“Tensions of identity in a networked era: Young people’s perspectives on the risks and rewards of online self-expression”
Katie Davis
This piece of research talked about online identity and the implications of having a profile that may be different from who you are as a person. During my research something that was expressed by ¾ of those I interviewed was a concern for someone to be inauthentic to their online selves. Online dating can oftentimes be more authentic than any other online sphere, as Davis explains, “Though a certain degree of embellishment may be expected on such sites, the success of online dating depends, ultimately, on a couple’s ability to bring their relationship offline,”(Davis,638). Those that I spoke to personally about their experience with different online identities ultimately explained that it would be fairly difficult to be completely ingenuous online. If you ever wanted to meet this person in an offline setting, you would want your profile to be as genuine to who you are as possible while also embellishing here and there.
Hank and I went particularly into depth about identity and his feelings of anxiety when he uses Tinder to find a date because he has certainly interacted with people that were not genuine. The specific features of Tinder however allow for the affordance of more comfortability in online identity because of the cross-media aspect of it which I explained in a previous review. Davis goes on to explain that other people did see some benefits in having a space to express yourself that maybe you would not be comfortable doing. For instance during their case study, a few interviewees claimed they saw Chris (the fake profile) as someone who may have not been comfortable with his offline self, (Davis,643). This can also be true for Tinder, as I learned in a few of my interviews, people will use their best photos and ideal traits of themselves to present online. This is certainly a degree of identity management and as Davis goes onto explain sometimes having different online personas can lead to “…higher levels of identity diffusion,” (Davis,638).
During my own research however, none of my respondents expressed feeling like they were being themselves while using Tinder. They did however explain that most people use the best elements of themselves to make their profile seem more attractive. However we can only speculate the implications this twitter monitoring can lead to. Aside from what Hank expressed as being disappointed when you meet someone offline that isn’t like their profile, a few other issues may ensue. You could feel let down if you were on the other end of the stick and someone else perceives you as disingenuous. Also creating profiles where you seem most attractive does not show people the true you, they only see what you want them to see. This impression management may lead to a future relationship with someone that is built on making yourself look good. The app also creates an environment where looks are the only thing that matter. You select a prospective mate based on the photos they upload of themselves and not necessarily the conversations that follow. Danny, the third person I interviewed expressed to me that he definitely only stops at “hot” profiles and that the way you look is the first thing that attracts you to a mate on Tinder.