OnlineIdentity

Consolidating it :

It became clear that an online identity was inevitable.

• To commercial companies like Microsoft, it become apparent that TheUserIsThePlatform.

• Phone Id : http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/24/google-to-acquire-grand-central-for-50-million/

And for everyone else, that there was a need for a more neutral, possibly non commercial owner / manager of online identity.

• http://www.scripting.com/stories/2007/08/03/lockinAndTheWebDay2.html

• http://openid.net/

• Identity Commons : http://identitycommons.net/

Though for some, anonymity is still the ideal state.

UTU : http://savingtheinternetwithhate.com/theory.html

Early anecdotal evidence of web use, suggested extensive RolePlay and experimentation with ideas. Therefore observers argued that the web helped people shed there personal identity. (Due to opportunities to avoid repeat interactions see IndividualRecognition)

See also the Deleuzian "dividual" in NetoCracy

Later, observers discovered things were not so extreme. Yes people role-played, not much differently to real life. (See NetworkedIndividualism)

Another contrary aspect of this is the way that having an online presence like a WebLog helps integrate different dimensions of a person's life (eg. Phil Greenspun's mixture of photography, computer science and dogs on DaveWiner]'s http://philip.greenspun.com/, [[DaveWiner's] mixture of personal politics, blog evangelism, baseball and programming)

The commercial side of this became apparent when advertising agencies started using cookies to integrate and track users through different sites, in order to profile their consumption habits. Meanwhile e-commerce sites where giving users accounts to help track their purchases, and to save them entering credit card details and shipping addresses.

CategoryNetworkIndividualism, CategoryIndividuals