We are social animals. Since the beginning of time human has proved to be the smartest among other species. And it is no co-incidence that we climbed on the top of the food chain by devising language that enabled us to communicate and no other means. Today the evolution of human communication has led us to the era of mass communication. The mediums have also evolved over time. By no means, we can deny the fact that the primary medium of communication is heavily dependent on social media. Living in the world of digitization, we slowly adapted the idea of digital identity.

So, what is digital identity?

We all have names and every individual has their own attributes. The name and attributes combined together create their identity which can be referred to perform various tasks. Right before the era of advancement of computing technology, we would keep this data stored either in pictorial form or written form. But now as we have harnessed the power of information technology, also learnt to store and share data at a lightning-fast speed. Therefore, the birth of social media. We have literally migrated into digital platform from a cognate one. There are over a billion of people today have social media presence on multiple platforms. It has revolutionized communications, to the extent that it is now our preferred medium of everyday communication. We sometimes only know about someone by their social media presence. In almost everything we do; we use the Internet. Shopping online, booking tickets, sharing a moment with a friend, sending a picture over instant messaging. Every single action we perform on internet lives a digital footprint. In whole, these digital foot prints are one’s digital identity.  

Communication opportunity and internet

Advancement in social media have changed our lives, altering the way we interact with our loved ones, our friends, and our sexual partners. It has forced us to rethink even basic daily activities like studying and shopping, it has affected the economy by nurturing the business start-up culture and electronic commerce. During pandemic, we have realised this like never before. The only way we could keep in touch with others via internet.

Education in the era of internet

The social media has largely impacted various levels of education by unleashing unbounded possibilities for learning. Now we can use the Internet to create and share information and knowledge. It brings a perspective that includes ways of teaching and learning that captivate and stimulate students’ imagination at anytime, anywhere, using any device.  Now a student can refer to a pool of information that is networked. A network of networks is the future in which we can validate any information within a second. One can make a very conscious choice about what information to receive, how, and when.

Influence in culture

Back in days, when people indulged into any festival or cultural activities, no one thought of uploading their moments on social media or sharing them with the world. The only knowledge one could get hold of by reading news dailies or by watching/listening broadcast media. The internet and social media have connected the whole world. Now anyone can become part of any culture or festival just by unlocking their computing device. It definitely has its own pros and cons. But internet has definitely enabled human to live in a world which is global and enormously beneficial for innovation in all fields of endeavour—the creation of new goods, services, and ideas, the advancement of knowledge and society and increasing well-being. We can see and experience things that wasn’t possible before.

When we look at it as a great achievement in human history, must not forget that every achievement has a cost. The cost can possibly be as vicious as self-destruction of our own race. Convenience should never over shadow our own identity. Now everyone is connected to everyone else in a simpler, more accessible, and more immediate way. We spend more time using our laptops, smart phones, and tablets than looking around our surrounding and sharing a real connection. It’s not a food for thought but a genuine responsibility we all should pay heed to.

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