Open AccessPersonal identity in the virtual space of social networks and real identity: comparative characteristics
Author(s) -
Elena Aleksandrovna Rylskaya,
Dmitry N. Pogorelov
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
âroslavskij pedagogičeskij vestnik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1813-1476
pISSN - 1813-145X
DOI - 10.20323/1813-145x-2021-1-118-105-114
Subject(s) - identity (music) , psychology , social identity approach , social psychology , identity formation , personal identity , personality , social identity theory , space (punctuation) , self concept , social group , computer science , aesthetics , philosophy , operating system
The high referentiality of the virtual space contributes to a certain transformation of the ego-identity of modern users into the so-called identity in the virtual space of social networks. Personal identity in the virtual space of socialnetworks can be considered as a subsystem of ego identity, consisting of textual, visual, and auditory characteristics of the virtual image, reflecting the physical and personal properties and communication features that determine the integrity and identity of the individual within the subculture of users of social networks. The purpose of the article is a comparative analysis of the characteristics of real personality identity and personality identity in the virtual space of social networks. Study sample: 285 social media users aged 18 to 72 years. Research methods: Kuhn – McPartland test «Who am I?» with the modification «Who am I online?» and subsequent content analysis by a team of three experts. The study revealed that self-descriptions of real identity are more formalized, more often reflect the respondents' focus on real-life problems and contain negative connotations in the presentation of their character traits, emotional and physical state. In the characteristics of real identity, descriptions of oneself from the standpoint of marital status and actually performed social roles, interpretation of physical appearance and appearance are predominant. The image of a person in the virtual space of social networks, being more multifaceted, is characterized by greater creativity, predominance of positive emotional states, elements of «embellishment» of oneself, manifestations of an aggressive style of behavior. In the descriptions of personality identity in the virtual space of social networks, there are more often ideas about oneself from the standpoint of interpreting the sphere of communication and the peculiarities of communication with people, in the context of the specifics of activities in social networks, there is a large number of characteristics associated with the virtual appearance. In the presented self-descriptions, an invariant component was also revealed, containing general categories for real identity and personality identity in the virtual space of social networks: personality traits, character traits, activity content, abilities.