Ralph Columa

GEUSELF - A62C
My Digital Self

My digital self is varied. Many characteristics comprise who I am as an individual in the

digital world. I integrated the characteristics of my real self into my digital self. How I interact
on social media defines my digital self, and I mainly express it through my posts on social
media. Based on what I post, I am an emotional person, a passionate sports fan, a person who
cares about other people and shows love for them, a person who is active in politics, a person
who is a clown, and a person who posts the best pictures or is like a model.

My real self is not so different from my digital self, as there are just quite a few
differences only. My real self and my digital counterpart have many similarities. I love helping
people, watching sports, working out, socializing with important people in my life, etc. I am also
the kind of person that experiences different emotions, and it is evident whether in the real or
virtual world. Sometimes I am happy, sad, and angry. But here is where my digital self differs
from my real one. Through my digital self, I express what I cannot through my real self. I talk
about topics I would otherwise not talk about in the real world due to the people around me. I
would also try to look as good as possible in my pictures to gain more likes and reactions. In
contrast, my real self is an ambivert. It means that it depends on my comfortability with the
people around me. If I am not comfortable, I would just stay silent with them. If I am
comfortable, I would be so talkative with them, talking about different topics and life.

It can be both and it depends on the context and the situation. On one hand, we construct
our digital selves by choosing to share certain posts on social media that suits our interest or is
consistent with who we are as individuals. In other words, it is up to us how we create our digital
selves. On the other hand, the internet constructs us by guiding us virtually using its features.
The internet’s features can define how we can move, how much, and how wide the scope of our
movement is. And they can serve as a guide in knowing ourselves even better.

The dimensions of the digital self are composed of one’s interests and characteristics that
are shown online. How one shows other dimensions of themselves online depends on what social
media platform that person uses, which defines the digital self. There are features of a certain
social media platform that fits how the person wants to express themself online. And there is a
particular culture that is established in each digital platform. If a person expresses themself
mainly through videos, one must use YouTube for longer videos or TikTok for shorter videos. If
a person wants to look beautiful in pictures, one should probably use Instagram or Snapchat. If a
person wants to rant or express opinions on different issues in life, one should go for Twitter. If a
person wants to have fun by sharing memes and funny videos, to show a side that one does not
often show, and to just be themself then Facebook is the perfect platform for it.