Exploring online identity with LEGO

Creative
exploration
of
the
online
identities

of
media
students
in
France
and
in
the

United-‐Kingdom

Jean
Baptiste
MAC
LUCKIE

Dissertation
in
Media
and
Cultural
Studies
University
of

Glamorgan,
Cardiff
School
of
Creative
and
Cultural

Industries
2011
–
2012

Contact

Jean
Baptiste
Mac
Luckie

Blog:
www.jbmacluckie.net

CV:
http://www.doyoubuzz.com/jean-‐baptiste-‐mac-‐luckie

Twitter:
@jbmacluckie

LinkedIn:
Jean
Baptiste
Mac
Luckie

2

Abstract
Blogging, tweeting, commenting a Facebook status, pinning, online networking, online
dating, liking and disliking or even friending have become integral part of our language and
activities on the Web. All these activities produce what researchers call ‘digital footprints’.
These digital footprints are disparate, spread, fragmented and incomplete. Nevertheless the
collection of these digital footprints and their display enable peoples, companies or even
search-engines, to re-form the online identities of Internet-users. The aim of this study is to
explore the online identity of media students in France and in the United-Kingdom, in order
to ascertain if they are aware of the complexity of online identity. The purpose of this study is
also to get a better understanding of the students’ constructions of online identities and more
precisely their constructions of professional online presences.
To do so, a creative research method is used. The latter consists of allowing the participants
of the experiments to construct a model, which represent their online identity with Lego
bricks and figures. This method led to a variety of findings, such as the media students’
awareness of having an online identity, online identity as a reflexive project and online
identity management as a complex activity.

Keywords: online identity, Lego, personal branding, online reputation, liquid modernity,
students, media, communication, information-communication.

Acknowledgements

I am particularly grateful to my supervisor Dr Caitriona Noonan, who supported me
throughout this long journey.

Many thanks to all the people who supported me and showed interest to my project: Camille
Alloing, Olivier Le Deuff, Olivier Ertzscheid, Nikos Smyrnaios, Antonio Casilli, Flavien
Chantrel, Mark Deuze, David Gauntlett, Nancy Baym and the many bloggers and Twitter-
users who were interested in my project.

4

Table of contents
Acknowledgements
...........................................................................................................
4

List of figures and tables
...................................................................................................
6

I.
Introduction
................................................................................................................
7

II.
Literature review
......................................................................................................
9

A.
The concept of identity
..............................................................................................................................................
9

B.
Online identity on the Web 2.0
............................................................................................................................
12

C.
Professional identity of media students and workers in the Digital Age
...............................................
15

III.
Methodology
..........................................................................................................
19

A.
Research purpose
......................................................................................................................................................
19

B.
Research approach: Qualitative
...........................................................................................................................
19

C.
Research strategy: a visual method using Lego
.............................................................................................
20

D.
Data collection: Lego in action
............................................................................................................................
20

1.
Pilot experiment
........................................................................................................................................................
21

2.
Modifications of the experiment
..........................................................................................................................
21

3.
Experiments in France and in the United-Kingdom
...................................................................................
22

E.
Sample selection
.......................................................................................................................................................
22

F.
Data analysis
...............................................................................................................................................................
22

IV.
Findings
.................................................................................................................
24

A.
Findings on the creative method
.........................................................................................................................
24

1.
The experimental process in question: the importance of “flow”
.........................................................
24

2.
A range of meanings for a single Lego brick: participants have different systems of
representation
......................................................................................................................................................................
24

3.
The Lego method as a method of co-constructing meaning and knowledge
.....................................
25

B.
Online identity as a whole model
........................................................................................................................
26

1.
A map of the factors that influence and shape the online identity of the participants
...................
26

2.
Spatial construction of online identity models
..............................................................................................
29

C.
Online identity as a complex construction
.......................................................................................................
30

1.
Participants are aware of having an online identity
...................................................................................
30

2.
Online identity as a reflexive project
................................................................................................................
32

3.
Online identity management: a control of digital footprints
...................................................................
35

4.
Online identity management: a performance?
..............................................................................................
36

5.
Constructing a professional online identity: a necessity for students in media and
communication?
.................................................................................................................................................................
38

V.
Conclusion
...............................................................................................................
40

VI.
Bibliography
..........................................................................................................
42

VII.
Appendices –
.........................................................................................................
46

A.
Lego online identity models explained - France
............................................................................................
46

B.
Lego online identity models explained – United-Kingdom
.......................................................................
53

List of figures and tables
FIGURE 1 - A SCHEMATIC PRESENTATION OF THE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ADAPTED FROM FOSTER (1998,
P. 81)
................................................................................................................................................................................................
19

FIGURE 2 - THE INTERACTIVE MODEL OF DATA ANALYSIS (MILES AND HUBERMAN 1994)
............................................
23

FIGURE 3 - FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE AND SHAPE ONLINE IDENTITY OF MEDIA STUDENTS IN FRANCE AND IN THE
UK
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
27

FIGURE 4 - RADAR CHART OF THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA USED BY THE PARTICIPANTS
28

FIGURE 5 - JESSICA'S ONLINE IDENTITY MODEL (UNITED-KINGDOM)
....................................................................................
30

FIGURE 6 - MICKAEL'S ONLINE IDENTITY MODEL (FRANCE)
.....................................................................................................
31

FIGURE 7 - RÉMY'S ONLINE IDENTITY MODEL (FRANCE)
............................................................................................................
33

FIGURE 8 - RÉMY'S REPRESENTATION OF THE SELF (FRANCE)
..................................................................................................
34

FIGURE 9 - AURÉLIEN'S REPRESENTATION OF THE SELF (FRANCE)
.........................................................................................
35

FIGURE 10 - ISMAIL'S REPRESENTATION OF THE SELF (FRANCE)
.............................................................................................
35

FIGURE 11 - MICKAEL'S REPRESENTATION OF THE SELF (FRANCE)
........................................................................................
36

FIGURE 12 - HOW MARI PORTRAYS HERSELF ON FACEBOOK (UNITED-KINGDOM)
...........................................................
37

FIGURE 13 - MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS ADAPTED BY ERTZSCHEID (2011)
.............................................................
38

TABLE 1 - DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH (ADAPTED FROM BAUER AND
GASKELL 2000, P.7)
....................................................................................................................................................................
19

