construction of identity

while pondering what to write in my next post, i have been thinking a lot about the construction of identity in online communities. i was reminded of a chapter i read earlier in the year as part of my thesis research and i though i would share some of the intersting points made by the author, Manuel Castells.

"Identity is the source of meaning and experience."

Castells describes many of the different building materials used in the construction of identity, including biology, history, reproductive institutions, collective memory, and personal fantasies. what i find particularly interesting about Castells's analysis is that he places identity construction within a framework of "social determinations and cultural projects that are rooted in their social structure, and in their space/time framework."

if identity construction is specific to a certain space/time we must consider the effect of networked society and the internet on individual construction of identity. indeed Castells remarks that "because networked society is based on the systemic disjunction between the local and the global for most individuals and social groups" it has changed the process on identity construction and introduced new forms of social change.

identity construction is affected in many ways by the communities one belongs to. as such, the community structure, what we now think of as a social network or an online community, not only affects identity construction, but it fundamentally changes the way individuals interact within a community.

Reference: Castells, Manuel. "The Power of Identity" Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1997.