Forming Identities Online

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON MAY 5TH, 2019.

I AM JUST PUBLISHING IT 5.5 YEARS LATER, ON NOVEMBER 20TH, 2024.

It’s important to me that I maintain as much control as possible over the creation of my own website. I have intentionally avoided using websites like Wix or SquareSpace to build my website, despite the disadvantage this creates in that my site won’t necessarily look as good as a professionally designed website. This customizability will allow me to create new interactions that those website-creation sites don’t afford. The goal for me is to maintain a strong balance between customizability and aesthetic. As my ability grows stronger in each area (programming and designing), etc etc.

Identity

Anyways… the big idea of why I want my website to be customizable, is that I am fascinated with how we form our identities online.

See Tristan Harris and Joe Edelman on how social networks have values inherently baked into them, whether the designers intend it or not.

Our profiles, the information we convey, etc… are constrained by the technology that’s presented to us. And I feel like I am in a constant struggle to break out of these social systems. See my medium article on comedy for more about this, and to see how I try to modify social conventions within social networks.

Education

How does this relate to education? When I was in sixth grade, we did an exercise on how to write a resume. Professional.

But what about Instagram? What about YouTube? If a high-schooler has 20,000 Instagram followers, is that something they can put on their college application? Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade is an interesting look inside the life of an 8th grade girl who is trying to grow up in this digital world. She expresses herself by making a YouTube channel.

What I’m saying is… kids these days have so many ways to express themselves that don’t fit inside the form of a resume. (Also see how I challenged the form of LinkedIn, to great success.)

Computer Science and identity

Sure, some people will use Instagram to express their identity. Some will make YouTube videos. Some will have Snapchat. Each of these have low barriers of entry. They are social networks designed for people with low technical skills. Sure, they require a base level of digital literacy, but you don’t exactly need to know how to code.

I envision a future where learning to code, where learning computational thinking is an essential skill taught in schools. And (see Myspace HTML… syntax… etc…) (see this article) Myspace