6

I. Introduction
Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, tumblr, LinkedIn, Blogger, Viadeo, Doyoubuzz or
even Yupeek; since the beginning of the 2000s, the number of online services allowing
Internet-users to share, interact, communicate and express their opinions has considerably
increased. This change in the ecosystem of the Web led to the emergence of number of issues
such as: information architecture, file sharing or even online identity. As soon as individuals
surf on the Web or use Internet, they have an online identity. Indeed according to Olivier
Ertzscheid, online identity is composed of “IP address, cookies, emails, name, surname,
pseudonyms, address (private, administrative, professional, social), photos, avatars, logo,
tags, links, videos, blog posts, comments on forums, geolocated data, etc.” (2011, p. 16).
Therefore Anonymity on the Internet appears to be a utopia insofar as individuals have to face
the ubiquitous nature of their digital footprints. Regarding their online identity, individuals
behave differently regarding several factors such as their need for privacy or their
professional identity. Internet-users sometime prefer not to be visible by using pseudonyms
and fake profiles, whereas other Internet-users enjoy having a maximum of visibility on
search engines by using social media, personal blogs and even personal domain name to
promote their online identity. The most relevant example of the latter tendency regarding
online identity is the use of the social media in order to construct a professional online
identity. This dissertation aims to explore the construction of the latter within the fields of
media and communication industries.
The sector of creative industries is wide and complex. Often used as a synonym for
cultural industries or even knowledge industries, creative industries can be considered as
“commercial and industrial production sectors involved in generating new cultural
contributions through creativity, skills, and talent” (Chandler and Munday 2011, p. 80).
Creative industries include a wide range of economic activities such as “art, music, film,
performance arts and games; architecture, design, designer fashion, and craftwork; books,
publishing, and software; television and radio; advertising and public relations.’ (Chandler
and Munday 2011, p. 80). Theorists, such as Deuze (2006, 2007), emphasize the highly
competitive nature of the creative industries and the need for media and communication
workers to develop a certain approach of their job, based on flexibility, creativity, dynamism
and autonomy. Having a professional online identity can be seen as a way for workers to
differentiate themselves from the crowd. This tendency becomes a common currency for
media and communication professionals (Hackley & Tiwsakul 2011) and having a well-
constructed professional online identity in a competitive labour market is sometimes

considered as necessary because of the job insecurity (Elmore 2010). Indeed having a
coherent professional online identity is sometimes helpful to construct a professional network.
Several studies highlight the importance of social media and more widely online identity in
the process of screening applicants for jobs (Reppler 2011, RegionsJob 2011), which
emphasizes the importance of having a professional online identity.
This study aims to explore the professional online identity of students in Media and
Communications as “workers-in-the-making” (Ashton 2010), both in France and in the
United-Kingdom. As a French studying and living in Cardiff, this comparison between the
two countries appeared to be an opportunity to understand the perceptions of creative and
cultural industries and to see the similarities and differences of these perceptions between the
two countries. During my year in Cardiff, I had the impression that the perception students
have of their future profession, as media and communication workers, was slightly different
from the French students. In order to provide elements for a better understanding of these
differences, I chose to explore the online professional identity of students. Moreover the study
of media and communications students’ online identity is consistent with my own interest
about this concept. Indeed since my first year of studies in France, I am aware of the
importance of the construction of a professional online identity as a professional “in the
making”. Finally, the emergence of social media in everyday life and the ubiquitous nature of
the Web in the different spheres of Western societies also imply an awareness of the issues
related to online identity.
In order to explore the concept of online identity and its perception by students in
media and communication from France and from the United-Kingdom, a qualitative creative
method has been used. Developed by David Gauntlett (2007) this creative method allows the
participants to construct a representation of their whole online identity out of Lego bricks and
figures. To do so, participants associate metaphors to bricks and figures in order to represent
the intangible with tangible elements.
This dissertation is composed by four interdependent and interconnected main parts,
which are the literature review, i.e. the outline of the current position of the knowledge on
identity, online identity and professional identity of media workers; then the methodology,
which explore more deeply the creative method used and the whole experimental process; the
findings then aims to introduce the findings of the research project. Finally the conclusion
will be a summary of the findings and an opening on the issues of online identity.

8

II. Literature review

A. The concept of identity

From the Ancient Greek to the 21st century, the concept of identity has been discussed by
plenty of authors. Already in the Ancient Greek, Plato used the aphorism “Know thyself”,
which assigns to individuals the duty of being aware of themselves. Nowadays, the notion of
identity is used in several contexts and has several meanings, such as national identity, online
identity or professional identity. These examples highlight one of many aspects of this
concept: identity is multifaceted. Towards this aspect, it is important to notice that the study
of this concept if multidisciplinary. Indeed, philosophers, psychologists, researchers in
communication and media studies, anthropologists or even sociologists have tried to explain
and define identity.

The variety of studies about identity is, according to Bauman (2001) due to the
Western contemporary society itself. Indeed Bauman claims that the emergence of “liquid
modernity”, that is to say a modernity characterised by a fluid and changing nature, a rise of
individualization, uncertainty and risk (2001). According to the author, “the search for
identity is the on going struggle to arrest or slow down the flow, to solidify the fluid, to give
form to the formless” (Bauman 2000, p. 82). This definition establishes identity as a changing
concept; Bauman deepens his reflection and highlights the impact of the rise of
individualization within ‘liquid modernity’ on identity: “individualization consists in
transforming human ‘identity’ from a ‘given’ into a ‘task’” (Bauman 2000, p. 31). Although
Goffman claims that self-identity is comparable to a “candy floss, becoming then the sticky
substance to which still other biographical facts can be attached.” (1968, p. 74-75), Anthony
Giddens collaborate with the idea of identity as a ‘task’ and deepens it by considering self-
identity as “reflexive project” (Gauntlett 2008, p. 107). According to Giddens, self-identity is
“the self as reflexively understood by the person in terms of her or his biography” (1991,
p.53). In other words, self-identity is possible thanks to a perpetual introspection, which
allows an individual to create and maintain a certain type of autobiographical narrative
throughout his or her life, which corroborates one of Gauntlett’s findings about identity
(2008).

