George Siemens, Associate Director, Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute (TEKRI), Athabasca U

“Identity Formation in Distributed Networks and Social Spaces”

Abstract: The formation of identity is now heavily influenced by technology. The events that comprise identity no longer exist in physical spaces. Through social media and mobile technologies, individuals participate in conversations and profile development in numerous settings. As a result, identity - what it is and how it is formed and shaped - is a far more complex concept than what existed only a few short decades ago. In physical settings, identify formation and projection is based on environment and context. In online settings, various social networks and groups interact without established boundaries. As a consequence, social and personal networks interact with professional ones. In these porous settings, individuals are confronted with challenges around how to manage and project the various "sides of themselves". This paper explores how digital media, particularly social networks, impact traditional conceptions of identity as well as processes of developing, concealing, and adjusting representations of selves.