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Running head: SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT OUR INTERNET IDENTITY?

Should We Worry About Our Internet Identity?

Gina Zavala Alvarado
Rhetoric and Composition RWS 1301
Teacher: Brenda Gallardo
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Abstract

Internet Identity is the identity by which one goes by online. The internet has become an

important part of our daily life, and so the interactivity between the user and the web. This paper

discusses how internet identity affects users psychologically and physically by concrete data

retrieved from surveys that show how Internet users behave in friendly and non-friendly

environments. Through data analysis, a connection is shown between the users actions on the

Internet and their psychological stability. Anonymous and true identity users differences and

similarities are explained so that their behavior is understood. As Internet activity has grown

over the years, a sudden increase on criminal corruption has also emerged throughout society. By

explaining Identity Theft, this paper also explains the connection between the behavior of users

in social media and on-line shopping.

Finally, this paper explains and shows the reader the importance of the Internet Identity in our

lives and how that behavior affects the user in many ways.
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Introduction

The Internet has become a great place for communication around the world. It may go

from acquiring new knowledge, to the exchange of goods. It first began as a privilege to some,

and has now transformed into a tool of access for almost everyone in the world. Nowadays,

people use the Internet daily more than we imagine. According to the Internet World Stats

(2017), on average 51.7 % of the world population, around 3.9 billion people, uses Internet daily.

Although many use it for educational purposes, for who they use if for personal use as social

media, online shopping, ect have some factors that define the users behavior that may lead to

a change on personality or even an unknown danger.

This paper will analyze the meaning and explains the concepts of the behavior of users

online, called Internet Identity, and how the relationship is relevant for the physiological

wellbeing of the user. Along within the behavior, another important topic in this paper discusses

is how the Internet Identity might have a relationship between online crime, also called Identity

theft.

Internet Identity

Internet Identity is the behavior that users have on the Internet. Many people may think

that our true identity and the one online should be the same, but actually it isnt. According to

McKenna (1998), Internet Identity is not only different from ourselves, but very important for

communication and group identification. Is completely normal for us humans to seek a social

group where identification occurs. The motives for pursuing that social group are mainly to

obtain self-esteem, reduce uncertainty about oneself, and to feel you belong with someones

(McKenna, 1998).
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As the Internet usage has become something that gained popularity over the years, so as

the people that utilize it for communication and social interaction. This social interaction has a

great potential for communication for all around the world. The Latin origin of

communication, for instance, implies an intersubjective sharing that makes common to the

participants a set of meanings and thus joins them in an interpretive community without

necessarily making them uniform (Fornas, J., 2002). This interactivity has become so ordinary to

people from all ages, which sometimes gives them the same satisfaction as non-digital

communication.

Importance of Identity

In original, physical communication, it is important to show our true identity for ethical

reasons. Not doing so, portraits a falsity or the hiding of something in our lives. Internet

communication being somewhere easy to interact without physically showing all your true form,

is more accessible to omit some parts of us or even change our true identity. Because its easier

to type an ideal version of ourselves, many people behave and portrait a false version of

themselves. Digital or physical, because our Identity defines us portraits ourselves, it is important

to take care of it (Brody, R. G., 2007).

There are some factors that define our behavior online, and more importantly, how we

display our Identity. Self-esteem, identity issues, and group identification are the most common

ones (Chou, C., 2000). People how have problems with low self-esteem find a better shelter in

the Internet. Identity issues might be easier to solve by portraying multiple faces online. Even in

order to enter a social group, people lie about their identity to be socially accepted. These factors

take a big place in false identities that wonder around in the Internet.
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Identity Theft

Identity Theft is the crime of taking someone elses personal information and use it for

the offender benefits (Brody, R. G., 2007). It is a crime that can happen to anyone. Before the

Internet Era, most of the Identity Theft was made by passports or credit cards stolen. From those,

the criminals obtained enough information for them to buy and act with their victim identity.

