Technology Today Essay

The internet has become a popular source used by society of a worldwide computer network that provides a variety of information and communication facilities allowing individuals to communicate with one another easily. The internet it self has brought people together but has changed the way people interact with each other, created isolation, some addiction and being unsafe. Nowadays, anything can be shared to the wide world through any device that is able to connect to the internet; where this can lead to what Charles Seife terms as “no privacy” in his article, “The Loneliness of the Interconnected.” According to Seife, the Internet’s vast interconnectivity made it possible for everyone to hear everyone else - and to be heard by everyone else.

When we think of the internet and technology we usually think of all the benefits and innovations that make up our generation. We have all the information we need right on our phones. We can also be connected with anyone or with everyone at anytime of the day, but is being connected with everyone a good thing? “The Loneliness Of The Interconnected” by Charles Seife explores this idea and shines a light on the negative effects that being connected with everyone might have. Seife’s exploration of online extremism challenge Schmidt and Cohen’s optimistic portrayal of technology by analyzing how having a voice in the ocean of the internet and being connected with everyone isn’t always positive.

Online identity expands real identity is Turkle's third point. The user may choose to be anyone he or she wants in cyberspace. There are no boundaries on who or what a person may be. A user can express many different aspects of his or her personality without being made fun of because no one would know the truth. A man may be a woman because he wants to engage in his feminine side. The other users may not know it is a man because in cyberspace, others only know what it told to them. If a person chooses, he or she may change gender, age, physical characteristics, and such. A fat man can easily become a beautiful woman in a few key strokes. On the other hand, one may express their nonconformities in a safe way and not have to repress them. A user may be blunt and be proud of it without receiving a black eye for it. Therefore, online identity expands real identity.

Though many characterize their identity with others’ perception of themselves, sincere identity is rather an internal set of beliefs and values that shape a person’s behavior--inside out, not outside in. In the modern world of technology, identity increasingly has become the image of someone created online, put on display for the internet. The era of interconnectivity, technological social interactions, and instant feedback develops an insecure, outward-looking society that forms their social media platforms into “highlight reels” of their life, posting perfectly filtered and angled masterpieces of their most exciting activities. Rather than try to compare their genuine life with these seemingly vastly superior profiles, most create

First I wanted to bring up the show catfish, the show is a reality-based documentary television series that talks about the truths and lies of online dating. With this type of topic about people using the internet to change who they really are, Catfish is a perfect example where the hosts talk too real people about their relationships with their significant others and their masked identity. Being able to change your identity through the use of new technology and the creation of the internet is very possible. Yes not physically, but through the internets abyss it's very possible. Catfish is just one example made to open your eyes about the reality of masked identities across the world, and how common it is for people to alter their personalities.

As a person goes through their life, they encounter many choices and options. The most obvious ones are what they will wear, eat, or do for each day of their life. Everything that they do, even the most simple decisions, can and will impact them and who they are as a person. This will become a part of their identity. However, as the social beings humans are, their identities can be effected by those around them, virtually and physically. Most especially, every person’s identity is affected by the opinions and thoughts of others which can be expressed online, through verbal comments, and body language. This causes each person to question themselves and attempt to view themselves from the eyes of others. And when people question their identities

Currently, people are living in a virtual world that is dominated by social media; the influence of emergences of social media platform, such as Facebook, YouTube, has far beyond the imagination of people（Pennsylvania, 2011）.There are an increasing number of people who are willing to use social media to manage their identity, which offers a large amount of opportunities for those audiences who want to standing out from the crowd.(Matthieu; Serge et al, 2013) But because of information overload, to some extend, social media are probably making it harder for them to differentiate from the counterpart .In view of the fact, how to manager personal identity has been view as a vital

From waking up to an alarm clock in the morning, to texting our friends during the day, to using an electric toothbrush at night, we have all relied on the use of technology. Today, technology has become an essential part of most people’s everyday lives. With the rapid growth of technology, we are continually discovering new ways to make our lives faster and simpler. However, there have been many debates regarding how these new methods have concerning side affects. A lot of concern is shown on our societies dependency upon these new innovations; our inability to cope with life without these useful but not necessary tools.

