ALM Assignment 2 - Profile Output 1

An identity is subjective as it reflects who we are as an individual. It is the sense of self as produced through various cultural, political, legal and linguistic influences (Cover and Doak, 2015 p.547). Similar to the non-digital world, online identity is shaped through outside influences showcased in digital media as a medium. According to Turkle (2011), online networks promote multiple, simultaneous, and mediated interactions that reduce critical reflection and can lead to isolation anxiety (Cover and Doak, 2015 p.551).

According to Merchant, Internet-based communication can actually pose a threat to one’s identity, or put it another way, going online involves putting yourself on the line due to the idea that Internet-based environments are unstable and that the everyday sense of trust that lies behind face-to-face communication (Grice, 1975) is no longer a reliable assumption (Merchant, 2006 p.236) .

Instagram is my go-to social media. The portrayal of my identity differs among my close friends and the public. Online venues assume, invite and depend on audiences, sometimes intimate, sometimes not (Smith and Watson, 2014 p.74). In my main account, I would tend to filter my captions as well as post pictures that I’m only fond of or worthy of the hype. Both my hobbies include traveling and food photography. Thus, it is reflected through my Instagram stories filled with aesthetically pleasing food pictures as well as traveling scenery.

Left: Main Account - Instagram

Right: Private Account - Instagram

Most of my posts are composed of traveling pictures from visiting Petra, Jordan to Iceland. One thing to know about my family is that we love to go to exotic places. We had volcanic masks put on our faces in the Blue Lagoon as well as wearing hijabs in Iran as it was custom to women to wear since it is a Muslim majority country. It was an experience. But, my favourite holiday spot would be beaches such as Bali and Byron Bay located in Australia. I would say that I’ve been through the five continents and learning their own culture really opened my eyes. Other than that, I mostly post special events such as my high-school graduation and prom that happened last year as well as dedicated posts to birthdays.

Instagram also acts as a tool to increase interaction between your followers and yourself. By posting traveling and food pictures on Instagram posts and stories, people tend to be curious and ask questions hoping that I could help them on what to eat or do when they visit the country that I’ve been to. Most people don’t realize these minor benefits that social media has offered us.

My followers ranges from people that I’m close to people that I’m not even close with. As seen from the picture above, my main account has more than 3,000 followers. Having that many followers, Instagram acts as a platform to raise awareness about my eating disorder with the aim to inspire others as seen in the infographic above. Eating disorder is frowned upon in the Asian community, as mental health is a vague topic discussed among Asian families. As online venues preferred vehicles for composing, circulating, monitoring, and managing one’s brand (Smith and Watson, 2014 p.79). I want to self-brand myself as an influencer and if possible, inspire others that are going through the same journey as I am with my eating disorder.

On the other hand, my finsta, which refers to a second Instagram account used for sharing with a smaller circle of followers that is usually more private, documents my everyday life particularly my weight gain journey due to my eating disorder. This could be seen with the number of posts in both pictures, where I have 150+ posts on my finsta as opposed to my main that has only double digits number of posts. Showing my true personality on finsta helps an individually to express their true form without worrying about being judged as what you put out there is between you and your close friends that you are able to trust.

Left: Second Twitter Account, Right: Main Twitter Account

Aside from Instagram, I have been active recently on Twitter for academic purposes. Twitter allows you to follow as much accounts you prefer and able to tweet messages up to 140 characters, as well as retweet tweets that we agree with and catch up with the news simply just accessing the application. Just like Instagram, I have two Twitter accounts. My second Twitter account is dedicated to my prior admiration towards a K-Pop group, Wannaone. I would reply to second-hand sellers for tickets as well as following other fan accounts to save images on my biases.

References:

Cover and Doak 2015, Identity Offline and Online, Research Gate, retrieved 21 April 2020, <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304194067_Identity_Offline_and_Online>.

Merchant, G 2006, Identity, Social Networks and Online Communication, Sage Journals, retrieved 21 April 2020, <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2304/elea.2006.3.2.235>.

Smith, S and Watson, J 2014, ‘Virtually Me: A Toolbox about Online SelfPresentation’, in Poletti, A and Rak, J (eds.), Identity Technologies: Constructing the Self Online, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, pp. 70-95.