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Social Networking Sites and the Consequences of Multiple Identities among Members of Virtual Communities Chris J. Pelzer Iowa State University
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Social Networking Sites and the Consequences of Multiple Identities among Members of Virtual Communities Social Network Sites such as Myspace and Facebook have millions of users who incorporate these sites into their daily lives, checking their profile multiple times a day. These social network sites are comprised of individuals whose social networks constitute social communities (boyd & Ellison, 2007, para.1). With this volume of users and frequency of usage among users, there are inevitable social consequences. One of the consequences habitually debated majorly among scholars, in terms of social networking sites, are the aspects of community. Among the aspects of this discussion include: the strength of virtual community “networks” (e.g. Boase, 2004; Hamburger, 2000; Raub, 1990; Sohn, 2007), real community involvement and civic disengagement (e.g. Barney, 2004; Katz, 2000; Kavanaugh, 2001) and social interactivity in virtual and real communities (e.g. Hamburger, 2000; Katz,2000; Kavanaugh, 2001; Walther, 2005). In many cases, scholars in the community aspect debate what constitutes and defines a community as much as they are debating the very aspects of virtual communities. And just as often, their conclusions are determined by their chosen definition of “community” (Barney, 2004, p. 156). One consensus, without question, is that virtual communities via social network sites are viable and sustainable in regards to financial, user growth, and longevity (Hempel and Lehman, 2005). Because today’s discussion focuses on the “community aspects,” I divert the attention to the individual that comprises the community. This, I feel, will get us closer to the personal and societal health of the virtual community. While scholars delve into the definition of “community,” I attempt to avoid “community” in totality. I approach an alternative that avoids the “community aspect”: it is not the virtual communities that are the problem, but rather the individuals that comprise the community. In
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many cases they are composed of members who have distinct real and virtual social identities. There are formations of alternative identities among individuals because virtual communities decrease social capital and de-marginalize social identity. In this paper I will first distinguish my definition of virtual community and then briefly explain the usage frequency of social network sites. From there I will share that there are, indeed, psychosocial and societal implications of social network sites. Definition and Demographics A virtual community is defined as a “self-organizing social collectivity created and sustained through the communication efforts of voluntary participants who are socially and geographically dispersed”(Sohn and Leckenby, p. 435). Some researchers suggest that eliminating social network sites or more broadly computer mediated communication will be destructive to college student’s psychosocial and educational benefits (Nauert, 2007). This may not be surprising considering 61% of college students using social network sites use Myspace (De Rosa, et al., A-2), and from another sample 94% use Facebook (boyd, 2006, para 30). Furthermore, this may be more surprising given the response from the same survey, when students were asked as to why they used the social network sites. They responded as follows (De Rosa, et al, A-5): 80% My friends use the same website 44% The website is fun 38% To network and meet new people
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In a similar survey with teens, 91% said they used social networking site to stay in touch and 50% use social networking sites to make new friends (Pew, 2007). As stated people use social network sites as a communication medium to meet other individuals or to “stay in touch” with individuals. This is relevant in that this communication presents a medium in which identities may be compromised. Furthermore social network sites can possibly exacerbate alternative identity formation. In this paper, the formation of alternative identity and identity detachment is of concern and will be explored in the subsequent matter. Social Network Sites Decrease Social Capital The decline of vitality of non-virtual communities is a documented result of the newfound abundance of computer mediated communication (Barney, 2004, p. 157). Similarly Putnam (2000) argues that there is a decline in voluntary civic engagements as a result of this modernity, signaling an alarming decrease in “social capital”-in what is described as the energy and resources for common ventures in the common interest (pg 29). Social capital is also described as the resources collected via relationship with other people (Ellison, 2007). Virtual communities are the targeted culprit of this decrease in social capital. In another paper it was described that social capital is decreased as a result of “diverting people from true community because online interactions are inherently inferior to face-to-face and even phone communication (Wellman, Haase, Witte, Hampton, 2001, para 12). A decrease in social capital inherently reduces the commitment to the community (Wellman, Haase, Witte, Hampton, 2001, para 13). Furthermore, social capital is linked to positive social outcomes, such as better public health, lower crime rates, and more efficient financial markets (Adler, 2002, para 59-65). Because people control the people they meet and determine the people they wish to engage interpersonally, the result is what Wellman et. al (2000) calls networked individualism (Wellman, Haase, Witte, Hampton, 2001,
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para 14), which is further described by Wellman as the virtual community is redefined as “networked individualism, and it reflects, rather than conditions or constrains, the choices of those who enact it (Barney, 2004, p. 164). Likewise it is described that the one commonality among virtual communities is that communication is their “core and definitive activity, that membership in them is voluntary and easily revocable, and that the basis of relationship is primarily shared personal interest, rather than some form of obligation” (Barney, 2004, p. 159). Social network sites are the ideal medium for networked individualism because the internet is the material that supports networked individualism as the “dominant form of sociability” (Barney, 2004, p. 165). As a result of users’ networked individualism and choice of social encounters, there is a creation of multiple identities: one that satisfies the real world and one that satisfies there virtual community as determined by their social network site. By given this choice users are creating their own world in which different personal identities are displayed, or more so choosing the personal identity that is perceived more socially advantageous over the other. Social Identities are De-Marginalized As stated previously, a decrease in social capital has the potential for an individual to create an alternative identity given a virtual community setting. An interesting study by McKenna and Bargh (2006) took place observing the social activities among members of a virtual newsgroup, their response to survival in this virtual medium and consequent identity morphology. An important question to ask in this discussion is why do people create multiple identities? In many cases it is an individual’s attempt to create a virtual personality that others accept. In the original model of social identity, Tajfel explained that the propellant for an individual indentifying with a social group was the emotional fulfillment it brought by just in itself indentifying with that particular social group (McKenna & Bargh, 2006, p. 435). In a real-life setting members do not
