Online identity is an issue in cyberspace that has caused much discussion. Many studies have concentrated on how individuals change their identity when interacting on the Internet. Characteristics of an individual that are often changed when they are online include age, gender, sexuality, race and status, just to name a few.

The online environment offers many opportunities for the individual to assume an identity different from that they occupy in the real world. In cyberspace, Turkle (Whitley 1997) argues that you can just be whoever you want really, whoever you have the capacity to be. You don't have to worry about the slots other people put you in as much. It's easier to change the way people perceive you, because all they've got is what you show them. They don't look at your body and make assumptions. They don't hear your accent and make assumptions. All they see is your words.

Gender is a major identity characteristic that is changed when people assume other identities online. This can be as simple as changing your first name to initials and therefore disguising your gender. It is not uncommon for users to deliberately take on the persona of the opposite sex when interacting in cyberspace.

This is shown by Turkle (Weber 2000) who uses an example of a man who finds it easier to be assertive when playing a woman, because he believes male assertiveness is not frowned upon while female assertiveness is considered hip, and the woman who has the opposite response, believing that it is easier to be aggressive when she plays a male, because as a woman she would be considered "bitchy."

Status is another characteristic that is often changed in the online environment. This is not just relevant to adults, as it might seem. Lewis (Staples 2004) describes a radical case involving a 15-year-old boy who posed as 25-year-old legal expert for an Internet information service. Once caught by real world lawyers it was said he felt the least bit guilty. This case shows how easy it is for a child as young as 15 to adapt a new identity.

There are many reasons why individuals change their identity in cyberspace; it could come down to self-esteem, or even boredom and the need to create an exciting new identity. People may change characteristics as they may feel those who they are interacting with will better accept them. Whatever the reason, it is a very common practice in the online environment for one to change their identity.

Reference

Staples, B 2004, ‘What adolescents miss when we let them grow up in cyberspace', New York Times, 29 May, p. 14.

Weber, D 2000, Subjectivity and Gender-Identity in Cyberspace , viewed 3 September 2004, http://www.gwu.edu/~medusa/2001/cyberfem.html

Whitley, E 1997, ‘In cyberspace all they see is your words', Information Technology & People , vol. 10, no. 2pp. 147-163.