I have realised that the evolution of my online identity reflects the constantly growing maturity present within my own offline identity. Indeed, attempting to distinguish between various online identities presented across differing electronic platforms and my own offline identity is itself likely to be a logical fallacy. It would be perhaps more accurate to state that each distinct online persona presented across time simply reflects an element of my own evolving identity, and that there is no clear and discernible divide between what is ‘online’ and what is ‘offline’. Such a viewpoint finds much in common with Poletti and Rak’s assertions that ‘sites and software of digital media provide occasions for young people to narrate moments in coming of age’(Poletti and Rak 2014:70).
"Growth of Self (2021)" by Blain Canning on Canva
If I were to apply this to myself within a purely political perspective, I presume another person would be more than able to identify and detect the evolution of my political beliefs expressed online, with much of this growth being the result of exposure to new ideas discovered offline. Such a perspective echoes Poletti and Rak’s viewpoint that there exists a complicated link between online spaces and activities which occur in the ‘outernet’ (Poletti and Rak 2014:70). In this sense, the sense of identity presented online can be viewed as a true representation of my ‘self’, a representation whose identity has changed evolved overtime in response to changes and growth in my offline identity. Indeed, the notion of a ‘static’ identity within both the online and offline space which is fixed and does not respond to change is likely to be an inherently flawed perspective (Cover 2014:55). Such a viewpoint finding much credence upon consideration of recent studies which indicate that personifications of online and identity behaviour are manifestations of a person’s own conceptualisation of their own self and identity (Qin and Lowe 2021:81-82).
Such a perspective gains particular credence when applied to the evolution of my own political identity over the course of the past two decades. Where at first I merely concerned myself with addressing the moral considerations created as a result of societal inequality within apartheid South Africa during the 90s, over the course of time as a result of greater exposure to numerous texts, I have now begun to realise that societal reform itself is a necessity if we are to address the challenges of the 21st century.
"Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)"by Lawrence OP is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Such an evolution of thought is not the result of some miraculous leap of logic, but instead incorporates numerous elements from previously held distinct subject positions which have coalesced into my current perspective on how best to address societal inequality (Poletti and Rak 2014:71-72). This evolution of online identity is reinforced to recent findings indicating that such changes in presentation of identity online are unavoidable and impossible to prevent, with such changes being primarily the result of changes occurring within an individual’s offline identity (Qin and Lowe 2021:81-82). Indeed, it would also be a logical fallacy to assume my current understanding is an end product. It would be far more accurate to presume that my current understanding is itself a temporary one which will no doubt be incorporated yet again into a new perspective which will be in turn expressed online in a future blog (Poletti and Rak 2014:90).
"Human Evolution"by acidpix is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Although impossible to predict, I daresay my future perspective will utilise much of my current learning at Deakin University, particularly that of encouraging and implementing creativity as a tool capable of addressing the challenges of the future. Such a perspective shares much in common with David Gauntlett’s assertions that the very notion of creativity assumes political importance since we as a species will need to become far more creative as a collective society if we are to devise novel solutions to the problems facing our planet in the 21st century, particularly that of climate change (Gauntlett 2018:29). And although my perspective has undoubtedly been influenced by Gauntlett’s own contributions, thus confirming Poletti and Rak’s postulations regarding the influence of the ‘outernet’ upon the presentation of online identity, I do also significantly differ from Gauntlett in that my own online identity, at this moment in time at least, prefers to emphasise upon the role of societal inequality in hindering the collective creative potential of our species. Indeed, this differing focus of my online identity itself likely reflects my ‘outernet’ delving into the writings of the noted French economist Thomas Piktty.
And whilst it may be convenient within certain circles to attempt to clearly delineate and distinguish between the online and offline facets of human individuality, such a perspective may ultimately be a product of reasoning rooted in a bygone era soon to be eclipsed. Indeed, it likely shares much in common with previous notions asserting that the exploration of the digital frontier will bring about either a future digital dystopia or utopian paradise. Whilst entirely possible, both perspectives may be flawed in the sense that they are grounded within an understanding reached within a preceding age which does not entirely or accurately account for how the digital world has actually evolved in tandem with those who navigate it.
Until next time. Regards.
Reference list
Cover R (2014) ‘Becoming and belonging; performativity, subjectivity, and the cultural purposes of social networking’, in Poletti A and Rak J (eds) Identity technologies; constructing the self online, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, pp. 55-69.
Gauntlett D (2018) Making is connecting: the social power of creativity, from craft and knitting to digital everything, 2nd ed, Polity Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Qin Y and Lowe J (2021) ‘Is your online identity different from your offline identity? – a study on the collect students’ online identities in China’, Cultural & Psychology, 27(1):67-95, accessed 28 November 2021.
Smith S and Watson J (2014) ‘Virtually me; a toolbox about online self-presentation’, in Poletti A and Rak J (eds) Identity technologies; constructing the self online, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, pp. 70-95.
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