Australians more comfortable with virtual identities than real self

Stan Beer
Friday, 30 November 2007 14:47

Your IT - Home IT

Australians would rather be the personas they create for themselves online than their real selves, according to a new survey. What's more, with 9 out of 10 Australians aged between 16 and 49 now using the Internet, they are taking more risks with revealing personal information about themselves.

The problem, according to the survey commissioned by security vendor Symantec, that these online personas are usually bolder and more open to revealing personal details about themselves than the real persons behind them would be in their relationships. They tend to get a false sense of security because of the perceived anonymity they feel when they go online.

Survey findings released by Symantec reveal Australians typically have more than 10 online profiles or ‘virtual identities’. Interestingly, 20% of Australians believe that their online profile is closer to their ‘true self, than their physical or ‘real-world’ identities.

The Symantec Identity Survey ,conducted by Woolcott Research, examined whether Australians are increasingly defining themselves through their ‘virtual identities’ and how this might affect identity management and risk.

Clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller believes the findings reflect the evolving behaviour of a new generation of people who are more comfortable with their online identities, lives and relationships than they are with their real-world friends or even themselves.

“We have been aware that young people have actively been redefining what friendship means through online interactions. This survey now shows us this is not just restricted to young people, or even digital natives.

“Seventeen percent of Australian ‘online power users’ believe their online profile is more about who they would like to be, rather than who they really are. This finding clearly shows it’s not just friendship or peer networks that are being re-defined but also your own sense of ‘who you are’,” said Mr Fuller.

In addition to the issue of identity, the survey also shows that people liked the relative anonymity of the Internet, potentially encouraging them to be more open - but it also exposes them to more risk.

Based on the survey findings, two-thirds of Australians say they are more likely to share personal information with other people on the Internet than they would in person. However, the same figure (66% of respondents) also believe most people do not think about the possible consequences of posting personal information online.

“One of the odd findings is that people can be fully aware of the dangers of identity theft online and still act in ways that place them at risk,” said Mr Fuller.

“This is largely because the more ubiquitous and necessary a product or technology becomes, the easier it is to ignore even well-known risks associated with it. This phenomenon is known as risk denial.”

The survey also found 54% of Australians provide three or more types of personal details online to sites such as blogs, social networking sites, shopping or auction sites. Other key findings within this category include:

-    63% of Australians have revealed their real name online and a third also admitted to revealing their home address online

-    29% of respondents have provided their bank details or credit card numbers to non-banking websites