In 2008 Danish academic Anders Albrechtslund wrote this warning about the nature of internet surveillance, “The practice of online social networking can be seen as empowering, as it is a way to voluntarily engage with other people and construct identities, and it can thus be described as participatory. It is important to not automatically assume that the personal information and communication, which online social networking is based on, is only a commodity for trading. Implicit in this interpretation is that to be under surveillance is undesirable. However, to participate in online social networking is also about the act of sharing yourself – or your constructed identity – with others.” *

Anders writes that power can be derived from sharing your information and options online while attaching this information to your identity. While many people share aspects of their real life, others flourish in what they believe to be anonymity.  These people often want to be under surveillance as long as their anonymous internet identities can not be tied back to their actual ones.

Enter contemporary philosopher and media expert, Jimmy Kimmel. His wildly popular segment “Celebrities read mean Tweets” is just a comical example about how the hate which is spewed out into the internet rarely loses it’s sting and often finds it’s mark.

Internet giant Google is trying to convince users to use their real names as their Youtube ID. This attempt to cut down on the blind hate and trolling that comes along with anonymous surveillance is an important first step in creating consequences for those who don’t “play fair” online.

The idea of doxxing users real identities creates backlash and many internet users say that it disrupts the right to free speech.  What many people don’t understand is that the multiple identities of the average user are already connected. For example an American  Congresswoman was subject to political attacks over her gaming hobby of playing World of Warcraft.  No online identity can be completely hidden. Like the celebrities reading mean tweets, individuals need to understand that the internet is very much like a elementary playground- teachers can always tell where the spitballs came from. This might become much easier, much sooner with Google’s help.

Wired Magazine writes that internet users may in the future use one device like a “smartphone or something like a Yubico key — and then use that almost like a car key, to fire up your web mail and online accounts.” This would compile all of my personal identities into one secure identity which  I could literally hold the key too. The convinence  of one identity online would force users to think before they acted and would break down the larges myth about the internet, the illusion of Anonymity

*Anders Albrechtslund, “Online Social Networking as Participatory Surveillance”. First Monday, March, 2008.  13(3).

I created my first blog in seventh grade. It was a Livejournal full of angst and images of my favorite movie characters. It was also a mistake. What I didn’t know then was that blogs are an opportunity to create a digital identity for oneself.   Blogs provide us free advertising for our passions, thoughts and ideals. The important thing to remember is that blogs can be linked back to our offline identities (unless you choose to write anonymously).  If some one would have looked up “Katie Kalk” in 1999, they would have discovered my true feelings about my math class and other embarrassing facts.

Thankfully my livejournal has long since been deleted. Although my Xanga continues to haunt me.  I picked up blogging again when I started traveling and living aboard. Blogging is a tool perfectly adapted to keeping in contact with large numbers of people. When I moved to Daegu, South Korea I started my blog to keep in touch with my family. Two years later my blog had been chosen by the Korean Department of Tourism as an exemplary expat blog with over 13,000 views. This was far from internet fame but I was hooked nevertheless.

Now that I am studying for my professional development I am trying to create a more academic blogging presence. I still enjoying blogging my travels and I’m hooked on micro-blogging like twitter and tumblr.  I hope to link my work with this class with that of my work position with the Digital Tattoo Project. The Digital Tattoo Project is UBC funded and run through the learning commons. I work with content creation both on the blog, website and wiki. The topics covered by my blogs have little in common with that of my seventh grade self. My enjoyment with writing and sharing has remained unchanged.