The Many Faces of Mobile Identity
In her experimental novel The Waves (1931), Virginia Woolf penned “I am made and remade continually. Different people draw different words from me.” And so it is with our mobile identities. Eighty-five years after Woolf’s literary delve into introspection, here we are in the 21st century more connected and less in touch than ever. We are absent in our presence and present in our absence. Thanks to a level of accessibility that enables us to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere, we’ve split our identities and perhaps we’ve forgotten who we are.
The search for identity is a crucial human endeavor; simultaneously personal and universal, the enduring effort to define and redefine ourselves seems paramount to our growth. Gee (p. 100 ) defines four perspectives of identity: nature, institution, discourse, and affinity. These four distinct areas derive influence from different sources, but work in unison and provide constant flux in the evaluation of the “kind of person” one is or can be (p. 101). In the context of mobile identity, Gee’s concepts translate well. In an electronic environment, for example, while my n-identity is female, and my i-identity is instructor, my d-identity may be intellectual, nurturer, or mother depending on the context of others’ perceptions, and my a-identity is both (and often simultaneously) metaphysic and logician. Does this induce in me a sort of cyber schizophrenia? Of course not; these factors function both independently and dependently in the constant evolution of what is essentially ME. And this holds true for all of us.
But are we splitting ourselves in too many directions through the use of our mobile devices? Through constant connectivity we have morphed enough identities to rival the Wonder Twins. Turkle’s observations resonated with me as I mulled over her examination of the term “phoning it in.” She asserts that the term has come to provide “a metric for status” (p. 124), and that “our devices become a badge of our networks, … that we are wanted.” I’ve begun to consider the implications of those powerful words in my own life, both professionally and privately. In the professional realm alone, with three job titles between two different colleges I possess three different CMS server identities, two faculty identities, two college portal identities, and a host of other supplemental app identities to support my various content and extended projects. Add to this my PSU student identity, my social media identity, my professional network identity, my children’s school portal parent identity, my Pintrest account, my AmazonPrime, the DMV, Verizon, the utilities … Dear God, who am I?! ….
Mobile technology empowers us to connect. But it also enables us to disconnect. The implications of that phenomenon are vast in the scheme of teaching and learning. While it is important to open up the world to our learners, and perhaps equally important to access the world in the palm of our hands, we must never lose sight of the human element of our positions. After all, we did start this fire.
References
Gee, J. P. (2000/2001). Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. pp. 99-121.
Pea, R., et al. (2012). Media use, face-to-face communication, media multitasking.
[Prince Ea]. (2014, Sep 29). Can we autocorrect humanity? (Video file) Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRl8EIhrQjQ&t=9s.
Turkle, S. (2008). Always-on/always-on-you: The tethered self. pp.121-137.
Hey Crystal
The video you posted was extremely powerful. We need to ask ourselves are we truly losing our sense of social interaction. You’re right, we did open up this can of worms but we live in an age that technology is apart of our everyday life. What are some ways you disconnect yourself from technology?
I think it is difficult to disconnect, Michael – but I do think it is necessary from time to time. (For me, right now is one of those times: I have been very ill and am under doctor’s orders to rest, but here I am on my laptop blogging, doing coursework, managing three CMS’s, and answering emails. Ugh!) When I really want to disconnect, I simply go untethered. I put my phone, tablet, and laptop on their chargers and I walk away. I cook, garden, parent, partner, clean, decorate, or exercise without the devices around. It’s funny to me that at times it feels almost unnatural to do that! But I do find it is essential for my well-being. What do you do to disconnect?
Hi Crystal! First of all, I really like your meme below. I like you believe in yourself as a superhero, which expresses your own identity and confidence in what you are doing. And, this made me think that the confidence or self-efficacy may be the key for connecting our split identities to form one big chunk of identity. What do you think?
Thanks, Yong! I agree that confidence plays an important part in connecting our multiple identities to our whole self. I often work with students who are overwhelmed because of the many different roles they take on during the course of their schooling; my advice to them is that we all bear many different identities but we are not governed by any particular one at any particular time – we can choose! Sometimes my students (especially those who are working and/or have families) are challenged to find time to be students when they have so many other responsibilities; I encourage them to empower the identities they feel are important and meaningful and to seek balance in managing their time with each facet. It is challenging, but it can be done!
Wow. Add skilled writer to your list. How do you disconnect is my question? When there is a problem the boss will call, sometimes irrespective of time.
2. With such a potpourri of identities, how do you find time for you in this digital age?
Thanks, Junior. … When I want to disconnect, I simply untether myself. I put the devices away and step into the reality of the present moment; I especially enjoy doing this on Sundays when I am more invested in tasks such as cooking family meals and preparing for the week ahead. Although I am attached to my technology, I will not allow it to own me. Similarly, in response to your observation about work calling regardless of time – you’re right, but I have found that I do not need to answer every call; I’ve set boundaries wherein I do not make myself available to students or colleagues after a certain time in the evening, and I make those boundaries clear by reinforcing them when they are tested. Yes, there will be the occasional emergency situation to which we must respond, but in general what I have found is that when I maintain clear boundaries others in turn respect those parameters and adjust. We all need “me time” to center and focus and breathe – setting those boundaries helps me carve out a bit of that time so that I can fully engage later with the influx of the incoming. 🙂