Identity on the Internet

I found this video online in Noob.us and I was interested in what this adolescent child wanted to say in his video. It was one of the first videos that came about and was rated on a higher scale than most, and it gave me an understanding about internet identity for the youth today. The video was titled “Perverted little kid discovers Vanessa Hudgens nude pics,” I am not sure if the kid himself titled it, but it seems like a distasteful title for oneself. I may never know, but what I am concern about is the identity part of this video. The problem with these blogs is viewers are not even sure if these people are like this in person. Since they use a second medium to portray themselves, we can’t help wonder if they utilize the camera as a way to convey their fake identities (hiding behind a camera or the internet).

Identity plays a pivot role in the internet. Because people can become anyone they desire, with the click of a button, one can control their identity with limitless possibilities. In the reading Born Digital, Palfrey and Gasser discusses how social identity in the Internet age is dramatically changed, for example in this video the boy is talking about naked pictures of Vanessa Hudgens, that might as well be his personal identity, however when others view this video; they are going to perceive him differently. The title is probably stated by someone else’s perception of his identity just by watching his video. The reading also suggests that “Digital Natives is different from identity formation among predigital generations in the sense that there is more experimentation and reinvention of identities, and there are different modes of expression”, in the video example that I chose, the boy can be reinventing his identity through the usage of the blog (Palfrey, Gasser 21). This tackle on identity can be a growth in personal development at the same time youth are realizing their role in life and using advanced technology, or a trouble in identifying oneself with the digital age.