I’m not going to talk about Facebook. It is nothing new; we all have one, know how it works, and we all have an identity personified through our account. There are so many other online communities that exist, and they are often far more interesting and definitely more helpful than Facebook. The virtual world is composed of information rather than matter; it lacks physical appearance and nonverbal cues (Donath 1996). This absence of face to face interaction is what led us to our discussion on gift economies a few weeks ago. The information we seek online is so valuable and so frequently accessed, yet since we do not have any type of intimate relationship with those we are obtaining information from, we continue to just take information without giving back. However, when users do decide to reciprocate knowledge and expertise, it is often necessary to create an identity to become a part of an online community. I am currently a member at www.dailystrength.org.
Dailystrength.org is an online community that allows individuals with all types of medical issues to come together to have discussions in forums, blogs, and research. Narcolepsy effects 1 in every 2,000 Americans (Schoenstadt 2006). I, myself, happen to be one of them. It is not very common to bump into someone who has had any of the same experiences that I have, or shares a similar daily routine. Both my doctors and father tried to convince me to join online support groups for years (I was diagnosed 5 years ago). Plain and simple, I just did not feel comfortable; it was because of these issues of online identity that made me hesitant to participate.
The World Wide Web is umm well … WORLD WIDE. At the age of fifteen I was scared to jump into such a vast pool of people, regardless of who recommended it. After a rough couple of years, I was desperate for anyone who I could talk to that I felt had actually walked in my shoes, not just someone who would nod their head and claim to understand my condition. So, I began to look at this medical online community from a different perspective. Think about it, when you have a problem it sets you apart from the ‘normal’ human being. People, especially young adults, tend to view any abnormality as a weakness or a need for rehabilitation. And when people think of rehab, we think the worst, which obviously leads to denial… and we get nowhere. The way that any type of rehabilitation or support is shown in the media is basically people sitting in a circle with strangers, repeating lines such as “I feel … when …” You are fully and completely exposed, and often times this approach is far from effective. Sometimes, we are just not the type of people that need a hug or a pat on the back, we just need to know that someone else can relate, understand, or give advice. This brings us back to the absence of the physicality of interaction when we choose to participate in communities online.
When I became a member of dailystrength.org I was asked to create an identity. Since this was my first step in actually becoming a part of anything online other than AIM, it was not even a question whether or not I would use a pseudonym. My user name is Narc13 (narcoleptic and my favorite number is 13); not necessarily giving anything valuable away with this name. The avatar that represents my identity when I post anything on this website is a picture of a sunrise (sunlight always helps me to stay awake on rough days).
As far as someone being able to steal my identity, the only personal information that I was required to give when signing up was my email address. So far, I have not received any junk email, and no one has accessed my account on the website. In terms of my identity and safety within this online community, I feel very confident and comfortable. First, it is a medical website that ends in .org, which always just sounds more official/safe than any random blog. Also, I have yet to experience any trolls in my forums. I feel like people have better things to do than phish through narcolepsy support groups, and so far I’ve been right.
Dailystrength.org has helped me in so many ways, that the risk of having an identity with the website has been well worth it. It is kind of like a version of narcoleptics-anonymous. They can’t see me- I can’t see them- no judgment- strictly information and help. There are countless ways for identity deception to occur online (to catch a predator, facebook, ebay, amazon), however, I wanted to focus on an online identity that I have created that has yet to back fire and has been more helpful than harmful.
sources:
Donath, J.S. (1996). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved on October 2, 2008 from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html
Schoenstadt, Arthur MD. (2006). People With Narcolepsy. Retrieved on October 2, 2008 from
http://sleep.emedtv.com/narcolepsy/people-with-narcolepsy.html
2 comments:
This is an interesting angle you took to this discussion. Anonymous identities definately help someone relate to your situation rather than your background which can be beneficial in your case.
good post... i deff think that since the negative aspects of online identities are so often focused on that we unknowingly look over the good. esp in your case i never really took that into consideration.
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