Do you have an online identity?

A study abroad has claimed that there is a link between how we portray ourselves online in social media and how we are in person.

Back home, is this really the case? Or are we 'different' people in real life?

We live in an always-on environment where we are accessible all the time to friends and relatives all over the world. Messages are delivered instantly and video chats in real time are the norm.

Recently, an Australian researcher named Megan Pozzi from the Queensland University of Technology found among other things, that online 'representations' of people are as valid as how people are IRL, or, In Real Life. In order to easily identity behaviour types online, categorisations were made in this study.

Explaining this, Pozzi stated in the study, "There is a common belief that the way we portray ourselves offline is authentic, while our online identity is somehow fake, but I believe all of these different representations are equally valid. People are performing their identities all the time. Whether we realise it or not, we are broadcasting different things to the world depending on who's watching. In particular, girls use status updates like they would fashion or music to assert themselves as an authority or as belonging to certain sub-groups." So, then, what do we think about it here?

"People do wear masks online. It's very difficult to be completely yourself on such a platform. I have people who tell me that they post what they'd like to be. Some couples might post 'happy' pictures on social media to show their friends that things are going great in the relationship when it's not. And then when a couple does unfortunately break up, their peers are bound to go, 'What happened? I thought they were happy together?'," says clinical psychologist Seema Hingorrany.

When it comes to the genders, do girls post any differently from boys? Or do both behave the same way? Software consultant Vivek Ajwani seems to think so. "Many people both male and female who use social media as more than just a means to keep in touch often paint a picture of themselves as different from who they really are. The internet is a veil behind which people often become someone they always wanted to see themselves as but never really had the opportunity to be."

The problem with using the internet as a 'veil' to project a different image of ourselves is that we can be misunderstood by others. We also tend to subconsciously judge people based on what they say on social media. Social anthropologist, Dr Angad Chowdhry comments, "When I first joined social media, I felt that it was necessary to say things that would not be said in real life. It was the quickest way to differentiate oneself. It helped that most of it felt like I was shouting into a void — no one responded, so there was no understanding of the audience or consequence. Over time, I recognised that there is indeed an audience, that there is the potential of amplification and the inability to take back what is said. There is a greater respect for the medium now and I do not attempt to link it to my real life identity at all."

But Malika Hayden, a DJ who uses social media to communicate with audiences, says that the difference between how someone comes across on the web versus face-to-face can often be jarring, "Although I have never met someone in person whom I got to know through social media, but from stories I've heard from people, it can turn out to be a bit of a shock when in real life the person is nothing close to what you thought they would be."

Now that's something to think about the next time the urge for that next status update strikes you...

Types of social media posts according to the study
- Supplication (where people attempt to seem needy/self-deprecating in order to get attention)
- Exemplification (attempting to seem busy, dedicated or hardworking)
- Intimidation (attempting to seem threatening/powerful - essentially bullying)
- Ingratiation (using flattery/compliments in order to be seen as likeable)
- Self-promotion (where people point out their talents/abilities in order to be seen as skilful).
- Proclamation (where a user states what they're doing or feeling)
- Instigation (where users ask questions to start a conversation)
- Provocation (or making statements to offend or agitate others)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Social media,Personality,Online identity

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