Authenticities Online: Understanding Cyberspace Identity

Abstract

Science fiction has long envisioned a space where users can enter an electronic world. William Gibson, in his 1984 novel Neuromancer, paints a particularly vivid picture of this electronic world, coining the term cyberspace. As technology advances, his vision becomes less of a futuristic dream and more of possible reality. Right now, users are shopping, working, and maintaining relationships online. They are having unique experiences in cyberspace, some of which are impossible offline. This dissertation builds a framework for understanding cyberspace identity and cyberspace experiences based on authenticity. By focusing on authenticity and expectations of authenticity, this framework can incorporate all kinds of cyberspace platforms across what it calls the "Cyberspace Gradient." More importantly, using authenticity as the foundation for its conceptualization means it is not bound to a particular theory of identity but can incorporate a wide variety. As a result, an authenticity-based conceptualization presents a more robust and comprehensive understanding of cyberspace identity that can account for all the different ways users self-represent in cyberspace.