Writing Online

Fred Stutzman, a PhD student in Information Science, has a compilation of links to research on Facebook. These articles cover concepts like identity, networks, and other ideas we’ll be covering in class.

The Read/Write Web conducted an informal survey and out of 511 respondents, 55% of people regularly or always fake their web identities. They note limitations to the poll, but still wonder:

What do others make of the poll results so far? 55% of people regularly or always faking their Web identity seems quite high, but is it just a reflection of the current era of the Web – which is mostly about socializing and entertainment? Also perhaps faking your Web identity is just plain common sense on social networks and social blogs, because who knows if what you write today will bite you in the bum 10-15 years down the line.

One issue we’ll look at is that of identity. People often assume pseudo-identities in virtual communities. With respect to dating and business ventures, however, real offline identities are essential. The Read/Write Web has a post “Nobody knows you’re a dog 2.0” on this problem:

On the internet it is easy to pretend to be somebody else. Don’t like your name, adopt a new one. Don’t like the way you look, Photoshop your picture. Think you are too young or too old, select a new age. How is anybody going to find out anyway?

To tackle this problem, Identity Verification Services are arising. The Read/Write Web reviews three of these–Trufina, Opinity, and Idology–and the issues they bring with them, and conclude that “there is still a lot of room for improvement.”