Digital Identities

http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/12/30/social-media-update-2013/

The latest Pew Research Internet survey states that 73% of online adults in America now use a social networking site of some kind. This shows that the majority of Americans now have a digital identity.
Now it has been identified that Instagram users are as likely to check the site as much as Facebook users.
Many other social networking sites are becoming almost as dominant as Facebook, such as Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, etc, which shows much much of an impact social networking has on our lives.

6 years ago, when Pew conducted a similar survey, only 5% of American adults claimed to use social networks, whilst now it is half of America. This shows how much social networking has affected our daily lives, through the way in which we communicate.
It is also evident that social networking has become more dominant due to the rise of smartphones, therefore many people, especially teenagers are always interacting through social network sites. The social media has become a huge phenomenon. For example, often you see people around campus, or in various public places with their faces glued to their smartphones.

Social networking can have a negative impact on peoples lives though. Identities of people on internet can ultimately be ruined due to the fact personal information can spread across the internet for everyone to see forever. For example, Amanda Todd's story.
In addition, many people create there own anonymous identities as it is easy to mask yourself behind a screen. However, sometimes this can go too far, for example, through the idea of the 'catfish' where people decieve others in believing they are someone they are not, by taking a fake identity of someone else.
Even though there are negative effects of social network, it is evident that it can also produce enhanced relationships between peers and can promote more face to face time if you discover you have a similar interest with someone.