As seen in the previous paragraph, self-identity is in the realm of the private sphere.
To what extent is self-identity displayed in a social context? According to Giddens (1991, p.
58) “All human beings, in all cultures, preserve a division between their self-identities and the
‘performances’ they put on in specific social contexts”. The term “performances” is borrowed
from Goffman’s theory of self-presentation (1991). According to the American sociologist
identity is constructed during interactions between individuals.
Goffman develops the idea that “all the world’s a stage” (1959, p. 246). The key
concept, which is important to understand Goffman’s dramaturgical theory, is that persons
during an interaction are “performers” (1959, p. 33). An interaction can be displayed on three
types of stages: front stage, back stage and off-stage, from the most public: front stage
includes performers and an audience who witness the interaction, to the most intimate: off-
stage excludes the audience and include only one performer. Taking it further, French
linguists Christian Baylon and Xavier Mignot (1999, p. 245), about Goffman’s dramaturgical
theory, describe interaction as a “continuous game of self-dissimulation and search of the
other”. According to these authors (1999), each agent during interaction claim an identity that
he or she cannot really control, because of the influence of the other agent. French sociologist
Louis Quéré collaborates with this conception of self-identity: “Subjective identity of
individuals is not a priori given […] in the contrary it is the result of the confrontation of the
definitions of self claimed and attributed (allocated ?); [subjective identity] is perpetually
parlayed” (1989, p. 57). Therefore, identity is not fixed but is constantly negotiated during
interactions. By quoting Robert Ezra Park, Erving Goffman summarizes the interdependence
of identity and performance:
“In a sens, and in so far as [the] mask represents the conception we have
formed of ourselves – the role we are striving to live up to – this mask is our
truer self, the self we would like to be. In the end, our conception of our role
becomes second nature and an integral part of our personality. We come into
the world as individuals, achieve character, and become persons” (Robert Ezra
Park, quoted in Goffman, 1959: 30)
This quote highlights Goffman’s idea that the self performs a variety of roles regarding the
context and the social interactions and cannot be conceived as unique (Goffman 1959, Baym
2010). Turkle collaborates with this particular conception of identity by considering it as “the
aspect of the self that is accessible and salient in a particular context and that interacts with
the environment” (1996, p. 14)

10

Defining identity in a univocal way seems to be impossible. Each discipline of Human
and Social Sciences, from philosophy to sociology or even media and communication studies
have tried to define this concept as precisely as possible. However, these attempts produced
useful outlines of what is identity. What must be remembered is that identity is a liquid,
socially constructed concept rooted in a paradigm of complexity. With the emergence of the
Internet, the concept of identity is still relevant today insofar as the concept

B. Online identity on the Web 2.0

Surfing on the Web, chatting with strangers online, signing up to social networks,
broadcasting videos and sharing photographs on online platforms. Nowadays these
expressions appear to be common currency in a society where new media have an ubiquitous
dimension. What is the place of individuals in such a digital age? In order to understand the
online identity of Internet users and the issues that it raises, it is important to clarify the
reason why the Web is favourable for the emergence of digital identities.

Internet and World Wide Web are wrongfully often seen as synonymous. Chandler and
Munday define the Internet as a “vast network of interconnected computers that acts as
worldwide distribution system for digital information” (2011, p. 220). Internet is therefore the
“medium associated with the variety of communication technologies” (2011, p. 220).
Conceiving Internet as a network of networks, that is to say from a technical perspective
allows to make a more precise distinction between the latter and the World Wide Web. Indeed
the World Wide Web, created by Berners-Lee in 1989, is the visual and graphic part of the
Internet, the digital space that includes the entirety of websites (Fayon, 2010). Since 2003 and
thanks to Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty, the Web can be seen as “a platform for
participation” where Internet users become producers of content (Chandler and Munday,
2011). This notion of participation confers a social dimension to the Web. Indeed Internet
users interact, share and collaborate with each other (Fayon, 2010).

Social media leans upon this particular aspect of the Web 2.0. Researcher danah boyd defines
social media as “the collection of software that enables individuals and communities to
gather, communicate, share, and in some cases collaborate or play » (2009). The emergence
of social media on the Web seems to be favourable to the creation of online communities.
Writing in 2009, French author Eric Scherer agrees with this point of view and defines online
communities as groups of individuals having common interests. According to him, these
persons “communicate between themselves, update information and create value” (2009, p.
42-43). Howard Rheingold (1993) highlights the importance of interpersonal bonds in virtual
communities. In this regard, Ertzscheid, Favérial and Guéguen (2010) show that links in
virtual communities do not have always the same intensity. Baym’s approach is more global,
insofar as she identifies five main features of online communities “: “the sense of space”,
virtual and metaphorical, “shared practice”, such as same languages or norms, “shared

12

resources and supports”, also called social and emotional supports, “shared identities”, i.e. an
awareness of being part of a broader community and “interpersonal relationships” (2010, p.
75). These characteristics lead to rethink the place of individuals in such a digital context.

As the concept of identity, online identity is a complex construction and a polysemous word.
According to French researcher Olivier Ertzscheid (2011), online identity is the collection of
digital footprints, such as comments on blogs, messages on forums, statuses on social network
sites (SNS), etc. that an individual leaves online. Ertzscheid distinguishes three types of
digital footprints: “profile-related”, which correspond to the information an individual fill in
on a profile, “web-browsing related” that give information about the activities an individual
has online and “declarative” footprints, such as posts on a blog (2011, p. 16, translated from
French). Fanny Georges (2007, 2009) distinguishes declarative, acting and calculated
identities. According to the researcher, online identity is composed by the details an
individual provides on his/her profile, his/her online activities, such as liking a fanpage,
accepting a friend request or even playing and quantitative aspects, such as number of friends,
videos, photos. These definitions of online identity help to understand the complexity and the
equivocal dimension of this word. Using also a three-dimensional typology, researcher
Antonio Casilli (2010) also considers that online identity is composed by digital footprints,
but the typology of these footprints is different from Ertzscheid’s one. Indeed Casilli
considers that digital footprints are “dimensional, bi-dimensional and tri-dimensional” (2010,
p. 124, translated from French): From a simple username to a “potential body” (Casilli 2010,
p.130), through an online profile.

The relationship between body and a digital environment is important to understand the
particularity of online identity. Writing in 2010, Casilli says “body traces attest to an [online]
presence” (2010, p.124). How is it possible for the body to be present in a digital world?
According to Casilli (2010), online identity is an incarnation made of pixels, which is
manipulated by a person in the flesh. Fanny George (2007, 2009) collaborates with this idea
by using the concept of digital hexis, defined as “a scheme of user self-representations. These
latter are transformed like a body, which is shaped by habit or by repetitive practice” (George
2009, p. 1). This very conception highlights the fact that online identity results above all from
an active construction. The digital hexis, once created, becomes an “active sculpture of the
self in a digital world” (George 2008, p.1). Fanny George (2008) compares this active

sculpture to the metaphor of a ‘candy floss‘, which echoes Goffman’s notion of self-identity
(1968).