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have the ability to modify their identity, but in theory a virtual world presents the possibility to construct another identity for a person who does not receive emotional fulfillment from their real-life identity. In one study a person continued to be a group member only when it added affirmative characteristics, such as power, self-efficacy, and the need to belong, to the person’s social identity (McKenna & Bargh, 2006, p. 435). Inevitably in a situation when one can choose their group affiliation to compromise these affirmative characteristics the will take advantage. A motivation for a person to enact an alternative identity in a social network site is that they can conceal their marginalized (powerless position in society or group) identity. When an individual accepts that they possess a marginalized identity, they are in turn de-marginalizing their identity or realizing part of them has no worth to society (McKenna & Bargh, 2006, p. 437). Concealment enables the absence of visibility to a group, which eliminates group-members from comparing each other (McKenna & Bargh, 2006, p. 435), but in order for a member to construct a virtual identity they must first feel the primary need to belong and second have the general motive to obtain a positive self-image (McKenna & Bargh, 2006, p. 435). Additionally a person that conceals their identity in a virtual setting will feel a sense of belonging with their alternative identity simply by the inclusion of a group, positive feedback he/she receives, and the “feelings of membership” (Blanchard & Markus, 2002, para 65-71). Creating an alternative identity is not just relegated to the virtual community. A person might ask, why does the person not completely conceal their identity from both the virtual and real world, and why does this identity only exist in the context of a social network community? It is best described in McKenna and Bargh (2006, p. 436): Principally, the person feels guilt at keeping a secret from his or her spouse, family, and close friends; and infers from his or her concealment behavior that this aspect of self
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must be shameful. This creates a vicious cycle that increases the vigilance against revealing this identity. Yet the great and continuous effort exerted to keep these secret aspects from public view causes the individual to continuously focus on those very aspects, keeping them in mind as a salient part of self-definition. Having to remain vigilant against revealing negative self-features does not permit the person to forget about or de-emphasize this aspect of identity-quite the contrary…The effect of this vigilance is to make the taboo topic more accessible to memory than if the suppression attempts had never been made. (p. 436) As stated in the quote above, a person may feel inclined to conceal their identity from both the virtual and real world because the effort to conceal the negative aspect of the identity further reminds the individual of the negative aspect of the identity. The constant reminder of the negative aspect of the identity allows the individual to never forget that negative aspect, further reinforcing the maintenance of that negative aspect. When a person tries to prohibit revealing an aspect about oneself, they must perpetually remind themselves about what not to reveal. Ironically in doing so the effect of this caution makes the topic more accessible in their memory than if there was no action of memory restraint (McKenna & Bargh, 2006, p. 436). Furthermore, “disidentification” is not an option in a “real” community because identity concealment is not an option and therefore the participant of the social network community is stimulated to possess an alternative identity. In the same study conducted by Levine and Moreland concluded that participation rose among those with concealed identities versus unconcealed identities because concealed members had to reinforce their alternative identity through greater participation in the social network community (McKenna & Bargh, 2006, p. 436). This not only explains the choice
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of members to alter identities that differ from their real life identity, but also the addict-related nature of checking such sites periodically. Conclusion If people use the social network sites on the convention that all personalities are real, they put a great amount of trust in the system. If that convention is broken there may be failure to a part of the social network or possibly the network community itself. Although a collapse of the network community is a worst case scenario, the real trouble is to the individual. The self-deprecation is a personal issue of low self-esteem. Moreover, formation of multiple alternative identities is a psychological and psychosocial issue, consequently affecting the mental health of the public and decreased individual self-confidence. Importantly not all members of a social network community have multiple identities, but it is important to note that while using such media, trust in such a setting is compromised. Computer mediated communication allows misrepresentation of individuals as a result of their self-perceived social status among a group. This in turn results to decreased social capital. Some studies have shown that a decrease in social capital increases crime rates, decreased public health, and decreased economic efficiency (Adler & Kwon, 2002). Individuals seize the opportunity to reverse their social fortunes (or lack thereof) in this virtual setting simply because they can. As a result of a person choosing an alternative identity, in response there are indicating self-disapproval and self-marginalization. Future Discussion Because social network site effects on community dominates the discussion about computer mediated communication, further research on the effects of social network sites of the individual is needed. An analysis of how such sites affect an individual’s psychological and psychosocial
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health would be beneficial in adding to the existing discussion. Also beneficial would be example of how people use multiple identity formation on social network sites for their personal motivations such as soliciting sex, invasion of privacy, and deception. Extensive research on such a subject would be beneficial in discovering the capabilities of an individual who uses alternative identities and the severity to which they abuse that alternative identity. By discovering the severity of individuals abusing multiple identity formation in computer-mediated communication setting more research will be conducted on how social network sites contribute to alternative identity formation.
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