Effects of the Internet on Identity.

Effects of the Internet on Identity

Lori Quigley

What effect does the Internet, and computer mediated communications have on one's individual, social and cultural identity? Identity is described as a sense of self, as being a consistent and unique person. (Fernald,1997) Defining individual identity involves being consciously aware, and understanding individual experiences, perceptions, feelings, sensations, images and memories. One's understanding and explanation of them, the choices and decisions one makes, and the action one takes in responding to changing conditions, needs, demands and challenges is another important aspect of identity. Beyond their mental and physical constitution, human beings consist of personal experiences, perceptions, feelings, images and memories. (Dorscht,1998)

The relationships between the attributes of intimate social relationships and personal identity are often described as criteria for psychological maturity. (Winefield, 1996) Human beings, individually, need a clear image of themselves, an identity to define and differentiate themselves from other human beings and the world around them. They need an identity, an understanding of who and what they are to comprehend the nature, potential, limits and state of their mental and physical existence. They need an identity to understand their responsibilities in managing and sustaining their individual physical and mental existence.(Dorscht,1998)

Anthropologists study humankind in all times and in all places in an attempt to come to an understanding of human diversity through generalizations. (Haviland, 1997) Paul Magnarella, of the University of Florida Anthropology Department has developed a in regard to materialism. He proposes that as societies become more complex and differentiated, due to technological developments, more specialists are needed, and social integration is becoming based on the interdependence of specialized functions. (Magnarella,1997) Modern humanity is adjusting to life in the global community. This has far reaching impact in how personal, social and cultural identities are formed and maintained. As twenty-first century technology accelerates and expands access to information and virtual environments, constraints upon individuals to exclusively rely upon, and respond to their local physical environment is diminished. (Jones, 1997)

Is the identity of the individual becoming lost in the identity of a technically oriented society? The availability of information and technology has affected the development of individual and group identity. It is only very recently in the time line of human evolution, that individuals and members of society have been exposed to cultures, attitudes and ways of thinking that are not insulated. There has been a great deal of attention paid to the development of self in this technological society. The volume and variety of relationships now available to the average person, through the Internet, at an interpersonal level, enables the individual an opportunity to construct a new self or identity for every occasion, with very little is expected in return. (Eyck, 1998)

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Sociology is the systematic study of human behavior in groups, and focuses on the influences of social relationships on attitudes and behavior.In the, Schroeder examines the social aspects of multi-user virtual reality. He states that there is stratification in cyber-space communities, with "insiders" and "outsiders" with different behaviors, roles, and statuses. Schroeder regards the possibilities for extending novel opportunities and experiences in both the natural and social worlds as sociologically relevant. (Schroeder,1997) The way in which individuals perceive themselves and their place in the world, is pertinent to the topic of identity. Researchers have described control as an individual's "belief" that they could effect good or bad events. (Shapiro et al.) The schema theory is described as facts or experiences that are clustered around topics, which provide a frame of reference for individuals to draw upon when making judgements. (Wresch,1996) When one combines these schema with the ways one selectively values the limited information allowed into one's consciousness, it further defines one's sense of identity. One point proposed is, that by role-playing or testing scenarios in cyber-space, some people are better prepared to function in similar real life situations.

Another issue is that of gender switching on the web. Anthropologists describe gender as the cultural elaboration and meaning assigned to the biological differentiation between the sexes, (Haviland, 1997) in the sense that one's sex is biologically determined, but one's sexual identity is culturally assigned. In sociological terms, gender roles are expectations, regarding the proper behavior and activities, and attitudes of males and females. (Schaefer & Lamm,1997) In cyber-space one can assume multiple identities, change gender and explore different facets of their personality. Turkle quotes Jung, saying "Jung believed that for each of us, it is potentially most liberating to become acquainted with our dark side, as well as the other-gendered self, called anima in men and animus in women." (Turkle,1995) In role-playing and gaming, such as the Elendor MUSH, it may be seen as an exercise in fantasy, and a way to create and gain mastery over a persona the individual is in control of.

One definition of society is, a fairly large number of people who live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside it, and participate in a common culture.(Schaefer & Lamm, 1997) In cyber-space, people are forming virtual societies. A sense of familiarity and belonging is created, through interaction and virtual proximity. In the text based online (Multi-User Simulated Hallucinogen) for example, there is a society that fits the textbook definitions. Elendor is based on the JRR Tolkien, Middle Earth books, "The Hobbitt" and "The Lord of the Rings " trilogy. Elendor was established in 1991, and is one of the top three Mush or Muds in active participation according to Elendor has 1600 players and 5700 rooms. The game is hosted by a server at Northern Arizona University, and is played by people of all ages, from all over the world. One of the highest ranking entities in the game, is the "Balrog", a fearsome creature that lives in the bowels of a mountain, inhabited by goblin-like creatures called Orcs who serve her. In reality the Balrog is, Gudrun Hrefna, a successful businesswoman, who lives in Iceland.

