Blog post #2

What is a digital identity?

Social media has been a crucial median for connecting, meeting, and interacting with people. Besides socializing, social media platforms such as LinkedIn, have allowed individuals to develop their careers and gain professional experience. An identity is a collection of “qualities and beliefs, which distinguish a person or a group from other” (who am i). Since we share a lot of ourselves and our taste on social media, such as images, likes and dislikes, opinions, one can develop a digital identity which is predominantly based on the online engagement and activity an individual partakes in on the web. To further my understanding of digital identity, I discussed this matter with my PLN member and friend, Quinton. We both agreed that a digital identity develops by judging, viewing, and analyzing the content an individual shares on the internet; furthermore, this shared data portrays an image about how we are as a person, our likes and dislikes, and our beliefs, resulting in development of our digital identity. Lastly, both mine and quinton’s understanding of digital identity is inline with the definition of digital professional identity provided by Jawed et al., “professional identity which develops through internet-based social interactions” (34).

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

In my opinion, a professional digital identity is essentially a well designed, polished, and heavily edited product. Many websites as well as companies have accounts on social media and hire employees to manage their social media accounts as well as the publicity of the account. Professional digital identity is designed to wow the viewers and attract their attention. This makes social media, for a company, a great platform to gain new customers however, due to projecting a certain and specific image on yourself (in this case, the company) also depicts an inaccurate and disingenuous identity. For example, almost every company’s instagram account is filled with images of their products or statements from their customers regarding how great the company is, but not once does the brand share the negative attributes of the company or incidents of poor customer service.

Personal digital identity makes interactions on social media seem more raw, genuine, and simple. On our personal accounts, we share any desired content without trying to gather one’s attention or portray yourself in a different light. For example, I shared a lot of pictures of the activities I did during this past christmas holiday. I shared these pictures as a way to share my happiness and joy with my followers and friends. Doing so made my instagram account seem more wholesome and normal, rather than being full of advertisements and hastags associated with products, similar to professional accounts. Furthermore, many of my friends and followers reached out to me to wish my Merry Christmas or simply to engage in a conversation upon viewing my pictures. Thus, based on my experience, I can conclude that personal digital identity aids in engaging conversation and allows social media to be seen as a median for engaging with others, which is what it was originally intended to be, rather than being a platform full of accounts ran by various companies who are trying to sell a product.

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

Even though social media allows us to express ourselves and share a part of our life, the content we share on the web is linked to us, and what we share on the internet portrays an image of who we are as a person. The benefit of sharing the content of our choice on the internet is that one can engage with another person of similar interests and taste. However, the same content can portray us in the wrong light and develop a biased judgment regarding who they are as a person.

For example, I shared a meme highlight the benefits of online learning during the pandemic, on my club’s Instagram page. Many students shared their similar opinions regarding online school on the post. However, I got a message from an individual that was very rude and he emphasized how sharing a meme supporting online learning portrays me as trying to undermine the negative attributes of online learning and its negative effects on certain students. This incident highlights how sharing something on the internet brings people together but also can develop a bad digital identity. Furthermore, since social media portrays an image of who we are as a person, it is crucial to understand that sharing something private reflects on our digital identity. Also, the more people know about your private matters, the less sense of privacy you have on social media. Also, sharing certain content such as nudity or explicit material can violate social media platform’s laws which can have serious consequences such as a potential lawsuit. Thus, even though social media allows us to express ourselves, we must remain alert and conscious regarding the content we decide to publish on the web. 

Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?

Digital wallets like apple pay are becoming very popular. For the modern generation’s constant desire for convenience, digital wallets provide a fast and efficient method of conducting quick and secured transactions. However, digital wallets are kept protected through various biometric algorithms, ensuring no data or password leaks occur. However, upon conducting a transaction via a digital wallet, the personal information of the consumer is shared with the retailer (“Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”). Some retailers used third-party companies and databases to conduct a purchase transaction. Your personal information is shared with then also shared with the third party company needed for the transaction, along with the retailer (“Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”). Thus, just for one transaction via a digital wallet, your personal information is shared by 2 separate companies and your information can also be assessed by brokers and other marketers. Vast sharing of your personal information can result in the potential leak of your private info, which can have huge consequences such as theft. Furthermore, if biometric algorithms fail to protect your private information in the digital wallet, this can also lead to invasion of privacy and violation of human rights. Thus, even though digital wallets are convenient and use sophisticated algorithms, using digital wallets can still lead to a leak of private information, resulting in an invasion of privacy and violation of certain human rights.

At the end of the day, digital wallets, due to their biometrics, can provide trust to an extent ensuring a leak of your private information will not happen. However, to gain trust in networked publics, policies, measures, laws, and actions need to be taken regarding ensuring no violation of anyone’s privacy. Government can track users based on their digital wallet, which can be useful during the pandemic, ensuring no out-of-province travel is conducted, but tracing one’s step in violation of their privacy. In circumstances like these, full disclosure and transparency regarding how one’s personal, and digital data can and will be used, is extremely important in other to ensure and obtain trust and safety in networked publics.

Lastly, digital wallets can also aid in advancements of one’s protection, agency, and inclusion. For example, Canada has issued a COVID-19 app, available for download on the app store, that communicates with individuals and their cell phones in your vicinity via sending signals and binary code via Bluetooth. The app just whether the user has/had COVID-19 and begins to send signals. If an individual is/was around someone, he/she will be notified that they may be exposed to someone with COVID-19. Lastly, digital vaccine ID cards that can be stored in a digital wallet are being considered as the next step of advancing health care and merging the digital world with health care (“Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”). The digital vaccine ID card can be very useful in assessing whether an individual has received appropriate and required vaccinations, such as a booster shot of shingles or a COVID-19 vaccine. If a person is missing a certain vaccine from their vaccination ID, he/she can be contacted and included in the appropriate clinics to receive the vaccine. These two measures display how digital wallets can be used to enhance agency, inclusion, and health, and advancements in these fields during this pandemic can be very beneficial.

References

1. “Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”. Priv.Gc.Ca, 2016, https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/technology/mobile-and-digital-devices/02_05_d_68_dp/. Accessed 29 Jan 2021.
2. Jawed, Saira et al. “Digital Professional Identity: Dear Internet! Who Am I?”. Education For Health, vol 32, no. 1, 2019, p. 33. Medknow, doi:10.4103/efh.efh_232_17. Accessed 29 Jan 2021.