Online identity, or we called it internet persona is a social identity that an internet user establishes in online communities and websites, and be considered as an actively constructed presentation of oneself. Some people may make their username to be anonymous, but most people are using their real name by means of pseudonyms. Internet identity can also belong to a certain group online to define who they are (Wangqvist & Frisen 2016).
The Internet also can be a place inhabited by scary people, for example, our personal details are easy to locate, our profile can be stolen, people can track our activity, etc (Guta & Karolak 2015). That is why I used my online identity as careful as I can, and I tried not to post too much of my daily activity that can be tracked by someone else, I still keep my privacy from the internet.
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| First Instagram account |
Instagram is one of my go-to social media, platforms that I used the most because I think Instagram is a platform that easy to use, a lot of features, and can be used by kids to older people. I had Instagram since I was in the primary; I get used to social media until now. Creating an online identity on my Instagram is very important because of my principle, our online profile represented our personality in real life, and the way other people look at our online profile can change their mindset about us. I post some pictures on my Instagram that represent my identity. For example, posting a photo with my friends is one of the most pictures on my Instagram because I really love capture and posting a moment where I found it precious. Second, I love to post about myself; selfies, outfit of the day, or when I go to some places. I really love to share with other people when I'm in an interesting place. It can be called my hobby because I often go to some cafes and restaurants to enjoy some quality time and capture the moment.
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| Second Instagram account |
On the other hand, I also had my second Instagram account but it is only for sharing with my inner circle or my close friends that are more private. I post a lot of Instagram stories in there to share about my thought and I also post a lot of pictures that I think it is not necessary for a lot of people to know, only my friends that can know my post. In my second account, my true personality is very shown, because I’m not afraid to express my feeling and my online identity to my close friends that I’m able to trust. As seen from the picture above, my first account has more than 1,000 followers having that number of followers doesn’t mean that all of my followers are my friends and all of them are active. Maybe my friends is just half of it and the rest is just some random people who followed me. My second account only has 90 followers, and all of them are my close friends that I’m able to trust.
Other than Instagram, I have been active on my Twitter account that I’ve been using it since 2013 when I was in primary. Back then, I was very active on social media platforms, like Instagram and Twitter. I used it very often but my online identity back then is very embarrassing and I have no idea what I’m doing with my account.
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First Twitter account
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For my first account, I used it only for having fun and I can freely speak what inside my mind. In my opinion, the use of Instagram is to share moments that must be immortalized. but for Twitter, Twitter is a very suitable place for us to posts about sadness, anger, joy, complaints, and so on. I used twitter very often to post a tweet of my thought because after posting, there is a sense of relief in myself. My first account on Twitter can be accessed by my best friends only, because too much privacy inside my account, that is why I change my account to private.
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| Second Twitter account |
On the other hand, I also had my second Twitter account for academic purposes. I have been using it from October 2020 until now. Making a Twitter account for academic purposes is quite interesting and new for me. There is a lot of benefits that I can get. First of all, I can learn new things and can connect with other people as well, and second, I can manage my online identity in this Twitter account in a professional way.
Creating an online identity in social media is quite interesting and fun for me. from year to year, I always learn new things about my identity on this online platform. Before, I really like posting things that are not important, but now I can choose what I like more, then I post it. that's what shapes my online identity
Reference List :
Guta H & Karolak M (2 January 2015) “Veiling and Blogging: Social Media as Sites of Identity Negotiation and Expression among Saudi Women”, Journal of International Women’s Studies, 16(2):115-127, accessed 4 December 2020.
Smith, S and Watson, J (2014), “Virtually Me: A Toolbox about Online SelfPresentation”, in Poletti, A and Rak, J (eds.), Identity Technologies: Constructing the Self Online, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, pp. 70-95, accessed 8 December 2020.
Wangqvist, M & Frisen, A (2016) "Defining Online Identity", Adolescent Research Revue, 1:139, DOI: 10.1007/s40894-016-0025-0.
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