Different types of identities
Jaiden Hoang
20346498
The definition of identity can be defined as “the character of oneself”, however, I believe that identity expands to a range of things such as your hobbies, your behaviors, your occupation, and even your ethics. There are many variables that contribute to an individual's identity but the clearest correlation is the environment that the individual was surrounded themselves in, hence making them a product of their environment. For example, I made a mind map highlighting the few environments that I was surrounded by from when I was young till now.
This is just a small sample of what I’ve been surrounded by that have all contribute to my identity and who I am today. Just like how your environment can change around you, then so can your identity, this is simply growing and evolving. For example, you’ve been playing an individual sport your whole life such as tennis and you then decide to change to playing a team sport such as Rugby League. During this time an individual may change and develop new skills such as better communication and trust which further molds an individual's identity. They then may carry this if they believe this is a positive attribute to their identity, however, there are sometimes negative outcomes to an environment. For example, if a person was in a toxic environment where the people around them never did anything to grow as individuals and a group, then the individual may get used to this lifestyle and refuse to expand and grow.
Another form of identity can be your digital identity which allows you to prove who you are online. Your real-life identity and digital identity differ as someone’s digital identity can easily be faked on social media. For example, a fake name can be given with fake photos which may appear real, but can well be false, this is called identity theft. I believe that it is important to choose which social media should be kept private to avoid identity theft.
In the matrix above I have the platforms that share photos and text messages private and personal to protect my digital identity, whilst I keep applications such as LinkedIn public and professional with limited details about my personal life.
Overall, I believe identity can differ and it means something different to everyone. I am a firm believer that you are a product of your environment and identity can change as a result of this. I also believe that there is more than meets the eye in regards to an online identity.
