Identity

The context of social media makes identity refer to the distinct mix of characteristics, properties, and choices that make up either an individual, a brand, or an organization and that define how these entities present and represent themselves within the digital space. It is a digital self-expression in which users define who they are to their audience—using profiles, usernames, bios, profile pictures, posts, stories, hashtags, captions, etc. —and declare what they stand for.

An audience comprises either followers or, in the case of brands, a consumer base. On both sides of this equation, constructed identity often plays a big role. What a person shows is half the equation; what an audience perceives is the other half.

And for both individuals and brands, identity is still more than a work-in-progress narrative arc, for better or for worse; it’s also about the Virginia Slims 1960s slogan, 'You've come a long way, baby. ' That's because what a person or a brand does with identity can—in this social media environment—set the stage for how well life is lived, for either a person or a brand.