LESSON 6: WHO I AM IN THE CYBERWORLD?

DIGITAL SELF

Digital Self - The self that is constructed online called the “Digital Self” (Otig et al., 2018)

Online Identity – Implies that there is a distinction between how people present themselves online and
how they do

offline.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONLINE SELF AND OFFLINE SELF IS NARROWING

In contrast to the internet of the 1990s, people today use social media primarily to communicate with
people they

know in “real life” contexts (e.g home, work, school)

Wireless networking and portable devices like smartphones and tablets make it easy to access social
media as part of

day-to-day life, rather than having to formally “log on” to the internet. (Marwick, 2013 as cited in
Villafuerte et al.)

Self-presentation

- It refers to how people attempt to present themselves to control or shape how others (called the
audience) view

them. It involves expressing oneself and believing in ways that create a desired impression.

Impacts of Social Media

People fuse their social and personal lives with their social media accounts.

Social networking sites are used to initiate, maintain, and deepen social ties-family, friends,
“communities”.

Cyberbullying

- Insults, shaming, spreading rumors, social exclusion

- context, time, audience of bullying extends beyond the school

- Anonymity and distance diminish empathy and increase aggression

Fear of Missing Out

“… the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you are missing out-that your peers are doing,
in the

know about, or in possession of more or something better than you.

Goldilocks Hypothesis
Too little – deprive youth of benefits of technology and social media use

Too much – mental health, well-being suffer, increase exposure to risks

Just right – deprive benefits without the ill effects

LESSON 7: SPIRITUAL SELF

Spirituality vs. Religion

Spirituality is more personal - “often individual rather than the collective”

Religion is more organized and collective

Meditation -mental exercise, breathing exercises, mindfulness for the purpose of reaching a heightened
level of a

spiritual awareness. It can induce feelings of calm and clear-headedness, as well as an improved
concentration and

attention.

Prayer – a spiritual communion with God as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration or confession.

Journaling - another contemplative practice that can help you become aware of your inner life and feel
more connected

to your experience and the world around you.

The Functions of Religion

- Religion is an expression of collective consciousness.

- As societies come in contact with other societies, there is a tendency for religious systems to
emphasize universalism

to a greater and greater extent.

- Some examples of universal truths: “born equal, leave equal” , “money does not bring happiness”,
“true fulfillment

comes from thinking beyond yourself”