Self and identity: raising undergraduate students' awareness on their digital footprints

Identifier:  imarina:9383997

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9383997

Authors:  Camacho, Mar; Minelli, Janaina; Grosseck, Gabriela

Abstract:
It is well known the important role that technologies have as mediators of identities. Taking as departing point the assumption that 'digital identity' refers to the aspect of digital technology that is concerned with the relation between people's experience of their own identity and the identity as shaped by others in the cyberspace, the main aim of this paper is to explore the implications that underlie in the perception of student's digital identity in a higher education context. As it focuses attention on critical questions about personal development and social relationships, knowing about the way in which identity is shaped will lead us to a better understanding of the nature of our students' social and cultural experiences. The paper aims at highlighting the need of SNS-related research which is still at an emerging point, at the time it tackles from an epistemological perspective issues such as identity construction, impression management, friendship, network structure and privacy awareness. Though any undergraduate students can be considered digitally competent, as they have become comfortable with the idea of authoring and posting content online, it is still relevant to make them aware of the responsibility they have at the same time that they receive proper guidance in the way in which they contribute voluntarily to the public or semi-public corners of the Web. Since digital identity poses attention on critical questions about personal development, social relationships and lifelong learning, the results of this research provide both quantitative and qualitative data which evidence how students shape and also perceive their identity. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu