Is withholding one’s identity ethically wrong? Should we always use our full name?
The use of our full name online is practical for those who wish to find you, but not always. There is a great chance that someone in the world has the same name as you anyway, so even if you are "found" there is a chance it may not even be you. Withholding your identity could prove to the wider world that you are uncomfortable in yourself, or think that people want you to be something else. Whilst it may be beneficial to pretend you are someone else for some reason, there is always a way through the vastness of the internet to find out who you really are. A computer has its own address or mark to say where in the world it is and what it has been used for.
It is true that a big part of the internet's appeal is that you can express yourself among like minds, but if we are not showing our true self in the first place, how can this happen? Ideas given by yourself across the internet when you are not showing who you are could easily be plagiarised if there is no author to credit it to. Online self expression doesnt follow the restrictions that may be placed upon us in normal conversation so it is much easier to get our point across. However, by modifying our online self as it appears, we could be fundamentally changing our real selves. On the internet, you are never alone, you could be someone else entirely if you wanted to be, and create a whole new life and back story for yourself.
Depending on where you are and what you are talking about you can change your personality accordingly. If in a chat room for people whose favourite band is for example Aerosmith, you could become a 40something man who saw them in their prime back in the 70s and own everything theyve ever made. When really youre a 20 year old student with two of their albums and a tshirt. It is so easy to change yourself online to fit a mould you think you should be in.
2 comments:
Nathan,
I think the comments you make about the fact that identity on the Internet can be traced is valid, but perhaps for the 'normal' user conversing with others determining whether someone's identity is 'real' is more of a problem? I was interested in the point you made about 'Online self expression doesnt follow the restrictions that may be placed upon us in normal conversation so it is much easier to get our point across.' - I guess sometimes it could be argued the opposite, that because we can't see facial expressions, hear tone of voice etc that it's harder on line to be interpreted correctly? Do you think it says something about society that people may want to create an online identity for themselves?
All the best
Emma.
Hey Emma,
I think it is a certain statement that a majority of our society is based on bettering ourselves, whether that be physically or economically, and the internet allows us to do this inexpensively, even if it does raise the question of whether it is immoral to change ourselves or not.
Nathan
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