Digital Identity – Blog #1

What is a digital identity? How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?

Whenever you like a post, comment on a video, or share a thought online, you are building your digital identity. As Eric Stoller says, “digital identity is your presence online.” I like to think of it as a window into who I am, but that can’t always be the case. Social media has made it easy to portray yourself in any way you would like, even if it does not fully reflect who you are. A digital identity can lead people to make assumptions about your attributes, beliefs, motives, values, and experiences based on what you share online (Jawed et al., 2019). This makes me wonder how much control we actually have over our digital identity when people can interpret what we post in ways we did not intend.

Not everyone has the same opportunity to create a digital identity (Davos, 2019), so it is important that we recognize these differences and work to remove the barriers that can prevent people from participating online. But why is creating a digital identity so important? Digital identity is not just about social media. It can also mean creating an account with a bank, representing your company online, applying for jobs, or even applying for scholarships (Benefits of Using Digital Identity Services, 2024). Having a digital identity can help people show that they are credible online.

A person can have multiple digital identities depending on what communities they are part of (Digital Identity: The Ultimate Guide 2024, 2026). Someone can have a different identity on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. On Instagram, someone might share their day-to-day activities, what memes they are currently laughing at, or their opinions on touchy subjects. But the same person could be on LinkedIn showing a new project they are working on, certificates they earned, or a new job position. I think this is something I do myself. The way I present myself as a student or when applying for jobs is different from how I present myself on more personal platforms. That does not necessarily mean one version of me is more real than the other. They just show different parts of who I am depending on the community I am interacting with.

These different identities can converge when people from different parts of your life can see or find these different sides of you online. For example, an employer could find your account on Reddit, even though that account was meant for a completely different audience. The employer might take something out of context and form an opinion about you based on that one post (Stoller, 2016). It is harder to keep your professional and personal identities separate when they can overlap online. At the same time, having these identities intertwine can also connect you to more communities. Having social media catered to different audiences can give you the opportunity to connect with all kinds of people. It can also show that you are more than just your professional life and give people a more complete idea of who you are.

At the end of the day, I think it is important to be cautious about what you post online because you cannot always control who will eventually see it or how they will interpret it.

References

Benefits of using digital identity services. (2024, June 27). New Zealand Digital Government. https://www.digital.govt.nz/standards-and-guidance/identity/digital-identity/benefits-of-using-digital-identity-services

Digital identity: The ultimate guide 2024. (2026, July 31). Www.Dock.Io. https://www.dock.io/post/digital-identity

Mahboob, U., Jawed, S., & Yasmeen, R. (2019). Digital professional identity: Dear internet! Who am I? Education for Health, 32(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.4103/efh.efh_232_17

University of Derby. (2016, November 25). Eric Stoller – what is digital identity? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0

World Economic Forum. (2019, February 5). Davos 2019 – press conference the value of digital identity for the Global Economy and Society [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7lyxrOmw