How do you present yourself to the world online and offline? Are you the same person online and offline? Which version of you is truer? These questions made me think about the difference between our online and offline selves, so I decided to write an essay on the topic. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As we spend more and more time connected to our digital devices, we now live in two worlds. Living a digital double life. Intrinsically, we want to be more like ourselves, we want to be healthier, we want to be better but a better version of who we really are. We usually want to present the best possible version of ourselves even if online. Specifically, my online self; my personal information is included in an online world and this includes; my name, my birthday and my country of origin and also my personality traits such as; my hobbies, as well as my interests and my general character which is outgoing, sometimes shy, happy, sad and other feelings I experience. This is how I perceive myself on the Internet. But, on the other hand, my online behaviors didn't reveal much about my real-world personality. Furthermore, I am free to define myself and express myself as differently as I wish because that's how it is, online. From social media statuses to avatars, we connect, communicate, and create parallel selves that live parallel lives. Also, some say that social media gives you confidence and helps you express yourself, others say that it gives you self-esteem as usual, which can lead you to be good in the future. I can say and post whatever I want online and I feel less shy online because I don't interact with others face to face. I can also choose and decide which characteristics of myself have been shared with others, which creates an environment in which true thoughts and feelings can be expressed. Given these points, I'm creating an entirely separate online identity. The way I represent myself online may be different from the way I represent myself offline. I can keep a piece of information just for myself and I'm sure that every person has a secret that they want to keep to themselves and not let others know. You will be admired in real life and not just online. I can move freely without pretending. But I can also say that real life is so messy. Our perception and awareness of something is influenced by many factors happening at the same time and some are contradictory. The way we are aware of ourselves can be diversified: from our clothes, from our expressions, through the tone of our voice, from social judgment towards us and many more. Works Cited Boyd, D. (2014). It's complicated: Teens' social lives online. Yale University Press. Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends”: Social capital and college students' use of online social networking sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143-1168.Fox, J., & Moreland, J. J. (2015). The dark side of social networking sites: An exploration of relational and psychological stressors associated with Facebook use and opportunities. Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 168-176. Haimson, O. L., & Hoffmann, A. L. (2016). Constructing and enforcing “authentic” identity online: Facebook, real names, and non-normative identities. First Monday, 21(6). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v21i6.6791Hall, E. T. (1969). The hidden dimension. Doubleday.Joinson, A. N. (2008). “Watching,” “looking up,” or “keeping up with” people? Reasons and uses of Facebook. In Proceedings of the 26th annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (pp. 1027-1036).., 21(7), 450-460.
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