Exploring a Digital Identity aka "Are You Who You Say You Are"

Identity, what is it? Oxford defines it as "the fact of being who or what a person or thing is". Does that mean we look at ourselves in the mirror, live our daily lives, and that's our identity? In the real world, we all live a certain way, our mind and personality dictates who we are. But what about in a digital world? Who are we on social media?

In my opinion, there are 2 different types of people: those who like to speak, and those that like to watch.

In my real life, I, more than often, fall into the latter rather than the former. What goes through my mind, I wouldn't say to most in person. But when I would get in an online forum or chatroom, or even the comments section, I would be a different person. I think social media allows us to wear a mask to cover who we are. Or is the mask we are wearing is our non-digital self? 

I was raised to believe that there are 3 topics that you never discuss with someone you never met before: Religion, Politics, and Money. A new 4th topic is fandom (Sports, Star Wars, MCU). But with social media, that notion has been thrown out of the window. 

So that makes me wonder: Is social media a reflection of our truest self? Do we use platforms like Facebook, Twitter/X, etc. to express our true opinions? If so, what does that make us in real life? Are we filtered creatures on this planet who will hide who we really are to make it through our daily lives? What is the line between our real world identity and our digital identity? I don't have the answer yet but I would like to know what's everyone's opinion is on this, as well as what type of person are you? I will try to tackle this answer in a later blog.



Comments

  1. GatsbyJune 27, 2025 at 10:06 AM

    Greg,

    Your reflection really resonated with me!

    You raised such important questions about identity and how we present ourselves in digital spaces versus real life. I also find that I sometimes express myself more freely online than I would face-to-face, especially when it comes to sensitive or personal topics. Like you mentioned, maybe the digital space becomes a kind of safe zone—a place where we can "speak" more honestly, even if it’s behind a screen. I agree that social media can be both a mask and a mirror, depending on how we use it. I think I fall into the “speaker” category—though I love listening too, I often find myself needing to put thoughts into words.

    Thanks for such a thought-provoking post!

    ReplyDelete

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