A theory of unified online identity

How are we to conceive of ourselves as selves on the Internet? Is there anything unique or special about the way in which we relate to ourselves in cyberspace?

one has online identity because one’s use of the computer-mediated technology forces one to self dentify to other Internet users and, reflexively, to oneself

while the Internet does not change our conception of self in any it can affect, expand, and alter the way in which we view ourselves

unified online identity is presented as an explanation of how cyberspace affects our notion of identity

Sherry Turkle : we see ourselves differently as we catch sight of our images in the mirror of the machine.the self as fragmented and non-autonomous( multiplicity of identities that can radically differ from each other and perhaps more importantly, differ from one’s RL self).the value our cyber identities have for increased self-knowledge ( the potential for new experiences brought about from multiple online identities, in which our RL self is largely invisible)// the Internet is suggestive of a decentered theory of self which ought to make us reconsider our very notion of our identities// no unity of the self // The Internet provides Turkle with the tools and means for explicating postmodern theory and an account of the decentered self.//

culture of calculation -- culture of simulation pcs transparent,macs opaque, linux()macintosh mystique, computer “a collection of on/off switches, of bits and bytes, of traveling electrons,” however, the Macintosh strove to make these “irrelevant” to the user

Aaron Slevin

Turkle on the mind and the self :

Imagine that you enter a virtual world and encounter yourself example.constructing one identity, a feat not easily replicated outside of cyberspace.the one can be many and the many can be one

homepages reflect something from their creators (realise sth new)

one can acquire new kinds of self-knowledge or engage in new forms of self- deception. personal homepage design>>who am i>>who am i really and what image of myself do i want to present