Is your online identity different from your offline identity? – A study on the college students’ online identities in China

Yue Qin, John Lowe

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study took innovative perspectives in studying the college students’ online identities in China. Three modes of online identities were found to satisfy the participants’ different needs, which indicate the principle of what is lacking tends to appear online. The logic of ‘imagination–reflection circle’ explains these online behaviours and show the ‘rationality’ in choosing among different identities to fulfill the users’ different needs according to different online settings. The college students showed a better control of themselves compared with their period of adolescences. Under this situation, most of the online experiments are beneficial to these college students, except when the transition between different identities is difficult.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)67-95
Number of pages29
JournalCulture and Psychology
Volume27
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2021

Keywords

  • Online identity
  • development of identity
  • imagination

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Cultural Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Sociology and Political Science

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