Digital Identity — Not Just for Kids Anymore
Adolescence is a time for young people to develop their identities. Although “identity development occurs throughout one’s lifetime, adolescence is the first time that individuals begin to think about how [their] identity may affect [their] lives” (ACT for Youth).
Wängqvist & Frisén connect this to the digital world, explaining that “research on identity development needs to include online contexts to see the whole story of identity development for adolescents today” (p. 139). They note social networking services (SNS) in particular play a big role in youth identity development.
There’s quite a bit of focus on adolescents, identity development, and social networking, but what about older adults? Adolescence may be the first time we think about our identity, but it’s not the only time. Throughout our lives we cultivate our identity, maybe even re-inventing ourselves, and we struggle with the best way to show our real self to others.
It has never been more important than today, with Covid-19, for everyone — including the elderly — to be able to successfully use digital technology not just for ordering groceries, but as a means of social connection in a world where it may in fact be the only way to connect socially. One could argue that this is the most important use of digital technology, yet “we systematically overestimate the value of access to information and underestimate the value of access to each other” (Shirkey, 2011).
A global pandemic may not be the only thing to decrease our ability for face-to-face interactions. Health issues can make it more difficult to leave home, friends and family may move far away, and as people age, their social circle diminishes one by one when friends die, often resulting in the elderly being very lonely.
At every stage of our lives, we need a way to meet new people, connect with others, and express our identity; SNS can provide a space to do just that.
But just like kids, adults may need help understanding how best to share their digital identity. Both groups need help understanding digital safety, as well as the issue of permanence online - once something is posted you lose the ability to control it’s visibility and distribution. It’s also important to consider digital culture, and how something may be viewed by others, and especially by people you don’t know; the digital audience doesn’t always “assume positive intent”.
Bozkurt & Tu explain that “In addition to teaching and cognitive presences, social presence has an important role… since it provides the most basic human quality: being socially and emotionally as ‘real’” (p. 161). In this sense, we could benefit from helping people of all ages “discover and experience the many emerging possibilities [of the Internet] for networked, human connection while allowing them to safely grow and share their identities and the identities of others” (Couros, 2015).
Additional References:
Bozkurt, Aras & Tu, Chih-Hsiung, 2016. Digital identity formation: socially being real and present on digital networks. Educational media international, 53(3), pp.153–167.
Wängqvist, Maria & Frisén, Ann, 2016. Who am I Online? Understanding the Meaning of Online Contexts for Identity Development. Adolescent Research Review, 1(2), pp.139–151.