Although the conception of online identity as a digitalization of the self seems appealing, the
evolution of the Web has made the reality more complex. The variety of social media ergo the
variety of way of expression (statuses, profiles, comments, like and poke on Facebook, +1 on
Google + or even tweets on Twitter) has an impact on what Olivier Ertzscheid calls the
“granularity” of online identity (2011, p. 64). An individual’s online identity is spread all over
the Web, fragmented because of the multiplicity of digital footprints that are present on
different social media. Publishing a blog article, synchronizing this publication with an
automatic tweet and a status on Facebook with a link redirecting to the blog article. This
synchronicity and this interoperability is possible thanks to the links between social media.
Olivier Ertzscheid (2011, p. 64) designates by “porosity” these particular aspects of social
media, which allow to make links between fragments of online identity. According to the
researcher (2011, p. 65) the danger of the fragmentation of online identity resides in the
aggregation of the digital footprints that are scattered on the Web. The third pillar of online
identity is, according to Ertzscheid, “percolation” that is to say the uncontrollable gathering of
digital footprints by other agents of the Web such as search engines.

14

C. Professional identity of media students and workers in the Digital Age

Working in media has become a complex situation influenced by several factors such as the
instability of media work, the ubiquity of technology in media fields and the convergence
phenomenon. In Western contemporary societies, the distinction between life and work has
become more and more blurry until they become comparable (Deuze, 2006). Indeed they have
similar characteristics, such as “permanent flux, constant change, and structural
indeterminacy” (Deuze 2006: 1). These characteristics are proper to what Zygmunt Bauman
calls ‘liquid modernity’ (Bauman 2000), concept well summarized by Mark Deuze: “this is a
time when most people experience their lives as a perpetual white water, living in a state of
constant flux and uncertainty” (Deuze 2007, x). Does this particular context have an impact of
work? According to Deuze (2007), the answer is yes. ‘Liquid life‘ affects the entire economy;
therefore it affects job security. Deuze argues “the nature of work is changing rapidly in our
runaway world” because of its precariousness (2007, p. 21), consequently work and life tend
to melt in what Deuze calls “workstyles”. This portmanteau word composed of ‘lifestyle’ and
‘work’ refers to the pervasive nature of work in all the spheres of life. According to Giddens
(1991) and Gauntlett (2008), the choice of a lifestyle in modern societies is essential for
individuals. Lifestyle refers to “wider choices [than job and consumption practices],
behaviours, and (to greater or lesser degrees) attitudes and beliefs“ (Gauntlett 2008, p. 111).
As Deuze highlights it, “Life has come to mean: work” (2007, p. I). Indeed, there is
interdependence between these two spheres that is not harmless, insofar as “uncertainty,
paradox and risk” (Deuze 2007, p. I) impact on both work and life.

Another factor that impacts on media work is the predominant use of information and
communication technologies (ICT) by professionals. ICT is a “umbrella term for the various
media employed in communicating information” (Chandler and Munday 2011, p. 208). This
wide definition embraces technologies such as television broadcasts, computers, Internet, and
cellphones. According to Deuze (2007), media workers are expected to be familiar with these
technologies and their convergence. According to Deuze, “Technological convergence refers
to the coming together of audio, video, telecommunications and data onto a common
platform, enabled by digitization of all these formerly separate technologies” (2007, p. 70).
Therefore, professionals use a same device to do different tasks, from video editing to
videogames playing through Internet surfing. Therefore a device becomes a “universal
machine” (Deuze 2007, p. 70) that makes the boundaries between work and life blurry (Deuze

2007). Therefore workplace and home are less distinct, idea that collaborates with the concept
of ‘workstyles’ developed by Deuze (2006).

To what extent do job insecurity, ICT and technological convergence impacts on the
professional identity of media workers? French sociologist Jacques Ion defines professional
identity as “what allows to actors of a same profession to recognize each other and to promote
their specificity to others” (1996, p. 91). Sociologist Claude Dubar (2001) corroborates this
idea of professional identity as a way for professionals to identify their peers. Regarding these
definitions, what are the features common to professional identities of media and
communications workers? Deuze (2007) claims that job insecurity in the media and
communications field impacts on workers’ professional identities. Indeed according to the
author:
“The worker of today must become an enterprise of her own: perfectly adept
at managing herself, unlearning old skills while reflexively adapting to new
demands, preferring individual interdependence and autonomy over the
relative stability of a lifelong workstyle based on the collective bargaining
power of a specific group sector, or union of workers” (Deuze 2007, p. 10)
According to the author, media workers need to become autonomous, which means that
media workers need to work regarding their own rules. Deuze also highlights the need for
media workers to be flexible in order to adapt to the changes of their work. This flexibility is
characterized by several aspects such as “(re-)schooling and training, unlearning “old” skills
while adapting to changing technologies and management demands, moving from project to
project” (Deuze 2007, p. 21). According to the author, media and communications
professionals appear to be constantly ‘in-the-making’ (Ashton 2010) because of the need to be
perpetually up-to-date with the changes of their work. Therefore professional identities of
media and communications workers are not fixed but changing and unstable.

Considering students in media and communications as future professionals appears to be
logical. To what extent can students be considered as workers in the making? Undergraduate
or postgraduate students, either from France, from the United-Kingdom, or from the United-
States of America, can be described as ‘digital natives’, regarding Prensky’s concept (2001),
that is to say that “students today are all “native speakers” of the digital language of
computers, video games and the Internet.” (Prensky 2001, p.1). According to Prensky’s
concept (2001), digital natives were born with New Information and Communication

16

Technologies (NICT) insomuch that they “would be constantly wired” (Le Deuff 2011, p.
53), whereas non-digital natives are ‘digital immigrants’, i.e individuals who were not born
with NICT. However these categorisations try to simplify a more complex reality (Bayne and
Ross 2007, Casilli 2011) and are “caricatural” and “incorrect” (Le Deuff 2011, p. 53).
Considering digital natives as a uniform and fixed category of individuals is a simplification
of a sociological complexity (Casilli 2011). Contemporary studies highlight disparities among
‘digital natives’ regarding NICT and informational culture (The New Media Consortium and
EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative 2011, Hargittai 2010). These elements lead different authors
to talk about ‘digital naives’ instead of ‘digital natives’ (Le Deuff 2011, Hargittai 2010).

