Identity

Conclusion

A digital effigy can be created simply by using technology to go about your daily life. Although privacy laws may afford some control over the use of this effigy, the extent effigies are used is unknown to individuals and liable to be used by third parties for various legal and possibly illegal activities. Within On-line chat rooms virtual identities are created that are decoupled and unrelated to real life identities. This can lead to social relationships that would be impossible in the physical world. Virtual identities are created in the mind of the individual, are almost anonymous and to a large extent free from real world inhibitions. People socialising on-line must be aware however that those virtual identities met online often will not be representative of a real person. Biotechnology is changing the boundaries of our perception of identity. Lifelike, three dimensional, images often assume their own distinct identities from their physical origins.

Cyborg Identities are linked but also Distinct from Real Life

References

(Cartwright, 1997) Cartwright, L. The Visible Man: The Male Criminal Subject as Biomedical Norm, in Terry, J. and Calvert, M. (eds) Processed Lives: Gender and Technology in Everyday Life, Routledge, New York. cited in T209 Information and Communication Technologies: people and interactions, CD-ROM study guide, Module 4, 'Identity', The Open University, Milton Keynes.

(Donath, 1999) Donath, J.S. ‘Identity and deception in the virtual community’ in Kollock, P. and Smith, M.A. (eds) Communities in Cyberspace, Routledge. cited in T209 Information and Communication Technologies: people and interactions, CD-ROM study guide, Module 4, 'Identity', The Open University, Milton Keynes.

(Monk, 1998) John Monk Effigies: ‘Cybersouls’, T305 Digital Communications. cited in The Open University T209 Information and Communication Technologies: people and interactions, CD-ROM study guide, Module 4, 'Identity', The Open University, Milton Keynes.

(Mitchell and Georges, 1998) Mitchell, L.M. and Georges, E. Baby’s First Picture, in Davis-Floyd, R. and Dumit, J. (eds) Cyborg Babies, Routledge, London. cited in T209 Information and Communication Technologies: people and interactions, CD-ROM study guide, Module 4, 'Identity', The Open University, Milton Keynes.

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Cyborg [Accessed 14 June2006]

(Stone, 1991) Stone, A.R. Will the real body please stand up?, in Benedikt, M. (ed.) Cyberspace: First Steps, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Ma. cited in T209 Information and Communication Technologies: people and interactions, CD-ROM study guide, Module 4, 'Identity', The Open University, Milton Keynes.

ThamesValley.Police.Uk (n.d.) Chat Safe Available from: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/chatsafe/index.htm [Accessed 14 June 2006]

(Turkle, 1995) Turkle, S. Living in the Mud, in Life on the Screen – Identity in the Age of the Internet, Simon & Schuster, New York.cited in T209 Information and Communication Technologies: people and interactions, CD-ROM study guide, Module 4, 'Identity', The Open University, Milton Keynes.

Image Acknowledgements

Australian Government: Everyone knows you're a dog from: http://www.ag.gov.au/archived/Sig/images/dale3.jpg [accessed 14 June 2006]

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