Digital Identity: I am the Symbol of My Own Creation

A few weeks ago we discussed how we would create a public image of ourselves that could be used within the mass media. I believe that to make a successful image of ones self, one simply mustn’t tell all the gritty details. People don’t want to know the ‘real you’ they want to see the highly stylised image of you that can become a symbol. You have to represent something. To some Corey Worthington represents out of control teenagers and the dangers of the Internet and social networking spaces. For along time all the images that appeared of him within the media included his female retro yellow glasses and a hoodie. He became an icon and an symbol rather then a person.

One of the important elements to creating a popular symbol is to create an image to which the majority of people can relate. For many leftist alternative types, Che Guevara represents counterculture, revolution and freedom to the oppressed. The fact that within popular culture the only image of him is iconic helps to spread the cause and the symbol.



So, what identity would I want to create for myself? I would like to be perceived as a champion of counterculture and an urban revolutionary. I would like to spread a message of anti-establishment freedom within the world of art and urban life, similar to the English stencil artist Banksy who culture-jams the streets of the world. With the Internet I am able to create this image of myself and promote the work of urban artists who use graffiti to express themselves. But the reality of who I am as a person may be someone who a pro establishment rightwing ‘square.’

Identity can be constructed and propagated in the digital world, but these identities cannot be called ‘false.’ The fact that they were created in the first place is informative of the ‘true’ identity of the person. We all have our part to play within the digital world. Digital identities are valid identities for they point to what the person aspires to become. The brilliance of identity is that it is forever changing evolving and growing.