Real Identity vs. Online Identity

When talking about Facebook profiles, it is important to analyze the content of that profile. Every little detail is an important part of the profile because every part of a profile helps build a person’s online identity. I say online identity rather than just identity because there is often a difference between a person’s real identity and what they post on the internet. Whether a person hides tagged pictures of themselves or de-tags the bad ones, expresses their interests, presents their relationship status or major, hides their wall, updates their status every day or plays games on Facebook, these actions all indicate the online identity.
What I’m saying is that our Facebook profiles only match a certain part of our personality and identity. It’s like going on a date. You put on nice clothes. You stop swearing for the night. You don’t talk about your crazy mother. You hide the self-help books. It's the same thing with Facebook. You can present yourself in a certain light so others perceive you to be a certain way. For example, you could be really into drinking and going out to bars but your entire profile shows a professional version of yourself. Limited pictures (and all in a business-like setting), professional interests (such as non-profits or charities) and knowledge of things you are interested in (through links posted on the wall and status updates on what is going on with certain issues). By looking at a profile like this, one wouldn't suspect a heavy drinker in their spare time.
This idea is especially important to the college aged kids and younger using Facebook. Labels still dominate lives and having the right label is extremely important. No one wants to be perceived as a loser, especially by Facebook "friends" who often consist of people from the past (and everyone wants to show they are doing better than that person they couldn't stand in high school). By typing information into the About Me boxes and designating interests and activities, a person is essentially declaring who they are (or who they want to be perceived as) to the Facebook community. Self-identification and identity crisis go hand in hand for many young users on Facebook trying to figure out who they are in real life. The online identity often helps define their real identity, rather than the other way around (which is how it should be).
In an article called "Identity construction on Facebook: Digital empowerment in anchored relationships" by Shanyang Zhao, the idea of constructed identities is elaborated on. Zhao says that in all online settings an identity is created. However, there is a difference between anonymous settings and settings such as Facebook. Anonymous settings often foster an implicit telling of someone's personality, meaning a person often just types what they believe, what they are thinking, how they feel. Basically it is a reaction based environment. In less anonymous settings, such as Facebook, a person will "show rather than tell" and it is a much more explicit environment. Zhao says a person's online identity often plays into their perception of themselves, which falls into two categories: the "now selves" and the "possible selves." The now selves are how a person is known to others while the possible self is what a person sees in their future. Their online identity often plays into their possible self and helps actualize this identity through the social media platform.
Facebook has helped changed the way people perceive others as well as how a person perceives themselves. A morphing of the line between what is real and what isn't has happened because of Facebook and the idea of a real identity and an online identity have almost become one in the same for some people.