Simultaneously with the end of the 20th century, the emergence of the NICT and in a more
global scale, the emergence of ‘liquid modernity’, several researchers and authors has taken
an interest in the education of the 21st century. What do students need to develop and improve
in order to be efficient professionals in the contemporary Western society? According to the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2011) and the Apollo Research Institute (2011), students
need to improve skills and literacies, which are respectively “the underlying ability that can
be refined through practice, such as communication, analysis, creativity, intuition, leadership,
decision making and planning” Waller & Hingorani (2006, p.2) and “the progressive
movements of learning with continuities and ruptures between educational and domestic
spheres” (Le Deuff 2011, p. 69). A variety of literacies are promoted, from digital literacy to
information literacy through social literacy (Le Deuff 2011).
As seen previously, work conditions in the media and communication industries have
been impacted by ‘liquid modernity’, job insecurity, NICT and convergence. According to
Deuze, “the individual has become the center of all things” (2007, p.5), idea which
corroborates Bauman’s conception of individualization in Western societies (2000). Deuze
claims that individuals need to become “enterprise of [their] own” (2007, p.10) and due to the
changing nature of the industry, professionals need to choose a “portfolio lifestyle” (Deuze
2007, p. 11) where a career is composed of a succession of jobs. These trends, combined the
ubiquitous nature of the information and communication technologies, lead to the creation of
professional digital identities by media and communication workers. Hackley & Tiwsakul
claims “individuals are utilising web 2.0 and mobile in a mirror image of the trend for
agencies to market themselves at a personal level through interactive technology” (2011, p.
5). This assertion is corroborated by the popular literature about the process of ‘personal
branding’, which designates:

“The process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate
themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their
unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then
leverage it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve
a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as
experts in their field, establishing reputation and credibility, advance their
careers, and build self-confidence. " - (Schawbel, 2009 p. 4)
Personal branding is a strategy of differentiation by which individuals emphasize their assets
on the Internet, through social media, blogs and job boards and ‘in real-life’. Although digital
identity is “what I communicate to the world”, the other facet of professional online presence
is digital reputation, that is to say “what people communicate about me” (Zara 2009, p. 17).
Therefore having a professional digital identity implies an awareness of the risks about online
reputation and employability (Delengaigne, Mongin, Deschamps 2011). According to
Delengaigne, Mongin and Deschamps, many students forget the importance of their digital
identity despite their status of professionals in the making (2011). Indeed 49% of French
recruiters use social networks and social media to hire (RegionsJob 2011) and online
recruitment increases in the UK (Ask Grapevine HR 2012)

This introduction section provided insights on three main topics: identity, online identity and
professional identity of media students and workers in the Digital Age. Although these three
topics might seem separated, it is important to think about them as three interdependent
concepts.

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III. Methodology
This section aims to provide the reader relevant information about the methodology of the
study. This explanation of the methodology is composed of six steps (Foster 1998), which can
be schematically presented as follow:

Research
Research
Research
Data
Sample
Data

purpose
approach
strategy
collection
selection
analysis

Figure 1 - A Schematic Presentation of the Methodological Approach
Adapted from Foster (1998, p. 81)

A. Research purpose
The purpose of the research is to provide a better understanding of the construction of a
professional online identity by students in media and communications both in France and in
the United-Kingdom. Therefore, the following research questions have been established:
- Do students in media and communications have a professional online identity? If they
do, how do they perceive it?
- Why do students in media and communications create or not a professional online
identity?
- How do students in media and communications construct their professional online
identity?
- How do students in media and communications promote their professional online
identity via social media?

B. Research approach: Qualitative
Choosing the appropriate research approach is crucial insofar as the latter impacts on the
whole research, from the data gathered to the findings. Traditionally, a distinction is made
between qualitative and quantitative research (Bauer and Gaskell 2000) because of their
differences:
Quantitative Qualitative
Data Numbers Texts
Analysis Statistics Interpretation
Prototype Opinion polling Depth interviewing
Quality Hard Soft
Table 1 - Differences between quantitative and qualitative research (Adapted from
Bauer and Gaskell 2000, p.7)

Regarding the purpose of the research and the research question, qualitative research appears
to be more adequate than quantitative because of its exploratory nature: the field of online
identity is wide, complex and recent according to French theorist Ertzscheid (2011). Indeed
the latter can be studied through different approaches such as semiotics (Georges 2007),
sociology (Casilli 2010), media and communication studies (Baym 2010) or even information
science (Ertzscheid 2011).

C. Research strategy: a visual method using Lego
According to David Gauntlett (2008), there is a range of research methods which have not
been used enough in social science. These research methods can be called ‘visual methods’ or
‘creative methods’ (Gauntlett 2008). A visual method refers to the “use of visual material as
an integral part of the research process, whether as a form of data, a means of generating
further data or a means of representing ‘results’.” (Knowles and Sweetman 2004, p.5).
Gauntlett (2007, 2008) claims that visual research methods are adequate to study identity and
emphasizes what he calls ‘Lego identity study’ (2007) where he asks participants to represent
their identity by using Lego bricks and figures. Participants use Lego bricks and figures by
associating them with metaphors; the buildings become then vehicles of meanings. According
to Gauntlett, the use of a visual method where participants are asked to construct something
with their hands has several characteristics:
- It gives participants the opportunity to communicate different types of information,
such as emotions, ideas or even concepts.
- The use of metaphors in social and media research is relevant because it allow the
researcher to capture different kind of data
- The process of constructing meaning with the hands is possible thanks to reflective
time because participants are not used to reflect on their identity in such way.
(Gauntlett 2007)
Gauntlett’s ‘Lego identity study’ main asset is that the identity models, which are constructed
with Lego are whole identity models. Indeed participants are asked to represent their identity
as a whole, with different elements and factors interacting with each other. Therefore this
method allows to have an overview of the different elements that shape someone’s identity.

