Facing Challenges of Multiple Identity

The concept of identity has been increasingly topical in the technology space. But as individuals, do we have the self-awareness and maturity of behavioral psychology necessary to take advantage of this smarter infrastructure? Maria Niles of fizz moderated an extremely dynamic discussion of race, gender, sexuality, and identity at BlogHer 2006:

Race and Cultural Identity

Marisa Trevino of Latina Lista and Carmen Van Kerckhove of Addicted to Race speak quite explicitly on race in their blogs. Trevino speaks not only on issues of ethnicity, but also on gender and social justice. Kerckhove is specifically looking to stimulate dialogue by challenging other people's belief systems, and does so daily. The more she is able to stir dialogue, the more she is satisified that her mission is being accomplished.

Karen Walrond (a prolific blogger, with substantial content at Chookooloonks) shared a decidedly different experience. Even though she intentionally doesn't write about being black or in an interracial marriage, she finds herself representing both identities almost every day. This gets challenged by some visitors, who flame her for "pretending to not be black." Walrond's blog talks about growing up with the cultures of both her Chinese and Indian grandmothers, but isn't trying to deny her blackness. If this is what happens when articulating another aspect of who you are, does it really mean that Walrond must avoid embracing these cultures in creating her online identity? As she noted, whether or not she represents these multiple identities proactively, folks who have a problem with one or several of these colors will click away from her site.

This thread brought up a stream of provocative questions on being a white blogger from the roomful of attendees. If you're white but don't talk about it, are you representing your race? Is there an obligation to bring an awareness of being white to your writing, just as Walrond was pressured to speak to being black? Can you even talk about being white without being a racist? To get taken seriously on race as a white woman, Dawn Rouse of Balefulregards prominently mentions her marriage to a black man on her About page.

Single Identity and Self-Censorship

Bloggers make conscious choices about what to reveal, and what not to reveal, in their identity. How much can you include sex or politics in your blog, before you are labeled a sex blogger or a political blogger?  One attendee mentioned that she leads with the aspect of her personality that she wants her audience to see as dominant, and finds that she must maintain that lopsided focus in order to sustain a relationship with her readers.

Can you reconcile your different identities? Audience member Tish G. keeps separate blogs. As she's developed a higher profile professionally, she's had to censor what she writes about on her personal blog, and she's still working to create balance. Most people in the room were also struggling to strike balance in developing their online personality. The author of I, Asshole was one of the few exceptions. She talks about sex while talking about raising a toddler, and quipped that she was empowering people as a "super-slutty mommy blogger."

Blogging has forced many individuals to address the challenges of identity. Honest writing reveals our less-polished sides, forcing us to be honest about ourselves and to become more comfortable with our multiple identities.

A powerful and relevant final thought on this issue comes from Amartya Sen, a Nobel-nominated economist and the co-author of Identity and Violence - we all have multiple identities, but when we marry ourself to just one, violence happens. When this nugget was shared, the bubbling room fell into a thoughtful, silent pause. Would the world be a better place if more and more of its peoples participated in sharing identity?

Comments

[AL Q]

Steps New York

[AL Q]

Hi Cristine This is Al-Q from Steps dance school.My cell 1646-344-2362. hope to hear from you.

[Claudia]

This is one of the most provacative discussions I've heard in a while. In the age of new media, we participate in a world that constantly asks us to "identify" ourselves:
Our life choices are fodder for discussion, and somehow garner support "for" or "against" you. One only need to look at the recent headline of People magazine, "Lance Bass: I'm gay", to see that no matter the merits of a person's efforts or career, there is an insatiable want among readers to "identify" you.
I just started blogging recently, and right now I'm a work-at-home mom who's also starting an internet company. While this information certainly feeds into what I write, it isn't necessarily telling of who I "am". I mean, 9 years ago, I was a recent Art History graduate with an entry-level job and active social life. I think people think if I know this person is "black" or "white" or whatever, I'll somehow have a better perspective on where they are coming from and what they are writing about. But really, what anyone writing about today, is really just that--something they are writing about today. By sharing our perspectives through writing, we don't need to know your identity. The cool thing about this whole process, is that it's the one situation in which one can find herself, where identity is not nearly as relevant to your "audience' as your experience.

[Liz Henry]

Oh, very cool, thanks Christine.

I put up my liveblog of the panel today - http://liz-henry.blogspot.com/2006/08/identity-and-obligation-panel-blogher.html

[Christine]

There were many, many interesting threads to this active session. I decided to include Kety Esquivel's thoughful perspective in another post instead, as she went into more detail while on the political blogging panel: http://www.christine.net/2006/07/political_blogg.html

[Liz Henry]

Wow - that's a great summary!

I liveblogged it too. You hit most of the hot points, though I'd also mention Laurie Edison on age, Christie Keith of doggedblog's comments on lesbian identity, and Kety Esquivel on being a progressive Christian & Latina.

[Karl]

Wow, so THIS is what liveblogging is supposed to look like. Great job, Christine. I did the liveblogging for BlogHer during this session and I found it quite overwhelming.

[Marc Canter]

This is one area where having multiple personae will help.

One could choose to maintain completely different 'accounts' - with different names, sex, age, whatever - all the while being "more than one person". Or not.

[Maria Niles]

Christine,

Thank you for this thoughtful write up of our session which was indeed delightfully dynamic.

Best,
Maria