Social media is often praised for its ability to connect people worldwide, but in reality, it is forcing us further apart; we are no longer individuals but are instead creating for ourselves a fake social identity. Nicholas Carr, author of “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” focuses on how reading on the Internet has made it almost impossible for us to do “deep reading.” In “Just Between You, Me, and My 622 BFF’S,” Peggy Orenstein looks at how social media has stolen younger girl’s identities, and formed their sexual identity. Chuck Klosterman in his article “Electric Funeral” sees the Internet as a breeding ground for “villains” who feed off our primitive impulses to draw attention and fame to ourselves. These three authors have powerful

Our intended project will be focused on the idea of “online identity,” with a primary focus on the idea of “catfishing.” We are looking at how the “younger” generation is getting more tech-savvy, but at the same time, they’re becoming more gullible with things they access online.

This paper examines the formation of the identity in the late modern society compared to the traditional society. There has a been high-tech development in our present society, which makes communication among people easier. In order to reach a better understanding of what characterizes identity formation in the late modern society, theories by Anthony Giddens and Erving Goffman will be used. Today, we have the opportunity to create our own virtual identity through social media. This paper analyses the American Documentary Catfish, with particular reference to relevant non-fiction and fiction codes. Catfish is a magnificent specimen of how easy identity can be faked on social media. The analysis shows that sociologist’ theories is an important

Innovations such as FaceBook and MySpace combine images, text, and messaging to create new possibilities for social interaction. Websites such as YouTube combine broadcast media with the self-directed properties of the internet. SMS texting has revolutionised the social lives of many people. All these media allow people to sustain relationships across time and space in ways that have never before been possible. Some are concerned however, that over-reliance on such forms of communication reduces the importance of face-to-face social experience. Others argue that such media present new ways of defining our identities and establishing new kinds of social interaction (Castells, 2000).

Online social networks have become increasingly populated arenas for much of today’s population, especially with regards to high school and college students. Networks such as Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Vine, Twitter, etc., enable users to create an identity and present it to others by allowing them to share various aspects of their lives. Because individuals select their own content, the resulting representation can be either a true or imaginative reflection of the user. The attitudes, perspectives, behaviours and actions each individual chooses to present, shape their identity within the social media universe. Like most other web-based content, the pursuit of authenticity is assumed to be at the heart of these social media networks, playing an important role in our online interactions and our decisions about what web content we believe to be reliable. But, what about when the network structure allows users to create, post, and interact with anonymous identities? Anonymity eliminates the need decipher authenticity, however, it creates an issue by protecting the negative actions of empowered users.

More recently than in years past, digital technology and social media have grown to become a part of our everyday lives. The recent rise in those who own smartphones allows this everyday use of digital technology and social networking to be easier than ever before. At any time and any place, we have the ability to “socialize” with nearly anyone—even celebrities who have no idea most of us even exist. The continuous consumption of digital media has altered once personal face-to-face communication to just that, digital. More and more people seem to be living in what Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon call “The Cloud”. “The Cloud” is a seemingly alternate universe of which communication is altered from personal to digital. This universe has led to debates over whether or not these online communities are real or whether social media is actually social. Various digital media sources also encourage users to create individual identities, of which may or may not actually be real. It seems as though our reliance on digital technology and social media have allowed the determination of certain aspects of our lives. Although social media allows us to connect with nearly anyone at any time, Americans have taken advantage of its use, and their attention has been drawn away from real life interactions to digital ones. The ramifications of such influences reflect the hidden insecurities of Americans and, ironically, emphasize our inclination to boast about ourselves by allowing others to see the

What is the perception of privacy and anonymity online relies greatly on understanding the history and development of the issue. From 1967, when the Internet was born, until the mid–1990s, privacy was a non-issue. There was no advertising, no security measures apart from log-ins, no spam and, until 1989, no graphic interfaces, no icons, images, windows, etc.