D. Data collection: Lego in action
The setting up of the Lego online identity study was made through three different steps:

20

1. Pilot experiment
In order to assess the appropriateness of the visual method using Lego with my research
question, a pilot experiment with three students in Media & Communication was conducted in
Cardiff in December 2011. In order to conduct this pilot experiment efficiently, it was
necessary to write a script to guide the participants. The initial script was based on David
Gauntlett’s script (2007) and was composed of two main parts:
- Introduction to Lego and metaphors
- Exploration of the concept of online identity
The first part aimed to make participants able to manipulate Lego bricks and figures and to
associate them with metaphors thanks to step-by-step instructions. The second part was
focused on online identity as a whole.

Thanks to the pilot experiment, two issues were identified. First the participants emphasized
the lack of diversity within the Lego bricks and figures present in each personal set of items
given to the participants. Indeed the sets were mainly composed of Lego bricks to make the
participants ‘construct’ their model of online identity but the lack of figures such as animals,
wheels, trees or even doors and windows also implied a limitation for the participants.
Because of this lack the three participants were sometimes unable to represent properly their
ideas, concepts and feelings about their online identity.
The second issue identified was that students had a tendency to focus on the social
networking site (SNS) Facebook, which is known to be generally dedicated to entertainment.
In the initial script the exploration of the participants’ online identity started with the
following sentence:
“Now I’m going to ask you to build your online identity. Think about who you
are online and the different facets of yourself online.”
The problem with this sentence is that even if the participants were asked to represent the
‘different facets’ of their online identity, this instruction was too imprecise and they only
represented their online identity by focusing on Facebook. Since the aim of the study is to
explore the construction of the professional online identity of media and communications
students, one parameter of the experiment seemed to be inappropriate.

2. Modifications of the experiment
Once these issues identified, two aspects of the experiment were modified. On one hand, the
set of Lego was enriched with a variety of figures in order to avoid the participants’ limitation

during the building process. On the other hand, the script became more precise in order to
guide participants in a more structured process. Therefore the introduction to the second part
of the script became:
“ Now I’m going to ask you to build your online identity. Make a list of your
different profiles online, such as your Facebook or Twitter account, your blog,
your Tumblr, your Spotify account etc. Once your list complete, start
representing these different profiles on the Lego baseplate in front of you.”
These details add value to the introduction insofar as they give concrete guidelines and
examples and allow participants to have a more detailed and global representation of their
own online identity.

3. Experiments in France and in the United-Kingdom
The experiments took place in France: Toulouse and Lyon and in the United-Kingdom:
Cardiff. The setting up of these experiments implied a succession of steps, from the
preparation of the Lego bricks and figures sets for the participants to the creation of surveys
in order to have paper trails of the experiments, through the creation of consent forms in order
to record the experiments. The control of all the parameters of the experiments is important in
order to have data of quality, insofar as once the parameters controlled, the researcher can
focus on the collection of data itself.

E. Sample selection
Sample selection is one of the key steps of the methodology insofar as it conditions the
quality of the data and the findings. As a French student studying in Cardiff, it appeared to be
challenging for me to provide a better understanding of the similarities and differences
between students in France and in the United-Kingdom. Moreover as the aim of this
dissertation is to study students’ ability to project into future and to reflect about themselves
as students and future professionals, choosing undergraduate students for the sample seemed
to be more consistent with the research purpose
The sample for this research project is composed of 7 students in France and 5 students in
Cardiff.

F. Data analysis
Data analysis is the phase by which all the data gathered makes sense. This process can be
described as the understanding of the “themes and patterns, which are emerging from it, in

22

relation to the research questions, problems, or hypothesis and the underpinning theories,
which will be used to help find a route through the data” (Wisker 2009, p. 161).
Miles and Huberman (1994) consider data analysis as an interactive and iterative process,
which can be represented in a schema as follows:

Figure 2 - The interactive model of data analysis (Miles and Huberman 1994)
As data collection has already been described, it is important to focus on the three other
phases of the data analysis process as seen by Miles and Huberman (1994). Data reduction is
the process of “selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting, and transforming the data”
(Miles and Huberman 1994, p.10). Therefore this phase involves a processing of raw data.
Then data display is the process by which data is shaped by the researcher in order to
facilitate conclusion drawing / verifying. The latter is the final step of the data analysis
process and involves the own researcher’s findings in association with peer review and
connections with other theories and concepts.
The data analysis process has been achieved thanks to a range of interdependent steps:
transcripts of the experiments, coding and annotation of the data, data display has been made
by two means, which are the creation of diagrams and the display of all the relevant data on a
mind-map in order to have an overview of it. Then conclusion drawing and verifying has
always been done in relation to the theoretical background outlined in the literature review.

IV. Findings
The previous chapter was an introduction of the methodology used. This following chapter
aims to present the findings of this research project in order to answer to the research
questions.

A. Findings on the creative method
Some would argue that the findings on the creative method using LEGO seem to be
irrelevant. However the creative nature of this method and its recentness imply a reflection on
its appropriateness to the field of social research.

1. The experimental process in question: the importance of “flow”
When they first heard about the nature of the experiment and its purpose, 9 participants out of
12 were confused about their ability to construct a representation of their online identity.
Indeed taking online identity out of context, representing this intangible concept through
tangible elements and having an introspective approach of it may seem complex at first sight,
hence the importance of a structured and step-by-step experimental process.
However, once the aim of the experiment explained and the process launched, the participants
are immersed in it. This immersion is what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls ‘flow’ (1997).
‘Flow’ is the state where individuals enjoy an experiment and find it challenging and where
individuals learn the most and produce knowledge. In this experiment the transition from
confusion to the state of flow was possible thanks to a step-by-step process, from (re-)
learning how to use Lego to the effective representation of online identity. By presenting the
aim of the experiment in a challenging way and making the participants ‘play’ with Lego,
laugh, share and enjoy, they all reached the state of flow and they all were able to represent
their online identity in a tangible way.

2. A range of meanings for a single Lego brick: participants have
different systems of representation
While preparing the sets of Lego bricks and figures for every participant, it was tempting to
imagine what metaphor could be associated with such or such Lego item. It is important to
notice that most of the assumptions which were made before the experiments were wrong.
Indeed the participants systems of codes and meanings were different from one to another.
David Gauntlett (2007) highlights this particularity of the experiment in his book. For
example, a figure such as a chain was used to represent: links between individuals, links
between social media profiles, reins (to control, command) or even obstacles. A figure such as

24

a window was used to represent openness to the world or the idea of observing and being
observed at the same time. And a small figure such as a flower was used to represent:
happiness, creativity, entertainment or even Tumblr, which is a micro-blogging platform that
allows users to post and share texts, pictures, songs, videos and links. This aspect leads us to
the Lego method as a way of constructing knowledge.

