Identity and the web

In a realm where a person's true identity can never be known for certain, it is hard to know who we can trust when we use the internet. The cyber world is perhaps the only place where complete anonymity can be maintained, because in this world there are no boundaries.

Unlike in the real world, you can not see the people you communicate with on the internet or hear their voices. There are no fingerprints or DNA in this world, and no way of knowing one's location or where they are really from. The internet has made it easier to create a persona than ever before, thus allowing for a distinct differentiation between human identity and cyber identity.

Although the internet is here to be embraced, users must be skeptical of what they choose to believe and learn to differentiate between fact or fiction.

Articles relating to this topic:

Nichols, Bill (1996). The work of culture in the age of cybernetic systems. In T. Druckery (ed.) Electronic culture: technology and visual representation. New York: Aperture, pp. 121-144.

Ulrich, Beck (1992). Risk society: towards a new modernity. London: Sage Publications.