The Internet, a rapidly growing network system, is lining millions of individuals affecting the way they relate. It offers new spaces changing people’s manner of thinking, interaction, and the perception of sexuality, community construct, and how people perceive their identities. Cyberspace enables one to learn what the principles of virtual lives are. The vastness of virtual reality has made it possible to unravel cyberspace mysteries, navigate the virtual world, and engineer gadgets that could improve existing technology (Turkle, 1999). For the past decade, Sherry Turkle (1999) has been engaging in a clinical and ethnographic study to explore people’s representation on the Internet and how they negotiate the “real.” Many have found this experience challenging their traditional identity definition, which is often recast regarding parallel lives and multiple windows. The cyberspace has shifted the identity of users in a problematic notion influenced by several cultural trends, which encourages people to think, act, and bring out their hidden character.
The article focuses on the fundamentals of online life and how they impact identity. The construction and projection of created personae into cyberspace allow one to portray a textual description. There is no need for visual identification in the virtual space. Here, one can edit their “composition” and “personality” to fit their unmet social deprivation (Turkle, 1999). The hidden identity gives a person the chance to explore various aspects of the self while discovering new networks and socializing better with other Internet users. People in cyberspace can also explore their multi selves simultaneously by using different names on several social media platforms.
The Internet is a positively charged territory, bringing various feelings to different users. In contrast, some feel unease and uncomfortable fragmentation; some find a sense of relief and self-discovery. The creation of different personae on several online platforms emerges concerning the change of the virtual space. Cycling through online slots has been made possible through the existence of “windows,” a modern computing ability which enables users to place themselves in different settings at the same time. The practice of using windows has become a useful metaphor for expressing the self as a distributed, multiple, and “time-sharing” system.
Consequence-free experiment enables the progress of a “core self,” which is a personal sense giving life its meaning with regards to identity. Erik Erikson developed the ideas about a “psychosocial moratorium,” which is a crucial element in assessing identity development in young adults (Turkle, 1999). He emphasized the need for experimentation as a norm instead of what most people term as brave departure. Over recent years, social theorists, psychologists, philosophers, and psychoanalysts have developed ideas about the need to shift the perspective of the self as unitary actors. Decentralization is offered as a means of developing multiple theories to shape how people view things in a world full of technological influences.
The article has expanded understanding of the contemporary social world, shifting a complacent view of the unitary self. It has made it possible to confront traditional theories concerning the unitary self. As a result, questions emerge on the essence of the self, in particular, whether it functions as a collective community and how the self-divide its task among its essential vary. The cyberspace can be well applied to develop unique ideas about identity by creating various social practices. A computer culture can be used to improve awareness of every day’s life projection. Through constructive reflection on the real, people can use cyberspace for personal and social transformation to attain a clear perception of who they are, what they want, and how new technologies will impact their lives.
Reference
Turkle, S. (1999). Looking toward cyberspace: Beyond grounded sociology. Contemporary Sociology, 28(6), 643-648.