What is Identity?

How many online identities do you have? What are they like?

I have more than 5 online identities.For example, Facebook, Xanga , MSN, Two Bloggers and some Forum accounts.

In my Facebook and Xanga, i will post some daily photos, my feelings or somethings i would like to share to my friends.

For the two Bloggers, they are used for my academic . Just like this blog, sharing some opinions on Visual Culture and Digital Media. Another is show the fashion trend .

For those Forums, I just use the account to watch some interesting things or find some informations i want.

In what way are they different to your "in person" identities?

Some of them are different to my ''in person'' identities , for example, i will use the fake name to enter the forum and leave some comments to get the informations that i want.
And there are ''in person'' identities for my Facebook and Xanga. But i am very carefully that set many privacy on my Facebook and Xanga. I think that Facebook and Xanga are showing my real life and express feelings to my friends. So, in Facebook , i set the privacy for the people that i don;t know, they just see my profile pic. And sometimes i will private the notes and photos for my own use. Also, in Xanga , it must be shown to my friends and i must accept my friends and they can see it .

What are some benefits of expressing one’s identity online?

I think that it is convenient for us to know about what my friends are thinking or their daily life. And we can share some interesting things on the internet.
Also, for some fake name account, i can check some informations and express my feelings to those people i don't know. I just leave messages or opinions and they dont know who i am .

What are some risks?

I think the risks that we need to give some personal informations to the websites. And we don't know that the company will or will not use our informations to other use. Just like the Octopus Company used our informations.