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The Internet provides ways for young people to construct online profiles both visually and narrated. Maintaining these profiles is an important aspect for young people in developing their identities. This blog post will review an article entitled, Look at me! Look at me! Self-Representation and Self-exposure Through Online Networks (Mallan, 2009), which is based on the author’s empirical study into how high school students represent themselves and interact with online social networks. Mallan’s research found, with no surprises, that the Internet offers both “promise and peril” for young people. Greenhow and Robelia (2009, p. 124) suggest that it is the combination of the benefits and risks that merit educators’ awareness and guidance in developing young people’s ability to become digital citizens. When creating online profiles, which combine both private and public spaces, the technology becomes an important factor in how an individual creates their identity within an online community. This study also demonstrates how the Circuit of Culture underpins how young people interact with new digital media (Du Gay et al. 1997). The interconnectedness of the concepts gives educators an understanding of where students are coming from and the type of participatory culture they are creating.


According to Greenhow and Robelia (2009, p. 123), “Adolescence is a time when young people explore the physical, sexual, occupational and ethnic dimensions of identity within a social context.” Young people aspire to belong to a community both online and offline. How they represent themselves in either situation varies to the extent of the context they are participating in. It is within these contexts that young people begin to play around with their identities. Offline participation is limited to how young people think, speak and behave and it usually occurs within a familiar context such as being with family, friends, or social groups. They are forming identities in public places under adult scrutiny. However, the Internet offers a new world for young people to participate within different communities and try out new versions of themselves. They learn to modify their behaviour to impress or influence others, for example before posting a picture of themself they may use Photoshop to perfect the picture. It is through the production of self-representation that young people explore their identity.

As young people search for recognition and contact in online participation they help build a culture and a sense of belonging. The act of participating in creating and maintaining files online is an important part of contemporary youth culture and identity formation. When young people play with online medians, they are creating multiple ways of expressing themself individually and as a collective representation. More understanding and acknowledgement that new technological processes have varying complexities that require a certain amount of skill and knowledge to be able to use these applications (Mallan, 2009).

These interactions maybe compromised when an individual gives a false identity. Authenticity and validation are important issues in self-representation. How do young people tell if other identities are credible? The way others perceive a profile is through the information that is shared. Three areas have been identified in how young people make judgements about online profiles.

1) If the profile owner uploads group photos of themself with friends it makes them look popular;
2) Complimentary comments made by friends provides credibility to an individual’s profile; and
3) A negative aspect is the reinforcement of stereotypical behaviours such as a photo of a young female who is drunk is seen as unattractive and attracts negative comments yet if it was an attractive male it is seen to be cool (Walther, et al. 2008; Mallan, 2009).

Mallan (2009, p. 64) suggests that the Internet offers a new field for young people to socialise with friends and tools to play with in creating their online identity. Greenhow and Robelia (2009, p. 123) refer to this experience as being dynamic because there is a constant shifting of constructions and presentations of the self. This idea associates closely with the theory of Circuit of Culture whereby the five aspects are interrelated in some way (Du Gay et al. 1997).

In context to the Circuit of Culture, Mallan’s (2009) study demonstrates how the five concept areas are closely related and displays how identity crosses over into production and representation when young people use the Internet for social relations. In order to work on one’s identity they must first produce an item that represents who they think they are. Some young people hide behind cartoon images or obscured photos displaying a wariness of not exposing too much of themself. On the other hand, there are those who like to exhibit themselves to the world. The study also highlights that students were aware of risks when working online. They had been informed through school, family and friends, and their knowledge indicates that they are not as naïve or innocent as people think and adults need to place more trust in their ability to work online.

By Mallan’s own admission, this study is only a snapshot of her research with 150 students from four private schools in Queensland (2009, p. 64). There should to be a wider selection of schools incorporated in a study to get a bigger picture. There will always be those who participate online with the greatest trust and there will always be those who use it for deceptive, bullying behaviours. This brings this blog back to the underpinning Circuit of Culture and the aspect of regulation (Du Gay et al. 1997). Until there are ways to regulate how the Internet is used there will always be issues. Educational institutes and parents both need to work together to support and empower students when using the Internet so they can appropriately and confidently define their identity within this new digital media culture.

References


Du Gay, P. Hall, S., Janes, L., Mackay, H. And Negus, K. (1997) Doing Cultural Studies: the Story of the Sony Walkman. London: Sage/The Open University.

Greenhow, C. & Robelia B. (2009). Informal Learning and Identity Formation in Online Social Networks.’ Learning, Media and Technology. 34(2), 119-140. Retrieved from:
http://www.tandfonline.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/17439880902923580

Mallan, K. (2009). Look at me! Look at me! Self Representation and Self-exposure Through Online Networks. Digital Culture & Education, 1:1, 51-66. Retrieved from:
http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/uncategorized/mallan-2009-html/


Walther, J., Van Der Heide, B., Kim, S., Westerman, D. and Tom-Tong, S., (2008). The Role of Friends, Appearance and Behaviour on Evaluations of Individuals on Facebook: Are We Known by the Company We Keep? Human Communication Research 34(1): 28-49. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2007.00312.x/pdf