Introduction
“Looking Toward Cyberspace: Beyond Grounded Sociology” by Sherry Turkle, the article published in the journal Contemporary Sociology in 1999, deals with the then-emerging cyberspace and its influence on how people define themselves. The author argues that the Internet has significantly changed the way people think about and define their identity (Turkle, 1999). The Internet challenges the traditional notion of how individuals define themselves and encourages them to embrace the idea of multiplicity and flexibility of their own “self”.
Main body
The first point that the author tackles is explaining why cyberspace is influencing people’s identity. Internet of the late 1990s with its chat rooms and multi-user domains presented the possibility of adopting a new name or even a new life. The author provides readers with examples from the interviews and observes that for many people choosing to create site-specific online personalities might lead to a sense of fragmentation, a sense of relief, or a possibility for self-discovery (Turkle, 1999). However, despite the result, the Internet gives a chance to people to explore unknown aspects of themselves.
The second aspect that Turkle covers is the window structure of computing environments. According to her, the window interface adds up to the shifting of multiple identities. Windows and the ability to cycle through them allows people to think of the self as “a multiple, distributed, ‘time-sharing” system’ (Turkle, 1999, p. 644). The author points out that people no longer play different roles in different settings but play different roles at the same time. To prove her point, Turkle alludes to other scholars (for instance, Erik Erikson’s study on identity) and her case studies, which illustrate how virtual personae impacts the sense of self, making it “a collective self.”
Finally, the author discusses the notion of the fragmented self from a historical and contemporary perspective. She states that nowadays, the culture provides people with a direct opportunity to explore unknown parts of their personality and sexuality thus contributing to a general reconsideration of traditional, unitary notions of identity (Turkle, 1999). Creating online personae might help people become more aware of what is projected into their everyday lives, reflect constructively on the real through the virtual, and get a better understanding of their desires, ambitions, and other aspects of “self”.
Conclusion
The article managed to present an overview of issues connected to identity and changes to the concept propelled by the rapid development of the Internet. Even though the paper was written more than twenty years ago, it is still significant for understanding how identity has been affected by the appearance of cyberspace. It might be useful for analyzing the impact of the Internet on identity throughout the years: from chat rooms and MUD to blogs and social networks of today.
References
Turkle, S. (1999). Looking toward cyberspace: Beyond grounded sociology. Contemporary Sociology, 28(6), 643–648.