Practices of the representation of identity in online networks (on the example of students of St. Petersburg State University)

Abstract

Наша онлайн-жизнь более не отделена от жизни «реальной», а является неотъемлемой ее частью. Развитие цифровых технологий (и онлайн-сетей, в частности) предопределило наш отказ от анонимности и желания маскировать свою реальную личность в сети. В эпоху раннего интернета, вероятно, справедливым было бы утверждение о том, что наше поведение в онлайне не сообщает многого о нас в повседневной жизни. Однако справедливо ли оно сейчас?

As the internet gained prominence in our lives, we gave up anonymity and also the desire to mask our real identity online. Indeed, online activities are no longer separable from our real lives, but an integral part of it. Prior to the digital age, our identity, style and values were mainly revealed by our material possessions. Today, many of our valuable possessions have dematerialised. Are we the same online as offline? In the early days of the internet, it was probably safe to assume that our online behaviours did not reveal much about our real-world personas. Today, although social networking sites may have provided an escapism from everyday life, it is mostly mimicking it.