JuliannaI came across an interesting post on Conversation Agent the other day that explored the concept of Digital Identity, not to be confused with Virtual Identity.
You no doubt have heard of Second Life. Launched in 1979, this Internet-based virtual ‘World’ (comes in two versions- teen and adult) has more than 9 million ‘Residents’ AKA paying customers each with his or her own unique virtual identity. Residents socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create things and trade virtual property and/or services with one another. (Check out Vancouver blogger and technologist Darren Barefoot’s humorous parody Get a First Life for a laugh.)
While I have never been interested in cultivating a virtual life, I certainly have an active, even overextended digital life. And so do most people I know. Conversation Agent’s Valeria Maltoni came across this Digital Identity map created by Fred Cavazza (website in French) and posted it on her blog. The map graphically organizes the different ways we use the Internet and how they correspond to our real lives, interests, activities and identity.
The map is broken into 12 areas of online activity. In the below example I reference applications I personally use or have previously explored; Cavazza also includes several others I am unfamiliar with.
Profession – Venues for professional development, networking, etc.
Examples: Linked In, Monster, etc.
Expression – Venues for self expression
Examples: WordPress, Typepad , Blogger
Publication – Venues for sharing things, eg, photos, videos, links, music
Examples: Flickr, You Tube, Del.icio.us, LastFM
Audience – Venues for social networking with people you know
Examples: Facebook, Friendster, MySpace
Details – Vanues for getting in contact with you
Examples: Instant Messaging, Email, Skype, vCards
While I would label, describe and restructure some areas of Cavazza’s Digital Map differently – for example, the term ‘Audience’ doesn’t resonate with me as a heading for social networking and I think ‘Organization’ should be included as a category to encompass the apps that keep you organized (eg., Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Backpack) – identifying and classifying the manifold things I do online is an interesting (if nerdy) exercise.
My Digital Life is a clear extension of my real world life and interests: I organize my finances on Google spreadsheets, blog about my personal interests, communicate with friends on Facebook, share photos on Flickr, shop for everything from clothes to electronics at various online retailers, catalogue online resources with Del.icio.us … and this only scratches the surface. While I’m not suprised at the quatity things I now do online, I sometimes wonder if the productivity and entertainment gains aren’t exaggerated. Despite my active Digital Life, I realize I rarely miss it when I take a time-out.
What about you?