The participants in Elendor, refer to their virtual communities as "cultures". Culture by definition is,"A set of rules or standards, shared by members of a society, which when acted on by the members produce behavior that falls within a range of variation the members consider proper and acceptable." (Haviland, 1997). To deviate from the rules can result in punishment or expulsion from the culture. There are both "IC", in character, guidelines for behavior, and "OC" or out of character codes to be followed. These people feel that they know each other. They interact both in and out of character and, in some cases have met face to face at Elendor parties. Richard Moffitt, a Baileyville, Maine small business owner and Elendor role-player for the past six years, attended such a party in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in July of 1998. R. Moffitt (personal communication, July 28, 1998) said, "..that it was just like getting together with old friends, the only period of adjustment was while trying to put a face with a name, in much the same way as when I went to my last high school reunion." Amy Bruckerman, in her graduate work in 1992 at MIT, proposed that whether time spent online is meaningful or not, is a value judgement, may be worth consideration. Bruckerman proposes that our changing perceptions regarding individual, social or cultural identity, are in part prepared by the way we have been saturated with communication in a variety of forms since birth.(as cited in Rheingold,1993)

Sherry Turkle, (Turkle, 1995) puts forth the notion that computer mediated communications have saturated us with both alien and local cultures. Turkle points out that with such widespread social contact, we are adjusting to and incorporating other cultures beliefs and norms to such an extent that we as a society are being deprived of traditional social structures and norms.

Could a feeling of loss of a sense of self be contributing to a feeling of mistrust towards the agent of this change? In this information age, one may locate diverse friends, create an alternate identity and explore avenues of study and areas of culture that were never an option a generation ago. (Turkle, 1995) Culture lag is defined as a period of maladjustment during which the non-material culture adapts to the material culture and foreign ideas are often viewed as threatening. (Schaefer & Lamm, 1997) This definition could be paraphrased by stating that some individuals suffer from a period of misapprehension while the previously non-technical culture is adapting to new technology. This techno-culture lag seems to be more problematic to those who have not had as much experience with the technical and Internet related fields, than for example, the average high school student. The modern teenager sees the Internet in much the same way the children of the 1960's took television for granted.

Does participation in computer mediated communications enhance or dissolve our individual or cultural identity? From an anthropological view, according to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, our individual enculturation provides us with a predisposed way of thinking and behaving when communicating. Our vocabulary is affected by our culture, in that we tend to have more words or ways of expressing ourselves, relative to the degree of importance we attach to our subject. (Haviland, 1997) The way in which one communicates also guides one's thinking and behavior. This is a potential source of problems when communicating outside one's own culture. Phrases and words that are intended to convey one meaning may be misinterpreted and cause embarrassment or offense to a person of a dissimilar culture. The absence of body language, inflection and gestures when communicating by computer, whether through email or chats, seems to be guiding communication to a more generic form and adding a whole new vocabulary of technological terminology.

Modern humanity is part of a networked society, whether directly or indirectly. It's views of the world, its cultures and individual identity are all being reshaped through the impact of the Internet in our lives. People have become cyber-chameleons, adjusting to whomever they are communicating with. This flexibility is characteristic of our times. One generation ago, it was common for a person to be born, live, and die in one community, while being married to the same person and working in the same job. In today's society it is not unusual to change jobs, and move, remarry and adapt multiple times.

Societies suffer a cultural loss when they homogenize and streamline their identities in order to communicate and interact globally. (Featherstone & Burrows, 1995) The modern self is bombarded with instantaneous images of far off peoples, events and cultures and distant happenings. This places the producers of this information in the position of becoming manufacturers of reality. (Eyck,1998) It is more important than ever that the individual become aware of how to distinguish fantasy from reality and evaluate the information that is being served up to them.(Balsalmo). The distribution of knowledge and power has made it more difficult for powerful social institutions to wield the power they once did. Knowledge is power, so perhaps to spread knowledge is to distribute power. One's awareness of choices and decisions, of action and responses, and understanding of what they indicate, and how they interact and relate is what finally comprises an image of oneself, an identity.

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