Identity Shift : Where Identity Meets Technology in the Networked-Community Age

by Cerra, Allison; James, Christina

• ISBN13: 9781118181133
• ISBN10: 1118181131
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-22
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Who Are You? We live in a hyperconnected world. The devices we surround ourselves with and utilize everyday have changed the way we send and receive information and interact with others. For human beings that are literally wired for a physical world and physical connections, the immersion into virtual and artificial worlds represents a profound shift that is transforming our daily lives, our view of others and our sense of self. The authors documented the experience with hundreds of hours of interviews and then expanded their study to 5,000 consumers across the United States: rural, urban, suburban, Millennial, Gen X, Boomer, teenagers, college students, couples, parents and mid-lifers What emerges is a fascinating portrait of how the technology and connections we rely on everyday are changing the way we view ourselves and others. Section 1: The 3-P Model of Identity After speaking with and studying the subjects the authors developed the 3-P Model of Identity. Presentation, Protection and Preference how they influence one another to create an identity that captures the thinking shared by respondents across our study Section 2: The Universal Laws Section 2 of the book delves into the universal laws substantiated by thousands of consumers in the study. The laws represent the entry point for understanding individuals in a virtual world whether as ourselves or as consumers. Section 3: Identity Though the Life Stages This section describes how consumers view their identity and with that their security, particularly as they mature through critical life stages from childhood to adulthood and what consumers face in attempting to properly define and sustainably preserve themselves as their real and virtual worlds collide. Who Are We Becoming? While technology alone does not define us, it frees us to explore ambitions, relationships and passions as we simultaneously discover who we are. And, for that reason, it also plays a part in helping us fulfill who we ultimately become.

Author Biography

Allison Cerra is Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Public Affairs for Alcatel-Lucent in the Americas Region. She has 15+years of marketing, sales, and product management experience. Christina James is a Director of Solutions Marketing at Alcatel-Lucent. Her more than 15 years of experience include marketing and communications in the technology sector.

Table of Contents

Prorologue: Who Are You?	p. xvii
The 3-P Model of Identity	p. 1
Presentation: The Mirror Image	p. 3
Worlds Colliding	p. 5
Look Away, Look Over Here	p. 6
Mirror, Mirror	p. 9
Protection: Exposing the Blind Spots	p. 13
The Blind Spots	p. 15
The Extent of Violation	p. 15
No White Knight	p. 21
The Mind-Body-Technology Connection	p. 22
Preference: The (Un)Conscious Filter of (In)Finite Choice	p. 25
The Power of Experience	p. 29
Are You Paying Attention?	p. 31
Trust: Meeting at the Crossroads of Identity	p. 37
Living in the Intersections	p. 39
The Price of Distrust	p. 42
The Universal Laws	p. 49
The Law of Learned Helplessness: Failure
Is the Only Option	p. 51
Why Bother?	p. 54
A Powerful Antidote	p. 57
The Law of Illusion: Lie to Me	p. 63
The Threat of Illusory Correlation	p. 65
When the System Fails	p. 68
Ignorance Is Not Bliss	p. 71
The Law of Recall: Taking It from the Top	p. 75
Rationalization: Finding Harmony in the Discord	p. 87
Rationalizing the Laws	p. 89
Do as I Say or as I Do?	p. 91
The Laws in Practice	p. 93
Identity Through the Life Stages	p. 99
Teenage Growing Pains	p. 101
The New Status Symbols	p. 103
The New Idols	p. 105
The New Villains	p. 107
The Technology Conundrum	p. 109
Emerging Adulthood: In Search of the Ideal	p. 113
The "Ideal" Life Stage	p. 115
Creeps, Weirdos, and Left-Behinds	p. 117
The "Meet" Market	p. 1.25
The Laws of Supply and Demand And Attraction	p. 127
Endless Opportunities-And Opportunity Costs	p. 131
Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware)	p. 134
The Parent Puzzle	p. 139
Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed	p. 140
Social Development: Exposure or Exclusion?	p. 142
To Trust or Protect?	p. 144
Analog Parenting in a Digital World	p. 146
The Virtual Dashboard	p. 148
The Midlife Rebirth	p. 153
Yes, I Can	p. 154
No, You Can't	p. 157
Epilogue: Who Are We Becoming?	p. 163
Appendix: Through the Lens of Research	p. 173
Citations	p. 189
Index	p. 201
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