Digital Identity

Digital identity is the collection of information of an individual, located within the internet. The digital identity of an individual can be seen in how they interact with the world using social media profiles, email accounts, and other accounts (Steam, Roblox, linkedIn, google chrome, etc.). 

Individuals may comment on social media posts, create youtube videos, leave online reviews on the google play store, and the list goes on. For students in EDCI 338, digital identity culminates in how we interact with other classmates on Mattermost, the content we create on WordPress, and how we conduct ourselves on Brightspace.

Visitor and Residence Mapping

Digital identity manifests itself in a two dimensional spectrum. If you’ve ever seen the political compass graph (Left/Right, Authoritation/Libertarian), the Visitor and Resident (V&R) map is similar. 

On one axis is the personal and professional identity of an individual relative to a digital environment. An individual’s conduct can range from casual to professional, depending on where they are. An email to your boss will likely be very professional, whilst a group chat with your friends will lean on the more casual side. 

On the other axis is the visitor and resident identity of an individual. Much like the personal and professional identity, the visitor and resident identity depends on the setting in which the digital interaction takes place. Residents are directly connected to a digital space and contribute long-term value to the space. For example, an administrator on a WordPress site is a resident. The administrator contributes to the blogs. 

On the other hand, a visitor leaves a minimal imprint on a space, and only uses that space for a particular purpose before leaving the space. For instance, someone who reads articles or consumes social media content without commenting or posting content is a visitor.

The below is a V&R map of some social spaces I use. Feel free to consider where those spaces would be on your V&R map.