Blog Prompt #5

Online identities are just another part of growing up in the digitized world of today. I remember when AIM was the big hit previous to the profiled networking web pages of Facebook and Myspace. I remember being able to keep my AIM identity as what I perceived to be cool and what others would agree with (or not), depending on my target cool kid crowd. I wanted to be a skater with the baggy pants and “Korn” Tees. Later I developed my identity as the surfer kid because I started going to the beach in Florida, even though I was horrible at surfing. Danah Boyd discussed a crucial time in the development of youth. In her article on MySpace Danah claims that space for youth can be categorized as public, private, and controlled. For adults:
“The home is the private sphere where they relax amidst family and close friends. The public sphere is the world amongst strangers and people of all statuses where one must put forward one's best face. For most adults, work is a controlled space where bosses dictate the norms and acceptable behavior.”
Danah claims:
“Teenager's space segmentation is slightly different. Most of their space is controlled space. Adults with authority control the home, the school, and most activity spaces. Teens are told where to be, what to do and how to do it. Because teens feel a lack of control at home, many don't see it as their private space.”
My space is a place where identity change is everywhere and the youth can claim private space where they and their peers can hang out. Unlike Facebook there is more privacy to Myspace and is therefore more readily used by people who are still in their youth and are trying to find out their true identity. Peer acceptance is a major part of the youths development and Myspace as well as Facebook are just digitized mediums through which the youth can do that since they have little to no private space except on the web.
I would have to agree with Henry’s article “where everyone knows you are a dog” in that I do not think presenting yourself in different lights is lacking in integrity. Consider the “spaces” (public, private, controlled) Danah talked about. Would you talk to your parents the way you talk to your friends while hanging out? I don’t think so, I know at least not my parents. The setting influences the behavior in my opinion. But the reference to the lack of integrity by Zuckerberg (I believe) is aimed at the predators online that prey on the youth, or others, by misrepresenting their age, gender, or anything they want to change in the effort to being accepted through deception. I believe Zucherbergs comment was contextualized from a different standpoint than the identity changes discussed by Danah because one is speaking in relation to online predation and the other about the youth’s growing up and finding themselves via the internet.