Social Media & Digital Identity
In today’s society, social media is a widespread tool for numerous knowledge and entertainment purposes. It allows us to communicate both personally and professionaly with others, creating your own identity and persona online. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are greatly used both personally and professionally creating an online identity.
Social media allows us to seek connections to people in the real world and online, from family to strangers, without in person presence. It provides limitless opportunities of connection in many different ways, from interests, relationships, and job opportunities. Social networking can be used to build a sense of community and belonging, in many different ways. Social media allows users to put on a “performance”, feeling a sense of belonging with interaction of this performance. Since social media is a constant performance and competition, there is a large impact on mental health. When people show the best version of themselves, it can lower mental health, as it lowers another’s self image, in ways such as money and body image. When the “performance” goes well, it increases dopamine, leading to a rewarding feeling, creating an addicting environment. However, social media allows connections with anyone at all times. You can also easily find information and acquire new knowledge, as well as network and meet new people.
Digital identity is the presence that one has online. This includes everything that you post, share, and engage with. Anytime your name or photo is mentioned online, such as social media accounts, schools, or the local news, it adds into your digital identity. Personal approaches are typically informal, and the audience is meant for families and friends. This is used to share content, be entertained, and stay in touch with others, focusing on socialization. Professional approaches are typically formal, and the audience is meant for employers, co-workers, and students. This is used to share career goals, look for professional opportunities, and create useful contacts professionally, such as LinkedIn connections. When you mix your digital identities together online, it creates a new identitiy. Most people have a different identity online than they do in person, causing varying behaviours. One’s social identity can also be shaped by other’s opinions, not showing their true selves in hopes of creating the identity they want. However, creating these new identities of yourself can lead to the gain of social support, as there are groups for many different interests and groups of people. It also allows those who feel “stuck” in their identity in a way to change it, and become the person they want to be.
There are many benefits to using features of social media and social networking, as well as many downsides. There are many different ways to change how you present yourself and communicate with others online, and make connections you would have not had otherwise. But when it comes to the mental health aspect, it can have downsides, and social media is all performative, and not showing struggles. Social media can be both a good and bad tool, it just depends on how one is to look at it, and its different uses.
Resources
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137405876_6
https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/social-media-good-bad-and-ugly
https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Students/MindPad/articles/v3.2-07_Wang.pdf