Identity creation and online social networking: an Australian perspective

This research is underpinned by two socio-cultural theories of learning: Situated Cognition and Activity Theory, and has a particular emphasis on online identity creation.   This paper reports the findings of a survey conducted in Australia in 2007/08 that investigated the experiences of online social network users aged between 15-65 years. Both quantitative and qualitative data are reported on issues of privacy, relationship between online and offline friends, time spent engaged in online social networking activities, use of photographs and status features and positive and negative experiences associated with online social networking. The findings are then interpreted from a socio-cultural perspective of learning. Dr Kirsty Young is a Lecturer in Education in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology, Sydney. Her current research projects examine online social networking, multimodal analysis of websites and evolution of language as a result of new technologies. Dr Young is also interested in ethical issues around research of online communities. &nbsp