costa and Ricardo Torres, “To be or not to be? The importance of digital identity in the networked society”, (2011), p.49. Available at: http://eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/view/216/126
- Jeff Jarvis, ‘One identity or more?’, (2011) Available at: http://buzzmachine.com/2011/03/08/one-identity-or-more/
- Michael Zimmer, Facebook’s Zuckerberg: “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity”, (2010) Available at: http://www.michaelzimmer.org/2010/05/14/facebooks-zuckerberg-having-two-identities-for-yourself-is-an-example-of-a-lack-of-integrity/
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