Digital Individuals or Digital Accounts?
If you posted a picture showing off a cute outfit on Instagram, and it got 15 likes, would you consider that a lot? Now say 15 people were to compliment you in real life about your outfit, would that be a lot? Maybe my fashion sense just isn’t that good, but I’d consider anything more than one compliment plenty.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been taking the Digital Society course unit. I learnt about many topics that piqued my interest but I would like to focus on one in particular in this article: Individuals, Identity and Ethics. Through these three categories, let’s evaluate the implications of life in a digital society.
Individuals
As the earlier example made clear, online validation is not the same as our in-person ones. Could this be because we view our online interactions as merely “likes” from other accounts, and not compliments or appreciation?
Do we think “15 people like my outfit!” , or do we think “I have 15 likes”? This is just one example of the distinction between face-to-face and online interactions, which is what I would like to focus on through this article. Not only are others seen less as humans and more as simply accounts, we also may also separate ourselves from our online selves- this will be discussed more in the later two topics.
Another separation between individuals and their online selves is from the corporate point of view. Every website and app we use, we find ourselves with cookies, and not the tasty type either. We are constantly being tracked online, and the internet keeps records of our digital footprint. In fact, it makes money out of it. As mentioned in my previous article, the consequences of our data falling into the hands of companies can be dire, like the 2016 USA election or Brexit. Zuboff, through her explanation of surveillance capitalism, also highlights the dangers of having our data become the product. In an age where information and data are the most valuable resources, how safe are we from the greed of powerful firms? Will firms soon be able to charge us different prices for goods? Can companies discriminate online?
Then again, I cannot deny the effectiveness Facebook’s ad algorithms have had in helping me find exactly what I need, though suggesting them before I had even voiced my thoughts out loud is a little creepy. The issue is that our data is a part of us, and can even define us. It is like we are selling a part of ourselves without knowing how it will be used. Yes, Europe has GDPR and other laws set in place now, but with data misuse and leaks becoming an everyday occurrence, it’s difficult to vouch for their effectiveness.
“If you are not paying, you are the product.”
Ethics
One word: Anonymity.
When people can hide their identity online, it can show us the worst of humanity. The video below provides a great explanation of some of the factors that cause us to be unkind online.
Don’t get me wrong, it can be a safe space for many. For an LGBTQ person in the closet, it is more than just an online account, it’s sometimes the only place they can be themselves. With that being said, it also provides a platform for hate and bullying. The attack on the capitol by the far-right for example; it wasn’t just a spur of the moment thing, it was a group that had organised themselves online.
You can find a group for almost anything online. That’s mainly good; the Kpop side of Twitter, BookTok (the book side of TikTok), and many other areas that cater to niche interests or introduce you to new ones are great, even if they’re about “pimple popping”. It’s lovely that there’s something out there for everyone, but a giving a platform for Neo-Nazis is far from ideal.
With people being able to express their opinions without anyone knowing who they are, hateful comments and trolling have become common occurrences. 47% of American adults have experienced some form of harassment online. It doesn’t just stop at the harassment however, cyberbullying can lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and even suicide.
Identity
If you compared my finsta account to my LinkedIn account, you would think they were two different people, and I don’t think I’m the only one. It is a lot more easy to only show people what they want to see online as opposed to in real life.
Here’s some digital platforms, all catering to different needs and wants:
- Instagram — “ a free photo and video sharing app”
- Facebook — “allows users to connect with friends, colleagues and strangers online”
- Twitter — “a service to communicate and stay connected through a quick, frequent exchange of messages”
- LinkedIn — “a professional network to connect and strengthen professional relationships, and learn new skills you need to succeed in your new career”
- Spotify — “a digital music, podcast, and video service that gives you access to millions of songs and other content from creators all over the world”
- Tinder — “an online dating app famous for its swipe and match feature that offers paid subscriptions”
The poll above is simply food for thought. If you feel “yourself” the most on a specific platform, who are you, and why do you feel you cannot be yourself on the others?
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, I like how we can limit the parts of ourselves that people see, but at the same time, it can create this “perfect” image of ourselves. On Instagram for example, we are bombarded with stories and posts of everyone eating fancy cuisine and going on holidays, but it doesn’t show the struggles they face. We can be led to believe that we, or our lifestyle, aren’t “good enough”. The pressure to look “perfect” can be draining, and I do not think it is a coincidence that Instagram recorded one of the highest rates of mental health issues among users.
A Reflection on The Course
This was by far one of my favourite course units. Both the structure of how the course unit was set out, as well as the relevance of the material I learnt through every single week have left me very content. Previous to my time in this course, I did not really consider what it truly meant to live in a digital society; not for myself, and not for what this meant for the future. Especially after the pandemic, through which I observed businesses, schools, and society in general shift to digital platforms at a rapid speed, I was able to truly appreciate just how much of an impact digitalisation has had in this world.
Learning about the history of the internet especially intrigued me; while I had previously thought of how times were before the internet, and compared them to my life currently with internet access, I did not ever consider how society operated throughout the years in which the internet and technology were slowly developing. From providing news updates and definitions to becoming the necessity it now is, I learnt about a part of the past that I had never really read or thought of before.
The course unit also introduced me to current developments in the world. Was anyone else aware of smart cities? I have a new aim in life and it is to find myself in one of these self-contained cities. To learn about interesting current events like this made my time studying the course unit that much better.
I also appreciated how much we were allowed to input into discussions for each course units; from polls to simply stating opinions, it made the course much more engaging than just reading and doing coursework, and also added to my understanding of topics as I read through others’ opinions and thoughts on various topics that I may not have previously considered.
I believe this final article to be a fair evaluation of how I have found this course. Although many of the topics significantly impacted the way in which I view digitalisation, I feel that this topic in particular had the greatest impact on me. After this topic, I deeply reflected my current presence online, and what this meant for me and others. It has changed the way in which I look at many social platforms, as well as how often I use digital appliances. Through this blog, you can also see how my skills have developed. From communication skills to how I research for a topic, the course has enabled me to develop both professionally and personally.
I loved how the course unit was set up, with weakly online to-do lists and drop-in sessions for questions, but if I were to give any constructive feedback, it would be to have at least one session that was not online or taught through zoom. Although the course itself was great, I did not meet anyone taking the unit so I didn’t have the social aspect that I get in other course units. Other than that, I do think that the layout for digital society is the future of higher education.
