The paradox of social media; protecting information

In my last blog I have already discussed  that social media allows people to tell the right things about themselves and leaving other information out to make a good impression on the people who view their profile. This can influence the way people think about them and talk about them, also called social identity. However,  online social identity is not just based on the information user place on their social network profiles, but also on a number of aspects where one has little influence on, for instance messages or pictures other people place on your profile and even the kind of people you have in your friend list. In addition to this it is also possible that there is some information you want to share through online network sites, but not with everybody. It is actually kind of ironic this paradox of social media: people create an online network profile to share information with the rest of the world but also try so hard to protect that same information.

Still, it is possible to protect our privacy on social network platforms. Most of the social network sites allow their users to change several privacy settings so they can decide by themselves what information they want to share and which part of this information is public and which is not. Especially Facebook has many options when it comes to privacy and  they also simplified their privacy settings in 2010 to make it easier to shield personal information. However, a lot of users still do not know that it is possible to shield information or how to do this. Do you know how much of your information is public? It is very easy to check this:

·         Click on the Account link  in the right corner of your Facebook page

·         Open Privacy settings and click on Profile information.

·         Click on Preview my profile

By following these steps you can see at one glance which information on you profile is public and which information is only visible for your friends and change these settings if you want to. In addition to ‘choose’ how to share your information you can also  edit your list with blocked persons and applications and  edit your setting for the use of games and websites. For more information about Facebook and privacy, check their privacy guide : http://www.facebook.com/#!/privacy/explanation.php

Despite the fact that users of social net worksites can control their privacy to some extent, it can happen that you or someone else (accidently) place information on the site you did not intent to share. In general these platforms cannot be held liable for this, because they are developed to share information with all people over the world and when you create a certain profile and agree to accept the user terms,  you automatically give permission to make all the information you place public. To avoid awkward situations caused be social media, it is therefore important that users are aware of privacy risks and that they thoroughly consider what information they post on their own profiles and also on others' profiles.

Are you one or are you two?

In kinder garden we already learn that 1+1= 2. Obviously, this is arithmetically correct, but there are also a few exceptions to this ‘formula’. For instance in the area of chemistry; when you mix two liquid substances with each other, you still end up with one substance and not two. The romantic people among us will say that love is also one of the exceptions, that two lover become one. I say that there is also an important exception that has to do with social media. In the world of social media, sometimes 1+1=1 and sometimes  1+1=2.  For those who are losing track now, I am talking about humans and their online identity and identity online. In some cases the online identity of individuals is the same as their offline identity, but often people present themselves in a more positive way online than they really are. In addition there are also people who have a completely different identity online than in ‘real’ life.

So we are talking about online identity, but what is identity exactly? There can be a distinction made in two forms of identity, namely personal identity and social identity. Personal identity is the way we see ourselves and the things we tell someone else about ourselves. Social identity is the way other people see us and the things they tell about us to other people. This post focus on the personal identity of people. The reason that the online identity of people often (slightly) differ from their offline identity is simply because the internet and social networks are very suitable for this. By telling the right information and leaving other information out we can change ourselves into the person we want to be, into our true selves and maybe even into our ideal selves.  Social networks allows people to think about their identity, and change ourselves online to who we want to be can also transform the way we think about ourselves and in the end even can change  our offline identity. So, an optimize self-presentation online doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. It can serve as a way to gain more self-knowledge and as a possibility to improve your personality.

In addition to people who optimize their self-presentation online, there are also people who have one or more completely different identities on the internet.  This we call ‘ identity online’. Experimenting with identity happens mainly online, because it is more easy to give yourself another look and it is much more anonymous than offline experimenting.  Therefore Identity experimenting also takes particularly place in anonymous CMC’s as MUD’s and MMORGH’s, like Second life and World of Warcraft. Motives for experimenting with identity are often very innocent, like curiosity or  recreation (games). For others it can be a way to escape the real world, to be who they want to be or to avoid harassments The experimenting with identity has less and more extreme forms. A less extreme form is for example that when you want to play 'World of War craft' you have to choose a fairy figure like a dwarf or an elf, which you can make look like yourself. In that case you still stay close to your own identity. But there are also other people who act completely different online, for example by gender swapping. I think there is nothing wrong with experimenting with your identity, but it is important not to lose yourself into it. After all, our identity offline is still the identity we have to live with for the rest of our lives, even when we are too old to use the internet.

Why social media is more than just fun

Welcome (back),

First of all, I am sorry that it took me so long to post this second blog. Because of several circumstances I just couldn’t find the time to start writing earlier, but from now on I will make sure that I place a blog post more frequently.  Secondly, I have decided to change the overall subject of my blog a little bit. It will still be about the content of my education, but I will focus on Social Media. Most of you probably see social media as a fun way to stay in contact with your friends, meet new friends, or share all your interesting and also uninteresting thoughts and pursuits with everyone who likes to know. Off course this is true, but when you look at social media through the eyes of a researcher, it suddenly becomes so much more than that. Over the last years many research on social media is done and the number of studies concerning this subject is still growing.  This also means that there is always something to write and think about. For instance, have you ever thought about the impact of your behavior on social network communities on your identity and reputation? Different parts of your profile page can contribute to your social identity( the way people see you): the information you place about yourself, your pictures, messages from others, your friends etc.  Off course, it is obvious that placing a drunk picture on you profile isn’t the smartest thing to do, but even posting a picture of your child as your own profile photo can influence the way people think about you. Peoples ‘online’ reputation become more and more important now a days. For example,  the number of employers that screen candidates online, and even reject candidates based on information they obtained online, is growing.

Another well discussed subject in social media, is the way people form relationships online. Does this depend on your personality or the way you interact with others in ‘real’ life? There are many different theories in this area, all well-founded but also contradictory to each other. In addition to this, there are also people who believe that social media network sites are not suitable at all for friendship maintenance. Originally, these network sites were not even developed for social purposes, but for business use. In addition to social network sites, there are also other forms of social media worth discussing, for example online games. 

Now you have a better view on the kind of subjects I would like to discuss the following weeks, I hope that you've become more interested in social media. If you already want to read more basic information about it, you can check the following site: www.social-media.nl. It provides more information about what social media is and which categories of social media can be distinguished. Have fun with it!