How our online profiles define us
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash
Identity is having a moment. No doubt about it, identity is everywhere in the public zeitgeist, from politics to our bedrooms. It drives not only our sense of self, but in how we relate to others. But why has the concept of identity become so important in our culture, and what are the implications of our collective obsession with it? And why now?
Identity has always been important to people. It defines who we are. It gives our lives meaning and purpose. Identity encompasses the values people hold, which in turn drives the choices they make. Identity gives shape to how we show up in the world, and the groups we align ourselves with. Identity is our sense of self, and it continues to evolve over the course of a person's life.
If identity is an idea as old as humanity, what's different today? It's largely gone unnoticed, but the way we form identity has radically changed in the last 20 years. Identity is not just a personal construct but a cultural phenomenon, now more than ever. Identity refers to the characteristics, traits, beliefs, symbols and values that define an individual or a group. It is the concept of who a person is, both in terms of their internal sense of self and in terms of how they are perceived by others. Identity is shaped by a variety of factors including culture, upbringing, personal experiences, and social interactions. Identity consists of multiple roles. For example, I might be a doctor, a father, a citizen, a Christian, a Latino, a guitarist, a foodie, and an artist, all in the same person.
Each of these roles is informed by our experiences and interactions with other people. Over time, certain roles become more or less meaningful to us as we internalize these experiences, and that meaning is what drives our sense of identity. The families we are born into, the schools we attend, the places we work, the friends we choose, our affinities and affiliations all help us to form our identity. And we express our identity in different ways: The clothing we wear, the symbols we display, slogans, the groups we affiliate with, the activities we pursue, and of course, the brands we consume. Expressing our identity is important because it signals to other people who we are and forms the basis of creating social relationships.
But online we can choose how we are represented. Like the famous Peter Steiner cartoon said, “on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” The cartoon is a great example of the truth that in the digital world, we can carefully curate and even create how we appear to others. I think this concept of choosing one’s identity has bled into the real world. This fluidity in how we create our identity has given rise to phrases like “I identify as...” And because we curate and edit many of our online profiles, they often reflect an image of ourselves that we want to project, which is not necessarily who we really are. Yet the decisions we make about who to hire, who to date, who to endorse, what brands to consume, and who to trust are driven in large part by what's in these online profiles.
Once, you would be able to know a person because you had direct, face to face interactions with them. When we know people IRL, we can get to know their multiple identities. We can know that our next door neighbor is an accountant, and a scoutmaster, and a saxophone player in a jazz band, and a Civil War re-enacter. But as more and more of our interactions with people are mediated by digital platforms, our sense of identity is fragmenting too. We can only know people online by the profile information we are exposed to. Our identity becomes the sum total of how we describe ourselves and the aggregated content we generate online. Our Facebook feeds, our Tinder profiles, our credit scores, our payment histories, and our algorithmic preferences represent us.
Should we be regarding them as an accurate reflection of who we are?
Philosophers Hans-Georg. Moeller and Paul D' Ambrosio explore this concept in their book You and Your Profile: Identity After Authenticity. They argue that the traditional notions of a deep, authentic self are being replaced by what they call "the relational self." This new form of self-concept is defined not by inner truth or authenticity, but by the digital profiles and accounts we create across various digital platforms, especially social media. But as more and more of our lives are mediated by digital experiences, it is not us, but our profiles--our accounts that express our identity. And it's having profound effects on how we communicate and relate to one another. Just some of these key changes include:
An emphasis on performance over authenticity: Individuals are more likely to engage in behaviors that are performative, crafting their actions and presentations to fit the expectations and norms of their online audiences rather than expressing an "authentic" self.
Constant self-monitoring: There is an increased tendency to monitor and regulate one's own behavior constantly, considering how it will be perceived online. This self-monitoring extends to the anticipation of how others will view and interact with one's digital persona.
Adaptation to feedback: People often adapt their behavior based on the feedback they receive from their online interactions, such as likes, comments, and shares. This feedback loop can lead to altering one’s behavior to garner more approval or avoid disapproval.
Fragmentation of identity: Individuals may present different versions of themselves on various platforms, leading to a more fragmented sense of identity. Each platform may encourage different aspects of personality, which can be curated separately.
Increased anxiety and self-consciousness: The pressure to maintain favorable online profiles can lead to increased anxiety and self-consciousness, as individuals worry about maintaining their social standing and appearance in digital spaces.
A shift in value systems: There might be a shift in personal value systems where the metrics of success and self-worth are increasingly defined by visibility, popularity, and other forms of online social validation.
Moeller and D’Ambrosio point out that these changes aren't merely masks or representations, but they have become integral for our social relationships. It is not whether it’s good or bad, it just is. Digital platforms do connect us, instruct us inform us and entertain us. But we can be more thoughtful and deliberate about how the Great Online Migration will affect and change us as social animals.
As we normalize digital living, we will no doubt need new tools to understand and navigate our lives, our institutions and our relationships, if we are to preserve our independence. We'll also need dialogue, debate and deliberation about how much of ourselves to invest online. But every one of us should start by looking at our online personas and asking ourselves, "how much of this is really me?"
Stay thoughtful.