Managing our personal identities online can be complex and often confusing. Adjei et al’s. (2020) study on digital identity management outlined how managing our personal identities involved a balancing act between sharing and privacy. The study highlighted discrepancies between peoples claimed privacy concerns and actual behaviour on social media. Personally, I often feel I’m walking a tight rope when making decisions on what to share. I feel I air on the side of caution when sharing personal details online but yet have had my credit card hacked multiple times. It’s true we are constantly assessing the risks and trustworthiness of online sites and managing the many influences the digital landscape exposes us to (Adjei et al, 2020) but, what we think and our actions do not always line up. We need to be mindful of our digital footprint and use security settings with caution (Adjei et al., 2020).

Brandtzaeg & Chaparro-Domínguez’s (2020) research on understanding identity transition in social media brought to light a number of important points. Social media users have their lives displayed for the world to see and this brings a number of challenges including how they manage personal information from younger years, where they experimented, and develop this into a professional identity. We all made mistakes when we were younger, but should we be judged for something that happened more than 5 years ago by a prospective employer? Should we have to censor what we post about our personal lives because it may impact our professional lives? The shift from youth to professional has led some individuals to face challenges and feel trapped by their digital persona on social media (Brandtzaeg & Chaparro-Domínguez, 2020). Feher (2019) states when creating an online image, it is vital to actively manage and control the information we share to portray ourselves in the way we envisioned.

The way we are perceived is one thing, but protecting our personal data is another. Personal data protection should be a priority and we must actively manage and control the information we share (Feher, 2019). With the evolving digital landscape, the way we interact and manage our online presences must also evolve (Feher, 2019) and education and awareness are imperative. It is important for individuals to maintain vigilance when it comes to their digital identity. Transparency should be priority when it comes to personal data and organisations must be proactive and ensure people are educated and empowered with knowledge on data protection.

References

Adjei, J. K., Adams, S., Mensah, I. K., Tobbin, P. E., & Odei-Appiah, S. (2020). Digital identity management on social media: Exploring the factors that influence personal information disclosure on social media. Sustainability, 12(23), 9994. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/23/9994

Brandtzaeg, P. B., & Chaparro-Domínguez, M.-Á. (2020). From youthful experimentation to professional identity: Understanding identity transitions in social media. Young, 28(2), 157-174.

Feher, K. (2019). Digital identity and the online self: Footprint strategies – An exploratory and comparative research study. Journal of Information Science, 47(2), 192-205. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551519879702