Personal and Professional Digital Identity
How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?
Digital Identity is the way a person presents themselves and is perceived online. Identity online can be expressed through photos, comments, a profile photo, and social media accounts. Your digital identity can be super similar to how you present yourself as a person, or it can be vastly different. I have a family friend who is an influencer who has over 400k followers on Instagram, and her personality off camera is different from online. What we choose to share online can influence how people understand us professionally and personally.
There is a difference between how I present myself on my personal social media, such as Instagram, and my professional digital identity, such as LinkedIn. On my personal Instagram, I post hikes that I enjoy and photos with my close friends and family. My personal Instagram showcases my personal interests of mine and I feel as though it showcases my personality. However, when using a more professionally focused app, I am more intentional about how I present myself. I want my profile to represent my education, work experience, and skills related to jobs I am interested in. I think about how my profile would be viewed by an employer.
Reflecting on my professional and personal identities makes me think about how having clear boundaries is important. If your account is public, something you intended for just friends and family can be viewed by someone in your professional network. This is why I ensure my account is private and still limit what I post because I do like having a limited online presence.
Digital platforms can be valuable for growing a professional learning network, as discussed in my Flight Path. Platforms like LinkedIn can be super useful as a university student, as it allows me to connect with professionals in my field and gain valuable advice. I know three other graduate students who have found their full-time positions through networking on LinkedIn. Overall, I want to ensure that my online presence, personal and professional, represents me well but continues to represent me as authentically as possible. I feel like staying authentic is super important in today’s day and age, where so much we see online is biased. I learned in a previous class that 44% of women and 55% of men lie on their dating profiles (Charlie, 2022). That is a LOT of people. Stay authentic!