Blog 2

What is a digital identity?

Digital identity can be defined as the formation of people’s presence online which includes how they express themselves, what they represent for and their actions on the Internet. To leave a good impression within a society filled with social media apps and multimedia usage on the internet, digital identity is necessary for people in different roles to develop. It’s the process to understand who you are online and it provides your personal basic introduction or even in-depth information. Similar to identity, digital identity is a process that is dynamic in nature by which people identify and sort their place in the society both individually and collectively, but it happens digitally online achieved by various technologies ( Jawed,  Mahboob, et al. 2019).

How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

Social media can be used on different levels. For example, as a music fan, I used Instagram to follow my favourite singers or actors out of my own interest. My delivered content online tells people what I like and who I am. “Leisure spaces are key sites for the production of belonging and identity.” (Spracklen, 2015). When people use social media from a personal approach, it usually for leisure and sometimes people can get addicted to it spending a huge amount of time on social media apps especially on a mobile phone. “With increasing use of the Internet, in‑person social interactions are reduced, creating physical and mental health issues. “( Jawed,  Mahboob, et al. 2019). However, constructing a personal digital identity is still beneficial for staying in touch with friends and families. On another level, digital identity can be professional when it was applied as an effective tool for professional development. For example, medical students can develop their DPIs ( digital professional identity) through online interactions by which they can improve their professionalism in multi-platforms ( Jawed,  Mahboob, et al. 2019).

How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?

As we know that our digital identities are digital because they are posted or revealed online, which means our information will be converged within the network publics. This can be interpreted by the application of our healthcare system in which our personal information is gathered for the need of services. Our digital identities can be collected by officials or individuals if we approve. Just imagine how efficient it can be if our digital identities are converged by the government for the vaccinations for Covid-19. It helps to build a much stronger attached network between people and contributes to PLN as well. However, there are still potential risks of our privacy being exposed or leaked on the Internet. Since this degree of information-gathering can never ensure its safety, we can be translucent online, our data was transmitted across devices, websites, almost everything was under surveillance on the social media.

Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?

Drawing attention to the digital identity, this is a more specific practical question to be answered. According to the Davos 2019 video, there are still a lot of people who do not have legally registered identities let alone to expecting them to use a digital wallet. Secondly, it requires a lot of technical support to fully develop a digital wallet system so the government has to cooperate with companies. How should we manage people’s digital identity from a global perspective? It requires a set of standards, policies and regulations for different usage cases across countries (Davos, 2019). Gaining trust from the public is not easy but it can be achieved if people are willing to work together to create a safe environment for the application of digital wallet.

Reference

1. Jawed, Saira et al. “Digital Professional Identity: Dear Internet! Who Am I?”. Education For Health, vol 32, no. 1, 2019, p. 33. Medknow, doi:10.4103/efh.efh_232_17. Accessed 29 Jan 2021.
2. Spracklen K. (2015) Identity-Making and Social Media. In: Digital Leisure, the Internet and Popular Culture. Leisure Studies in a Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137405876_6
3.  figure 3.3.1 resource: https://www.managebt.org/book/strategy-and-governance/competence-roles-and-organisation/
4. Davos (2019), Press Conference “The Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society” Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7lyxrOmw&feature=youtu.be uploaded by World Economic Forum on 5th Feb 2019.