3. The Lego method as a method of co-constructing meaning and
knowledge
To what extent is the Lego method a way of constructing meaning and knowledge? According
to Gauntlett (2007), the Lego method is based on the association of metaphors with Lego
bricks and figures. Beside this aspect, it is important to notice that the binary approach
‘metaphor’ ⟷ ‘Lego’, i.e ‘intangible’ ⟷ ‘tangible’ is similar to Ferdinand de Saussure’s

concept of ‘sign’. The concept of sign is at the heart of semiotics. Chandler and Munday
define the sign as a “meaningful unit, which is interpreted as ‘standing for’ something other
than itself” and claim that signs can be found “in the physical form of words, images, sounds,
acts, or objects” (2011, p. 389).

During the experiment, participants produce signs; they create them by combining concepts
and ideas with Lego. This production of signs is linked to the researcher’s ability to analyse
these signs. Therefore the researcher’s approach is a semiotic one, i.e. the study of signs, the
study of “how things signify” (Chandler and Munday 2011, p.382). These two processes
(production ⟷ analysis) are not asynchronous: they are simultaneous. The step-by-step

experimental process implies a continuous interaction between the researcher and the
participants. Indeed the latters explain and share their constructions to the researcher and by
this sharing they involve the researcher’s ability to analyse the signs in real-time. For
example, during an experiment, Stacy (United-Kingdom) said while introducing her model:
“Use your imagination”. This very sentence highlights the fact that the researcher contributes
to the construction of meaning: it is a co-construction of meaning involving the participants
and the researcher.

Now that the method by which meaning is produced has been explained, it is important to
have an overview of what signifies, i.e. what are the aspects and elements of the Lego online
identity model which make sense. The participants’ models all involve the use of a range of
bricks and figures: Lego bricks of different sizes, figures of animals, human figures, chains,

pipes, weapons, accessories, flowers, trees, grass, wheels, doors, windows or even fences. All
these elements had different meanings depending on the participant and the context. However
these elements are not the only ones that carry meanings. For example empty spaces were
used to represent absence, separation or loneliness, colours were sometimes used to represent
feelings, directions were sometimes used to represent past / present or future and shapes were
sometimes used to symbolize concepts or social network sites (‘F’ for Facebook for example).
Last but not least: spatial organisation. All the participants at some point used the latter to
represent their own conception of their online identity; this aspect will be presented in the
following chapter: ‘online identity as a whole model’.

B. Online identity as a whole model
The main value of the Lego method compared to more ‘traditional’ methods such as
interviews, focus groups or surveys, is that it allows the participant to represent their own
perception of their online identity as a whole. Indeed other research methods are based on the
ability of participants to express their ideas, concepts, feelings with words, which involves a
creation of list. Even if these research methods are deeply rooted in the field of social
research, it is interesting to explore a concept from a new perspective. According to Gauntlett
(2007), the Lego research method allows the participants to construct a metaphorical model as
a whole, where all the components are interdependent and interconnected. Rather than a list,
this research method is a way for the participants to have an overview of their online identity.
Romain (France) highlights this aspect when he says:

“This experiment allowed me to visualize my online identity and to have a
better understanding of the latter.” - (Romain, France)

This ‘visualization’ of online identity as a whole enables the participants to construct a model
from a holistic perspective, i.e. as a whole instead of as a gathering of components. Therefore
it is possible to map the common factors that influence and shape the construction of the
participants’ online identities.

1. A map of the factors that influence and shape the online identity of
the participants
To what extent is it relevant to map these factors? Since this research is a comparative study
between France and the United-Kingdom (more precisely Toulouse, Lyon and Cardiff),
mapping the factors will help the reader to visualize the similarities and differences between
the shaping of the online identities of the participants.

26

Factors which influence and shape online identity of students in media and
communication

Sharing & connections
100%
90% Control and security
Future career &
(monitoring, security
projection 80%
settings…)
70%
60%
50%
40% Hobbies and passions
News, information and
30% (music, associations,
knowledge
clubs…)
20%
10%
France
0%
United-Kingdom

Professionalism (SEO,
Activism
Portfolio, Networking…)

Technique (code,
Friends and family
programmation)

Creativity (creation and
promotion of
creations…)

Figure 3 - Factors that influence and shape online identity of media students in France
and in the UK

This radar chart, also called web chart, allows the reader to have an overview of the common
factors that influence the online identities of students in media and communication in France
and in the United-Kingdom. At first sight the most common factors are:

- Sharing and connections (100% for both samples),
- Control and security (100% for both samples),
- Friends and family (100% for both samples),
- News – information and knowledge (43% in France and 40% in the United-Kingdom),
- Hobbies and passions (57% in France and 40% in the United-Kingdom)
- Future career and projection (57% in France and 40% in the United-Kingdom)
- Professionalism (100% in France and 20% in the United-Kingdom)
- Creativity (29% in France and 0% in the United-Kingdom)
- Technique (14% in France and 0% in the United-Kingdom)
- Activism (14% in France and 0% in the United-Kingdom)

These factors are what David Gauntlett calls ‘agents’, that is to say “abstract or concrete,
physical or psychological, obvious or subtle, near or far, large or small” elements that
influence the participants (2007, p.139). If the first six common agents have a similar
repartition within the samples, it is interesting to notice that ‘professionalism’ (i.e
professional networking, online CV, online portfolio, personal domain name etc.) is a factor
that influences the entirety of the French sample whereas it concerns only 20% of the other
sample (1 / 5 participants). Some elements of explanation of this gap between France and the
United-Kingdom will be introduced in the third part: “online identity as a complex
construction.”

SNS and Social Media used by the participants

Facebook
100%
90%
80%
Online 70%
Twitter
games 60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
France
10%
0% United-Kingdom

Doyoubuzz
Tumblr
(CV online)

Viadeo LinkedIn
(French (professional
equivalent of networking
LinkedIn) site)

Figure 4 - Radar chart of the Social Networking Sites and Social Media used by the
participants
This chart reinforces the gap between the France and the United-Kingdom in terms of
professional online identity, insofar as the use by French students in communication of
professional-related social media is more important than the same practice by students in
communication in the United-Kingdom.