Internet and social media has become a pathway for Identity Theft. By giving out

personal information to the web, criminals may hack or retrieve that data and use it (Diney,

2006). This is very dangerous and easy for criminals thanks to all the information the victims

themselves show public. In comparison, social networking sites do not usually provide filtering

mechanisms or warnings for dangerous content, hence, making it easier, in principle, for a

potential attacker to send malicious applications and URLs to victims (Bilge, L, 2009).

Identity theft might be done throughout the internet, even without the users

acknowledge. In the most subtle ways, the criminal approaches to the victim with a false identity,

trying to convince the user to give our personal information. By trying to persuade the victim

with a more compelling persona, the victim believes the criminal is a true friend, as confides

personal information to the new friend. Other type of less communicative approach is when

the criminal uses technology and malware to hack into the victims profile, retrieving personal

information that the user wanted to keep in private. As more and more people started using e-

mail, unsolicited (i.e, spam) e-mails started increasing in numbers. In fact, spam has reached

such high proportions that the Spamhouse Project [12] now estimates that about 90% of the

incoming e-mail traffic in North America, Europa and Australasia is spam (Bilge, L., 2009). A

survey made by the Federal Trade Commission (2003) 2.4% of participants indicated that they
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had discovered that they were victims of the Misuse of Existing Credit Cards or Credit Card

Numbers within the last year.

Online Behavior

As Identity theft being one of the most dangerous acts committed on the internet that

affects a vast amount of people, users have been more aware of it in the past few years. Users

reevaluate about adding true information to their social media or remain anonymous. By showing

their true identity, they become true to themselves but are on the edge of danger from criminals

(Stretton, T., 2015). On the other hand, by becoming anonymous they are somehow in a safe

position, but without the freedom for social interaction in the Internet.

The online behavior has been affected by the Identity Theft found on the Internet. The

constant fear of almost anyone to be able to collect personal information sometimes is greater

than the satisfaction of having your true identity online and be part of a social group.

Conclusion

Internet Identity is our information that we project on the internet. Social communication,

groups and interaction between users are able around the world thanks to the Internet. However,

as a tool available to almost anyone, theres some dangerous people how can access it to. People

have changed their behavior online over the years. More people change their true name on

Facebook, dont post any picture on Instagram, mostly for the danger it may become to potential

criminals. Criminals that can take personal information from servers and use it for their own

benefit are the ones that change our behavior. Even though our Internet Identity is and will be

something important, we should take into consideration what we show or add into our online

social life.
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References

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automated identity theft attacks on social networks. In WWW '09 Proceedings of the 18th

international conference on World wide web pp. 551-560). New York: ACM.

doi:10.1145/1526709.1526784

Brody, R. G., Mulig, E., & Kimball, V. (2007). Phishing, pharming and identity theft. In Brody,

R. G., Mulig, E., & Kimball, V, Academy of Accounting and Financial Studies Journal,

(pp 11-43).

Chou, C., & Hsiao, M. (2000). Internet addiction, usage, gratification, and pleasure experience:

the Taiwan college students case. Computers & Education, 35(1), 65-80.

doi:10.1016/s0360-1315(00)00019-1

Dinev, T., & Hart, P. (2006). Internet Privacy Concerns and Social Awareness as Determinants of

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Fornas, J., & Fornas, J. (2002). Digital borderlands: cultural studies of identity and interactivity

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Mckenna, K. Y., & Bargh, J. A. (1998). Coming out in the age of the Internet: Identity

"demarginalization" through virtual group participation. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology, 75(3), 681-694. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.75.3.681

Stretton, T., & Aaron, L. (2015). The dangers in our trail of digital breadcrumbs. In Computer

Fraud & Security, 2015(1), 13-15. doi:10.1016/s1361-3723(15)70006-0

US Federal Trade Commission. (2003, September). Federal Trade Commission--Identity Theft

Survey Report [PDF]. Washington, DC : US Federal Trade Commission.

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World Internet Users Statistics and 2017 World Population Stats. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11,

2017, from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm