Risks of digital identity in social networks

 Digital identity is the aspect of digital technology that is concerned with the mediation of people’s experience of their own identity and the identity of other people and things. Digital identity also has another common usage as the digital representation of a “set of claims made by one digital subject about itself or another digital subject” (Kim Cameron). Summarizing, it is all our footprints on internet. However, nowadays it is becoming very difficult to control our Digital Identity because of social networks. In spite of being  socializing tools, they are becoming important focus of danger.

According to Jerri Ledford there are five areas we should be especially cautious about when we are creating our digital identity:

Digital identity and risks

 Joachim Klewes and  Robert Wreschniok claim digital identity and reputation management consists of monitoring and analyzing of the online reputation for a brand or individual as represented by all media types across the Social Web. Your reputation reflects how trustworthy your brand is. Managing your online reputation starts with a transparent Digital Identity that enables you to earn trust and build connections. Anonymity is no longer an option for those trying to create Social Capital in the networked world.

Having a digital identity can be very useful for people because this allows them to publish information about themselves or their business in order to improve their reputation, increasing the benefits in some companies, etc. However, digital identity can be very dangerous too. People can thieve your identity and many times you can find yourself in a big trouble. To make it clear, in the following paragraphs I am going to explain the concept of digital identity and some risks it may involve.

Solove and Shainberg on the risks of our digital Identities

J. Solove or Gary Shainberg claim that the visibility, reputation and privacy on the Internet become key issues to the effective management of digital identity. The ability to manage a virtual identity is not instrumental, but is related to the learning  and immersion in digital culture; required for the citizen who lives in the network society.