One of the most relevant aspects of recent studies concerns the manipulation of identity in social media, a topic I have explored in several of my research papers. The increasing prevalence of digital platforms has transformed the way we relate and present ourselves to others.
The study published by ANSA is really interesting. The data result from a global research by the security company Kaspersky referring to the first generation that grew up with social media.
The survey warns us about the side effects of virtual identity construction: 67 percent of Italian millennials do not verify the authenticity of their online connections, with 12 percent admitting to creating fake profiles. This behavior is part of a broader dynamic of creating a “performative self” aimed at gaining the approval of others, in which the line between reality and fiction becomes increasingly blurred.
As sociologist Zygmunt Bauman argued, we live in a “liquid-modern” age, in which deception has become a fundamental part of our process of understanding reality. The construction of a “mimetic” identity on social media is not only a form of self-representation, but a response to a social context in which privacy and truthfulness are constantly threatened.
A crucial aspect that also emerges from my scholarly analyses is the close link between identity falsification and misinformation. The tendency to adopt false online identities is not only a matter of “masking the self,” but also a fertile ground for the proliferation of distorted content. The creation of fake profiles is closely linked to the emergence of fake news and the dissemination of misleading information. Sociology helps us understand how these practices are not simply individual choices, but rather a reflection of a collective malaise, of a fragile generation struggling to orient itself in an increasingly chaotic and confusing world. Bauman’s reflection on loneliness in digital connectedness finds a tangible reflection in these behaviors, as the illusion of intimacy that social media promises clashes with the emptiness that many young people feel in their real world.
As if that were not enough, “in Italy, 76 percent of millennials consider themselves the most digitally literate household members. But despite this confidence, more than seven out of ten admitted, precisely, that they do not always check the authenticity of their digital connections.” Experts say they are concerned because “66 percent of millennials said they had met people online who they felt did not show their true identity.” But that’s not all. “39% of Italian millennials say they continue to trust information shared within their online communities. Globally, it emerges that more than one in ten millennials (14%) have used a fake name, created a fake profile or intentionally pretended to be someone else on social media.”
The evaluation of the results provided by Kaspersky’s research suggests a disturbing landscape in which authenticity and trust online are put to the test. As sociologist Erving Goffman points out, our social lives are built on a series of “representations” in which each of us plays a specific role for others.
In fact, on social media, this process of image construction is further complicated: the use of false identities is not only a reflection of the desire to be accepted, but also the result of a rift between the real person and the virtual person. The difficulty of distinguishing between what is true and what is false undermines mutual trust and fuels misinformation, making understanding of the world increasingly uncertain. In a social context where truth seems to be increasingly flexible, the invitation is to reflect on the value of authenticity and the responsibility we all have in building a healthier and more truthful digital sphere.
The article Millennials and false identity: the paradox of digital connection comes from TheNewyorker.
