Identity is the characteristics that determine something, in self, identity is what defines us, and is created and influenced by life experiences, environments, culture, family and relationships. One portrays their identity in their face-to face life through the clothes they wear, the way they present themselves, their actions, words and the mannerisms in which they behave. The formation of identity offline is all made by the observer, the viewer who puts together the idea who we are by making inferences upon our identity.
In the digital age, with every social networking site requiring you to create a profile, online identity is made and manufactured with our own control about how we present and project ourselves. We can be authentic and truthful about ourselves, or skew and exaggerate and falsify ourselves to become less factual and more anonymous, omitting parts of our existing real-life psychical and personal characteristics. Through the use of themes, personal bios, photographs and liked or favourite pages available for view to our audience we are able to put forward the parts of ourselves that we wish to be known.
Social connections online can be what forms the decided identity of the user. Whether adjusted due to the involvement in a community of interest, the age group looking at the profile or the maintenance of existing offline connections, the online social connections impact the way the a user may create an identity online.
“ Identity may be elaborated in terms of the network, the node being relatively unembellished but resonant with meaning through its connections with selected others” (Livingstone, 2008, pp403)
In the studies and interviews conducted by Livingstone, it was found that the younger generation were more preoccupied with the personalization and customisation of their profile pages as a way to communicate themselves and project their identities, whilst the older teenagers preferred a plainer template, for the actual social connections would already know them enough to have an identity for them. That being said, it is human nature to try and project an image of oneself which fits in with the ideal image of who and what one would like to be.
“In order to be (some identity), one must act like (some identity). In order to not be (some other identity), one must not act like (that other identity” (Burke, P. J. Reitzes D.C 1981, pp90)
The downfall of the ability of constructed identity, does allow for complete anonymity on the internet. This anonymity can be used to extract information from other users, to bully or for more sinister acts. We may communicate with another user regularly, building a certain trust and relationship with said user, to find out the users identity was constructed and misleading, leaving us hurt and mistrusting.
Our online identities are constructed, changed and altered for the gratification and reiteration of our offline identity. We will always project what we find most flattering and balance opportunity and risk when deciding what to post online.
References
Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: Teenagers use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. New media & society, 393-411.
Peter J. Burke and Donald C. Reitzes The Link Between Identity and Role Performance Social Psychology Quarterly , Vol. 44, No. 2 (Jun., 1981), pp. 83-92 Published by: American Sociological Association retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3033704
Annie Richardson 
