Our Virtual Selves

A writing assignment in one of my classes brought up an interesting topic this week. The concept of shaping your "digital identity" is an idea that has become not just the the norm of our society, but almost a necessity to effectively be in communication with the rest of the world. However, this new way of keeping in touch is not the most honest form of socialization. If you have a Facebook, online dating profile, or you're a gamer, you have already created your own digital self. Just how much that self resembles who you are in real life is up to you, the person behind the profile. These avatars we create could represent us as who we really are or as the complete opposite, such as the college professor at Seoul University in South Korea who, in the online gaming world, personifies himself as a little girl. Michelle Jana Chan explains this particular case as well as others in her essay, "Identity in the Virtual World." Although that professor is an extreme example of masking ourselves behind our computers, we can experience subtle falsities as well. Sure, some one might be brave enough to "poke" you on Facebook, but would they ever have the courage to ask you out face-to-face? When it's a virtual reality you're living in, everything about yourself, your actions, and emotions can be handpicked, "Some would argue that virtual identity is a truer reflection of self than someone's image in the real world," writes Chan. So how does this affect our real life social skills?  Morphing into these online avatars can be an escape but it can also be a trap. We can not fully understand one another if we have various identities on and offline. Researching this topic has inspired me to snap into reality and get to know those around me, not from my news feed, not from their Twitter, but from the individual's personality in real life.