Identity in Social Networking

Image: Facebook

Facebook Avatars:
A person's profile picture shapes the viewer's first impression of him/her. It is a sum of a person's identity--the entire profile is represented by that one image. Therefore, users carefully craft their profiles to best represent themselves.

Users choose various ways to represent themselves in their profile picture. With a virtual identity, there are infinite ways to represent yourself.

Common uses:
- remain anonymous, either through using the standard Facebook avatar or using an image that does not contain your identity
- use yourself as a vehicle for advertising an event (making an event flyer your image)
- pet, baby, etc. (a meaningful image)
- friends/significant others you are currently with
- current interests (food, art, celebrities, etc.)

Defining Your Virtual Identity:
Facebook has created predetermined fields to define your identity in your profile.
These finite options create a rigid, singular construction of identity. This structure encourages the user to present himself in a way that is partly constructed by the application, not the user.


Creating a Virtual Identity:
Pros:
1. Users have the freedom and power to become someone they strive or want to be.
2. Users can reinvent their identity through virtual or false means.
3. Identity validation is convenient and easy. (publishing one's image in hopes of receiving instant and positive feedback)

Cons:
1. Users are confined to a rigid profile structure that forces to present themselves in a way constructed by the application.
2. Users are consumers, not individuals. They are encouraged to define themselves through commercial means (favorite books, movies, shows, celebrities, etc.) However, this is very important in marketing online, as consumers's interests are clearly defined.
3. The rigid construction of virtual identity doesn't clearly mirror reality, where people have multiple facets of their identity. However, the privacy settings allow users to show different identities to chosen audiences.
4. Lastly, social networking online increases the isolation of the individual and decreases human interaction.

Identity Validation:
User feedback is crucial to the validation of your virtual identity. Users want positive feedback on their posts, from things such as: comments, likes, wall posts, tags, gifts, etc. Instant validation becomes a form of identity testing--what is going to make users respond to the profile?


The more interaction and discussion of their profile, the better. Therefore, an interesting profile is an evolving narrative that is constantly being updated. Identity never remains static, but is constantly under construction.

Conclusion:
"Facebook has become an efficient tool in this form of identity exploration in which users actively engage in the social discourse of instant validation."
(Instant Validation: Identity Performance in Facebook)

"By thinking about avatars as subjectivities and about interfaces as stages for performance, designers will be more likely to create spaces for creative identity play."
(David Roedl: Performing Identity on Facebook)