Blog #2 Digital Identity

What is a digital identity?

Digital identity is essentially everything that you do online (Stoller, 2016). It is how you engage with other users online, what you write about, what you share, what platforms you use and anything else that is digital(Stoller, 2016).

The information gathered from your digital footprint can be digital attributes or digital activities (Loryll, 2019). Digital attributes are your date of birth, medical history, ID number, government issue ID, etc. Your digital activities are your likes, comments, photos on Facebook and Instagram, forum discussion and much more(Loryll, 2019). Many digital attributes are needed to participate in online platforms such as Facebook; when opening an account, you need to provide first and last name, birthday, the school you attended and others. This has a direct effect on the amount of personal information that is shared online. For example, during my online classes, many classmates that I have never met in person were able to find my Facebook and Instagram accounts just by knowing my name. This shows how accessible people are online, that if you have an account, created an email you have a digital identity where anyone will be able to come in contact with you.

Furthermore, our digital identity is not found in one location on the internet; Facebook owns part of your digital identity as it is where photos are posted, dates of birth are shared, and much more, your online shopping experience “owns our shopping patterns” (Christoffer, 2019). Furthermore, creating a larger digital footprint, visiting sites online, liking post allows for “custom audience” ads, this provides the advertisement to target individual who already made purchased off their website, shared email or downloaded their apps (“How Do Facebook Ads Target You?”, 2018). 

How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

To understand the difference between personal and professional digital identity affect social media. We need to know what they are; “professional identity is professional self‑concept of an individual grounded in attributes, beliefs, motives, values, and experience” while personal identity is personal interest, entertainment and information of persons social circle (Jawed et al., 2019).

In “Digital professional identity: Dear Internet! Who am I?” Jawed et al. explain that social interaction on online platforms can impact people’s futures; what someone shares and posts can either have a positive or negative effect. The goals of what a person wants from their social media network will determine personal and professional use. The way they present themselves on social media can help meet their goals (Heidi, 2015). Furthermore, you can not always control your social media; you have control over what you post, where you post it, but you don’t have power over someone reposting it, sharing your content with others, or the way the person perceived, etc. This can cause professional and personal social platforms to clash, as something someone post on their personal forum is shared and someone from their company sees it and determines that it does not meet with their companies values or beliefs can have a severe negative effect on their professional lives (Stoller, 2016). Moreover, online communication and public platforms have increased over the years, especially right now with the pandemic. During the pandemic communicating over skype, zoom, the text is vital to be kept inform whether that is for the work of friends. 

Furthermore depending if the use of social media is for personal and professional digital identity determines what platforms they use. For example, LinkedIn is a professional platform where people can connect, grow their network, and share their accomplishments. While platforms like Instagram can be used for professional and personal uses, people use Instagram as a business platform to promote their brand and reach out to consumers. In contrast, personal media shares life highlights with friends and family. 

In summary, the way a person approaches social media platforms is based on using them for social purposes or network growth. Personal use will be for entertainment, keeping in touch with people, sharing pictures of friends and family, while professional service will be sharing ideas, connecting with people who will help group your PLN, growing your business.

How do digital identities converge in networked publics, and what are the impacts and benefits?

Network publics enable people to connect through “social, cultural, and civic purposes “to communicate with people worldwide by technology (Boyd 2010). Digital identity in terms of network publics can have both positive and negative impact. The use of technology can allow a person to expand their professional digital identity and connect with someone they would never have the chance to meet in person. On the other hand, people use their personal platforms to share their opinions such as political views, these post can be shared with others through public networks which can cause online debates or problems with other users. These identities can clash; for example, when a recruiter is looking for a candidate for a position, they may come across a personal platform. And decide to hire that person based on what they post, or they can determine that this is not the person they want on their team even before meeting them. Another example is with the COVID-19 tracker. When this was announced many people were worried about privacy concerns such as tacking where people are going, keeping personal data and using a public network to store that information. Another digital identity that converges with the network public is medical history, people’s vaccination shot etc. I became aware of the medical history being online and being apart of my digital identity when I started my Co-op at Fraser Health. For safety reasons I had to fill out an online application that included all the vaccination shots that I have gotten and this profile would show what vaccination I was missing. Furthermore, I do not think that we are aware of how much of our digital identity can be found through networked public, just by filling out forms for work, posting pictures with friends etc.

Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?

I think the use of digital wallets can be trusted within network publics. The wallets’ data are encrypted and can only be accessed through authentication, whether that be a password or biometric identification (Hayes, 2019). The fact that you need authentication to use the digital wallet ensures that if you lose your phone, no one would be able to access the wallet since it is locked or hack it due to the encryption making it safer than losing your card or cash (Hayes, 2019). Furthermore, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, or PIPEDA, created rules that need to be met by the private sector that is managing personal information. “PIPEDA applies across Canada to organizations that collect, use, or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities unless provincial privacy legislation deemed substantially” (“Electronic and Digital Payments and Privacy.”, 2016) 

Although there is a potential risk of using a digital wallet, there are also risk with the use of a visa card. However, it is a personal choice of what a person feels more comfortable with. But for me, I understand that there are more safety protocols in place with digital wallets and can not be accessed with my biometric identification,  it feels more secure than a card. And I am not as scared to lose my phone as I am of my visa card.

Reference

Danah Boyd. (2010). “Social Network Sites as Networked Publics: Affordances, Dynamics, and Implications.” In Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites (ed. Zizi Papacharissi)

“Electronic and Digital Payments and Privacy.” Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 1 Sept. 2016, www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/technology/mobile-and-digital-devices/02_05_d_68_dp/.

DeNamur, Loryll. “Digital Identity: Attributes That Make Up a Digital Identity.” Jumio, 12 Nov. 2019, www.jumio.com/what-is-a-digital-identity/.

Jawed, Saira, et al. “Digital Professional Identity: Dear Internet! Who Am I?” Education for Health (Abingdon, England), vol. 32, no. 1, 2019, pp. 33–35., doi:10.4103/efh.EfH_232_17.

Stoller, Eric. “What is digital Identity.” Youtube, uploaded by University of Derby, 25 11 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0