Month: January 2023

What is a digital identity?

A digital identity is an agglomeration of information/data that is gathered online and, once analyzed, is supposed to provide an accurate representation of an individuals’ online presence. An individuals’ digital identity is composed of two separate components: authenticators and credentials (Seymour-Provencher, 2022). Credentials are defined as a set of attributes (i.e. name or birthdate) that are bound to an identifier (i.e. account number), whereas authenticators are something that can be used to provide proof you are who you say you are (i.e. usernames and passwords) (2022).

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

It’s no surprise that an individuals’ social media usage is heavily dependant on the way in which they approach their digital identity. With a personal approach to digital identity, an individual might be more inclined to share the same information they would with their friends. In this approach, social media usage generally consists of communicating with friends, sharing texts or images they find to have value, and other leisurely activities. On the other hand, an individual with a professional approach to digital identity will be more inclined to maintain a competent and composed appearance throughout their social media usage. Due to this, they’d generally be more aware of the content that they like, share, and post, as well as the accounts that they create, because of potential consequences that can negatively affect their brands or businesses.

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

Every individual who participates in networked publics will have some form of digital identity – whether it’s through a personal or professional approach. One significant impact of this convergence is the concerns it raises towards principals and ethics. As the use of social media continues to increase, or any form of technology for that matter, so will the precision in analyzing the data that an individual releases in the network; the more data that an individual shares will lead to a fuller picture of who that individual, or even business, is. This becomes a concern as it then becomes possible for the exploitations of user data. With that being said, there are also numerous benefits that come with the convergence of digital identities in networked publics – the obvious one being instant identity verification. This would allow for timely access to health records, bank accounts, and just about any other situation where you’d need to prove you are who you say you are.

Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?

I do think that digital wallets have the capability of providing trust within networked publics as it can serve as a tool of accountability. With that being said, it’s important to note that both policymakers and the general public should be constantly improving laws surrounding digital identity in order to protect privacy and prevent exploitations of user data.

Seymour-Provencher, H. (2022, August 15). Learning series – what is a digital identity? Digital Identity Laboratory of Canada. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.idlab.org/en/learning-series-what-is-a-digital-identity-2/

What does it mean to network using social media?

Networking using social media occurs when an individual exchanges ideas, or simply just information, to another individual through a virtual network. Assuming that both individuals in an exchange of information or ideas would have similar interests, social media allows them to network due to its ability to connect millions of other people together in the most efficient manner possible. Take LinkedIn for example, a platform where an individual can filter through and connect (in real time) with an immense database of employers or employees – all while sitting at home on their computer.

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

I believe that people are motivated to participate in networked publics due to both social and occupational reasons. From a social context, they are able to connect with countless friends at times when they couldn’t do so in-person. This provides the opportunity for relationships to form – regardless of whether or not both individuals are friends, acquaintances, or strangers. For occupational reasons, individuals are motivated to participate in networked publics simply because they have to. Whether they like it or not, as time goes on, more and more technology (such as networked publics) will be incorporated into workplace environments, and for good reasons too. Networked publics allow for real-time exchanges of information between two parties which has led to more efficiency within the workplace.

What are the risks and rewards of public communications?

Public communications can be considered a double-edged sword in it’s ability to provide both risks and rewards to participating individuals. For example, public communications’ ability to connect millions of people can be positive in that can help solve a time-sensitive problem in the matter of seconds, but can also be negative in that anything an individual posts can be seen by those very same people; leading to potentially negative comments/criticisms. Another example would be public communications’ ability to simplify tasks; anything from getting groceries to finding a job. This can have positive impacts, the obvious one being that it creates a more efficient manner of doing things, but can also have negative impacts, such as promoting poor behaviour (e.g. no longer leaving your house to go interact with individuals in-person because you’d rather connect with others in a virtual fashion).