I came across an interesting article while preparing for an assignment for another course (ETEC 512), that I thought might pertain to mobile culture and education. It’s a quick 5-min read, but concisely explains how anonymity enables us to participate authentically (and confidently) online (e.g. spaces like Reddit). Inversely, we can see how a lack of anonymity may possibly discourage us to be truly authentic, only showing a “version” of ourselves (e.g. Instagram, Facebook). As a result of constantly being connected via mobile devices, users may end up leading “double lives” – our offline and online selves.
If you are interested in the topic of anonymity as it relates to education and technology, feel free to check out our assignment!
I think that the internet has splintered people beyond an online/offline duality into as many versions of ourselves that we want to create. And this is not completely unique to internet culture: as a teacher, I have a persona used for leading a class, a different one when interacting with coworkers, another for dealing with parents…
One of the most bizarre combinations of reality and fiction I’ve observed online is probably LinkedIn. Ostensibly a site for work related networking, it usually has a more professional tone. But when employers (current or future) are potentially observing, a lot of people start adopting a tone that sounds like a non-stop job interview. It’s no longer about who I am or who I want to be, but who I want others to think I am (so they give me opportunities). So what should in theory be the most transparently honest platform becomes the most artificial.