Identity Dilemma for the Perpetually Online

One of the reasons I wanted to be one of the content leaders for this week is because digital identity is such a broad topic. I spent the first few days of my research just trying to figure out which aspect I wanted to focus on. One of the first videos I came across was by the World Economic Forum who were diving into the concept of Identity in a Digital World. Just after the 5-minute mark the main speaker asks the audience “When you hear the term digital identity what comes to mind?”. Just like what can happen in a classroom, the crowd had no response, so she quickly pivoted to listing off the common things that come to mind. First were things like usernames and passwords that allow you to access the web. Second was digital footprint with things like social media or online purchases that we make. And third was the concept of a national digital identity system, which was intriguing. Apparently one of the UN’s sustainable development goals is to provide legal identity for all which is important because there are still one billion people around the world who do not have legal identity. Now, well that did catch my eye it wasn’t the aspect I saw myself covering.

Instead, I continued my search. And after going through plenty of videos and articles that just weren’t quite what I was looking for I found this TED talk by high-schoolers Kareena and Emma. The two of them covered the current state of identity for teens which is different because of heavy social media use. Unlike previous generations who watched social media slowly develop, the newer generations have had their whole lives on social media. They’re online before they even have a way to access it themselves. Parents will post first steps, first day of school, even pictures of sonograms from before they’re born. Kids today learn at an early age what social media is, and if somehow their parents aren’t living online, they’ll definitely learn about it from friends at school.

With everyone online nowadays Kareena and Emma discussed how difficult it is to form your own unique identity. As we all know everything we view on social media has this sort of glossy filter on it. We’re only seeing the best parts of our friends’ lives, or the best parts of online groups. As such we reflect on our own ways of living and can often get jealous and wishful for change. Kareena described her love for the Harry Potter franchise and how she always identified with Gryffindor (The “good” kids) qualities such as leadership and loyalty, but due to a rise in Slytherin (The “bad” kids) related posts on TikTok she began to question her own identity, thinking she would have more fun being part of that group instead. It’s like she cast obliviate on her own self image. That one is for you my fellow Harry Potter nerds.

Now it’s completely normal to question our own identities, especially for youth who are still figuring out who they want to be. The difference is with social media kids can wind up changing their identities to match the latest trends, not because they feel it’s who they want to be, but rather it’s the person they need to be to fit in with everyone else. I can only assume that students can feel lost and without purpose when they leave school because they weren’t able to learn enough about their own passions and desires, instead they followed the path set out for them by social media.

The two also cover the idea of past self vs present self and how because of social media we can find it hard to ever really change. Our past self is always there online and so we can sometimes feel trapped to be the same person we always have been. It may not be as difficult for adults to breakaway from their past selves, for example I am not, or at least I hope I’m not the same person today as I was when I made these Facebook posts because my goodness…

That’s a scroll down memory lane I hope to never take again. But currents teens may find it difficult to break away from their past selves when it’s a smaller period of time. If they want to change, but they feel like they can’t, this can lead to identity crisis. That feeling that we’re stuck as is, even if we don’t like who we are can cause incredible amounts of confusion and I don’t know if there’s an online solution to fix that issue. There’s always going to be trends to follow, or teens will stumble onto online groups that look enticing but conflict with their sense of self. So, I think the foundation of identity has to be reinforced by parents and teachers. Always encouraging kids to be who they want to be, to try things in their own unique ways, and applauding them for being true to themselves regardless of success or failure. The online world can be a confusing place, so the least we can do is provide reassurance to them in the real one.

P.S. I do not possess the ablities from Harry Potter so all I can do is ask that you please purge the Facebook posts from 14 year old me from your memory now that you’re done reading. Thank you.