Managing Multiple Identities
- Managing multiple identities – is reputation a constant amongst various online or virtual identities? Does it form the common link between them all? Or can reputation fracture according to the specific identity you inhabit at the moment?
I think it’s actually more interesting to consider reputation as a constant amongst various identities, because it adds a layer of complexity to the somewhat uni-dimensional identities we establish online. Those identities, I’d venture to say, are based on stereotypes and assumptions as much on the part of the people viewing those identities as they are projected by the individuals who inhabit them.
So maybe the guy who’s really into the death-metal scene IS really good with kids. Such a revelation asks us to confront our assumptions, preconceptions, and stereotypes about individuals. I think this aspect is a particularly interesting part of the idea, because it starts to deal with social relationships and creating stronger or more meaningful bonds between people.
How does this relate to sustainability? Well, I think that of the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability, the social aspect is (at least for me) rather difficult to grasp. I mean, what is social sustainability? It’s the one part of the three which I haven’t really focused on, aside from tacitly acknowledging that people need to like solutions and want to use them. But is there more to it?
I think there is. I think social sustainability addresses issues of community and relationships between people. I can see it relating to environmental concerns because we need to acknowledge that other people are real, as silly as that sounds. My sense is that as we lead more virtual lives, connected via email and phone calls more than handshakes and family dinners, the understanding that we are all human beings becomes something akin to background noise.