Online Gaming With an Online Identity

E-mail, AIM, blogs, online gaming, and forums are all just a few of the many online social networks present in today’s technology mediated society. An online social network is typically composed of a group of heterogeneous individuals. Due to the variation in the group, there are many more weak ties present in its structure. In accordance, the diversity of the group allows for deliberation in terms of the relevance and abundance of information an individual is presented with to form a conclusion. In an online network, each person has an online identity. According to Wikipedia, an online identity is a social identity crafted by network users through the use of fictitious and staged names (“Online Identity,” 2007). Credibility in an online community is an interesting topic which I will briefly explore. Social Power is traditionally reflective of an individual’s position in a family or a group of friends and is often corresponding in relation to a person’s economic power. People in subsequent levels of a group display relative characteristics based in regards to their group status. In relation to the online network as a communication medium, people who are in the lower spectrum of the group are often affected more by the beliefs of those with more power than those who are in similar standing.

In order to determine whether or not an online social identity has credibility we must look at three factors. According to Donath (1996), credibility is derived from the account name, the identity’s language and/ or voice, and his or her signature. It is also important to note that the content of an online posting has the potential to reveal a much greater sense of who is doing the writing. Therefore focusing on content with juxtaposition to online identity enables the viewer to “see how he or she [the author] interacts with others in the on-line social environment” (Donath, 1996). It is this action of interaction that is characteristic to ones true-self as opposed to a manufactured image. So to sum up, it is through an integrative information gathering system subject to the beliefs and views of unknown others from which credibility is derived.

I would now like to introduce what Wellman et. al. (1996) refers to as CCSNs or Computer Supported Social Networks. A CCSN is any form of a social network, where individuals can gather and share information. Wellman et al. (1996) highlight the social utility of computer networks as enabling people to “find support, companionship, and a sense of belonging through the normal course of CSSNs of work and community even when they are composed of persons they hardly know” (p. 220) CSSNs have a unique ability in that while there may be “an absence of social and physical cues, people are able to get to know each other on the net on the basis of their communication” (Wellman et al., 1996, p. 221). CSSNs are favored due to their low cost and positive benefits that enable individual to “participate within the comfort and safety of their homes or offices, at any time, and at their own convenience” (Wellman et al., 1996, p. 222). To correlate back to online identity’s, CSSNs are characteristic of many online identities coming together for a collective reason. So it is important to keep in mind that the goal of a collective is not the self, but the community in general.

While I have many online identities, there is one that I would like to focus on. While I do not consider myself a “gamer”, I will say that I am literally addicted to the PlayStation game called SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals. I have been playing this game for PS2 since its initial conception in 2002, and currently have every single update and new release of the game. So far, Socom has developed through four generations, getting both better and worse. It an online community in which many thousands of players join and play real-time, all across the world. Online game play is characteristic of being a Seal or Terrorist/ Mercenaries and trying to defeat the other team by achieving objectives and eliminating the opposition. Here is an example of what actual game play looks like.



My online identity is situated in a virtual community representative of skill and influence. The better you are, and the easier it is for you to communicate the more people like you and want to be your online friend. There are teams, also referred to as clans, of which I am part. Clans battle other clans to determine overall skill and ranking, which lends itself to credibility. Are you as good as you say you are or are? Since no one really knows each other outside of the game, people rely on skill to make friends and become part of a clan. The more you play and frequent particular rooms, the more people begin to recognize you and give you a certain level of credibility. For example, your rank is a good characteristic of your overall skill and ability. At one point, my name on Socom was in the top 10. Therefore, I had a lot of credibility, and still do even though unfortunate circumstances led me to loose my top position. However people still recognize my name and when comes down to the wire, literally have my back and I the same. The aforementioned circumstance was actually the theft of my name. Someone hacked into my account, stole my password, changed it and messed with my rank. However this person had no intention of sustaining my rank, so it dropped very low. While I was able to retrieve my name, it is a perfect example of insecure your identity really is no matter how secure it is believed to be. If someone is dead set on getting your information, they will find a way to do so. In closing, it can be argued that video games do have an affect on social presence or lack thereof. Credibility is not just about whom you say who are, but who you claim to be in congruence with what others believe you to be.


References

Donath, J., S. (1996). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved February 21, from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/Identity Deception.html

Online identity. (2007, February 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Online_identity&oldid=108207999


Wellman, B., Salaff, J., Dimitrova, D., Garton, L., Gulia, M., & Haythornthwaite.(1996). Computer Networks as Social Networks; Collaboration Work, Telework, and Virtual Community. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 213-238. Retrieved November 7, 2006, from JSTOR.