Identity in the Digital Age

Introduction

The Internet is a stange new medium with what is, by and large, a new set of rules. The stability of identity itself, and of the means of producing and expressing that identity, are called into question by phenomena on the Internet.

The hypertexts below examine identity online in many contexts, focusing on the generation of identity, interruptions in the stability of identity, and on the implications of identity-related issues in larger human endeavors.

"The Masked Ball"
Kay Lipton

Source: http://www.yarranet.net.au/womar/kl-ball.jpg. Retrieved 1 March 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gender Swapping Online

by Roger Grosse

The Internet has made gender swapping into a complex issue. Some gender-swapping situations are dangerous, others are harmless. Some are meaningful to the perpetrator, others are meaningless. Some involve men’s careful consideration of female roles (or vice versa), and others invoke shallow stereotypes. This web site considers all of the above situations and more, and tries to draw a line between healthy and harmful gender swapping.

The Psychology of Identity in MMORPGs

by Danny Taing

EverQuest, the most popular massively multiplayer game of all time, was released in 1999 and is still widely played today, with nearly a half-million players subscribed to their servers. The game gives players an opportunity to change and experiment with their identities in an anonymous environment. This degree of freedom is rarely seen in the real world. Is it because of this freedom that these games are so alluring to the point of addiction?

Representations in the LGBT Internet

by Patrick Callier

Identity online plays out on social and cultural levels as well as personal ones. This hypertext describes representational practices on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Internet and examines how images on the LGBT Internet generate and reflect racial stereotypes, idealized body images, and inequitable social relationships inside and outside of the LGBT community.

Virtually Reality: Alternate Worlds, New Realities

by Justin Salinas

Ever since I was 4 years old, I've always played video games. However, I really never questioned why I played them. I just always assumed that I played video games simply because they were fun and gave me something to when I was bored. However, I have now come to believe that I, and other gamers, play video games for a deeper reason. What is that reason? That is what I hoped to find out.

Anonymity Online and its Implications in the Structure of Human Identity

by Monica Bhattacharya

Anonymity online offers a safe environment in which to create individual personae
irrespective of stifling societal dictates. Accordingly, online interaction provides a forum for the use of our inherent psychological masks on a larger scale, but to what end? Intensely personal web logs, or “blogs” as they are commonly known, and open chat rooms serve as conduits of the expression of both mundane and radical ideas. A young girl with a predilection for self-mutilation as a method of relieving her crippling depression, for example, may no longer feel alienated by popular culture after joining a cutting “blogring.” While self-expression is vital for a free society, its preservation in the context of legitimizing and even encouraging dangerous practices may incur the opposite effect. Anonymity online allows and arguably promotes the embrace of the darker aspects of human nature, with consequences both advantageous and perilous.