Month: January 2023

What is a digital identity?

According to Eric Stroller, a social media expert, digital identity is one’s presence online, their digital footprint. The concept of digital identity encompasses how individuals post, interact and use digital tools. The majority of people today, especially those who use social media, have some kind of digital identity. With social media, you leave a digital footprint which can be searched and gradually build up your social identity as you post more frequently or interact with online communities.

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

Personal versus professional approaches to digital identity and how it affects social media use differ greatly but also have points where they converge. For instance, if someone were to have a personal social media account where they have only friends and family added, they would most likely feel more comfortable with sharing many aspects of their life that they would not share on their professional account. While if they were on their professional account, they would like to develop a good professional image of themselves for when an employer or coworker was to look them up and connect with them. The issue lies when an employer or coworker was to search them up and view their personal social media account which they did not intend to share. This can lead may lead to the employer or coworker having a potentially negative impression of the individual based on their personal account. In my opinion, it is important to maintain a positive image on both personal and professional social media accounts.

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

Digital identities converge in networked publics with social media. Social media is a great way to build your digital identity and enables fast and easy communication channels with your friends, family, and coworkers. An impact of this would be that since your information is out on the world wide web, you may have posts that you would not want employers to see. Even if you try to delete a post as you deemed it to be inappropriate or immature but made in your adolescence, that post may be deleted on the website but could be still floating around on the web without you knowing. It is hard to bury your digital footprint which can potentially lead to negative impacts when networking. On the other hand, having a social media presence can allow potential employers to see your portfolio, what hobbies you may have, and generally what type of person you are. This could open up employment and networking opportunities as people want to connect with someone that they would enjoy working with.

Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?

The prevalence of digital wallets has increased over the years, with many people using digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. I think that a digital wallet does provide trust in networked publics, with many banks providing compatibility with digital wallets. Personally, for the past 3 years, I have mainly only used Apple pay for all my day-to-day transactions. Just by double tapping the power button, I can access my credit and debit cards that are linked to my digital wallet and use Face ID as a security method. Since mobile phones are practically always with us, it allows for a more convenient way to pay for items and also from my experience, tap-to-pay technology on my phone works better than my cards and provides haptic feedback for when a transaction goes through.

References

Stroller, Eric. “Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity?.” Youtube, uploaded by
University of Derby, 25 November 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0&ab_channel=UniversityofDerby; (0:00-0:21)

What does it mean to network using social media?

Networking using social media is about building connections with people who share similar interests, beliefs, and backgrounds virtually using social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The ability to network has never been easier, you are able to connect with people across the world and build personal or professional relationships without meeting the individual in person. These social media platforms have allowed their users to share information about themselves for other users to quickly search and find them based on their job, location, interests, or mutual friends. Networking through social media is crucial in today’s job market as it opens the individual up to many job opportunities that they would otherwise not have known. In particular, sites such as LinkedIn, which target users seeking professional connections, allow users to quickly search workplaces and find out who worked there. This allows the user to quickly find a mutual connection to an employee at the workplace and form a connection with them. These connections can then be used to help them in the hiring process of the company, whether it be through personal references or referrals. For instance, with Microsoft, I have had experiences where friends would offer referrals to other each other which would guarantee them an interview with Microsoft. By doing this, not only the referral but also the referee gained benefits from the company. Microsoft incentivizes employees to offer referrals for new employees, illustrating the importance of having and building connections.

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

Due to the constant developments in technology and the adoption of new ones, the world is becoming more and more networked, and traditional physical networking is becoming obsolete. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, many companies switched from working entirely in-person to working online. As a result, networking is largely conducted online and shows that working and networking can be effectively accomplished. Many companies offer online remote or hybrid positions, even after the pandemic has ended, and it is important to engage in networked public participation or it may be difficult to build and maintain relationships through in-person physical means alone. When I worked at the Ministry of Health as a Co-op student, several of my colleagues worked from home primarily, but they were still able to attend networking events because the Ministry made these events hybrid, allowing employees who worked from home to network with other employees.

What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

Privacy and information security are some risks associated with public communications. While it may be convenient to have your personal information online for friends and family to find you, it is just as easy for a stranger to find information about you, which can lead to scams or identity theft. Another issue concerns the tracking of your activity by large social media companies and the sale of your information to third parties. The goal is to formulate advertisements that target you without your knowledge. The possibility of selling or sharing personal information about users without their consent or knowledge is concerning. On the contrary, one of the benefits of public communication would be convenient access to information about friends and family. Nowadays, almost everyone has access to the internet, making it easy to stay in touch with loved ones. This can be accomplished through text messages, voice calls, or video calls. People can communicate effortlessly. Social media sites such as Instagram or Facebook allow people to create posts and share their experiences with their friends or followers. This keeps everyone in a ‘loop’ of knowing what each other is up to without having to actively talk to them.

Hi everyone! I am Thomas Nguyen and am in my third year of the Health Information Science and Computer Science combined program. I was born and raised on Vancouver Island in Nanaimo and moved to Victoria two years ago! One of my more interesting hobbies is building custom mechanical keyboards. During the pandemic, I picked up the hobby and have built many custom keyboards since then. Other than that, I have been trying to get into music production but am still an absolute rookie at it. If you ever feel interested in any of my hobbies or just want to connect, feel free to reach out to me!