28

Given that this research is based on a qualitative method and that the two samples are
relatively small (7 and 5 participants), these assertions cannot be generalised. However
they highlight a tendency within the two samples.

2. Spatial construction of online identity models
As said earlier, in this experiment the use of space by participants to represent their online
identity is also a way to produce meaning. Throughout this project, four main types of spatial
organisations have been found. Notice that ‘spatial organisation’ refers to the positions of the
social media and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr etc. on the Lego
baseplates. These can be considered as anchor points to map a representation of someone’s
digital identity; agents such as creativity, professionalism, sharing and connecting etc. are not
considered in the following typology of structure:

- Single structure (1 participant in the United-Kingdom): This structure is simple
insofar as it is compound of a single element located in the middle of the Lego
baseplate, such as Facebook.
- Binary structure (3 participants in the United-Kingdom): This structure is composed
of two elements. The three participants who used it represented Facebook and Twitter
at the same level, not as two equivalent but as two platforms that they use in the same
amount.
- Ternary structure (1 participant in France and 1 in the United-Kingdom): This
structure is composed of three elements which appear to be three different facets of the
online identity. For example the French participant represented Facebook, as a
platform of information – Tumblr, as a place of creativity – Deezer as place to
discover and listen to music.
- Radiating structure (6 participants in France): This structure appears to be the most
complex one which has been observed throughout the research project. In astronomy
‘radiant’ designates the only point in the sky that seems to emit meteors. Therefore it
is based on a central point which emits rays. The six participants who used this
structure have a coherent online identity, composed of professional and personal
aspects.

Now that the findings about the method and the online identity as a whole have been
explained, it is important to focus on the concept of online identity itself and its perception by
the students in media and communication in France and in the United-Kingdom.

C. Online identity as a complex construction
As seen in the literature review, the concept of online identity has been studied from different
perspectives by different researchers; trying to combine all the theories outlined in this
chapter would be irrelevant and probably impossible. However common findings have been
observed throughout the research project.

1. Participants are aware of having an online identity
The awareness of having an online identity may seem obvious for the reader. After all we all
know that we have digital footprints on the Internet. Nevertheless it is interesting to notice
that all the participants had a certain awareness of having an online identity. This aspect
highlights a crucial point: by having an online identity and by being aware of it, the
participants abandon the idea of anonymity on the Web.
Nevertheless the participants’ awareness of having an online identity takes different forms,
which can be analysed by observing their constructions. By comparing a single structure with
a radiating one, it is possible to notice similarities and differences:

Figure 5 - Jessica's online identity model (United-Kingdom)
This model, made by Jessica (United-Kingdom), is composed of a single anchor point which
is her Facebook profile (the ‘F’), and several influences, such as friends, security, and the fact
that she is in the Navy (the boat on the Lego baseplate). Therefore when Jessica has been
asked to construct a representation of her online identity, said:
“I only have Facebook so that’s why I put the F “ (Jessica, United-Kingdom)

30

According to this participant, the only space of digital presence she had was Facebook and
therefore neglected other spaces where she has a digital presence. Indeed a quick research via
the search engine Google shows that Jessica has an inactive profile on LinkedIn and a
relatively empty profile on Scribd, platform dedicated to the uploading and sharing of
documents and books. Therefore it is possible to establish that Jessica’s awareness of having
an online identity is biased by the opposition between: activity and inactivity. Her Facebook
profile is active whereas her LinkedIn and Scribd profiles are inactive, so she forgot or
deliberately omitted to represent the latters in her construction. The active dimension of her
online profiles therefore conditions her representation of her own online identity.

Another interesting construction is Mickael’s representation of his online identity (France):

Figure 6 - Mickael's online identity model (France)
Mickael represented his online identity as radiant: he is in the centre of the baseplate and he is
surrounded by his online profiles: Facebook and Twitter in the upper part of the picture;
Doyoubuzz (CV online), Viadeo and LinkedIn in the lower part of the photo. Compared to
Jessica, Mickael multiplied his number of online profiles and maintains them active, that is
why his construction is composed of more elements than Jessica’s construction. However, as
Jessica, Mickael constructed a representation of his online identity based on the online
profiles that he uses the most and that he keeps active. These two examples are consistent
with the constructions of the other participants, insofar as the latters represent their online
identity as composed of a collection of active online profiles. This finding reminds of Fanny

George’s semiotic conception of the online identity: the digital hexis, which once created,
becomes an “active sculpture of the self in a digital world” (George 2008, p. 1). This ‘active
sculpture’ becomes then a presence composed of a collection of autobiographic details such
as identity, friends, interests, hobbies, and opinions, which enrich this ‘active sculpture’.

2. Online identity as a reflexive project
Throughout the experiments, it has become more and more obvious that online identities of
students in media and communication both in France and in the United-Kingdom could be
considered as reflexive projects of the self. According to Giddens (1991), self-identity is not a
priori given anymore but is a personal construction, an autobiographical narrative created by
individuals in order to have a coherent existence. While analysing the participants’
representations of their online identity, it is interesting to notice that they consider their online
identity more like a coherent story rather than a list of traits and facets. Olivier Le Deuff
(2011) reinforces this idea by considering that the management of online identity is an
autobiographical process, which needs to be constructed.
All the participants represented their online identity as a particular story, a narrative, which
was a coherent construction, anchored in a certain (digital) spatiality, i.e. the narrative takes
place in certain digital spaces such as forums, Facebook, Twitter, online games etc., and
anchored in a certain temporality. Although all the models are relevant in this case, Remy’s
(France) one appears to be particularly relevant to show the narrative dimension of online
identity.

32

Figure 7 - Rémy's online identity model (France)

Rémy explained his construction as follows:
“The deep blue bricks represent Facebook, the light blue one represent Twitter
and the black and yellow part stands for whole the professional facet: CV on
Doyoubuzz, LinkedIn, Viadeo. We can see that Facebook and Twitter are linked,
they are chained to each other, whereas all the professional side of my online
identity is not linked to Facebook or Twitter.”
(Rémy, France)
This quote highlights the coherence of the use of such and such social media by Rémy.
Indeed he distinguished the professional facet from the personal one on purpose and
emphasizes its coherence within the whole model and reinforces the idea that online identity
is a project rather that something a priori given.
He continues:
“In the corners, every pole is decorated with eyes […] because on the Internet
[…] you do not know who look at your profile […].”
“The open doors represent the fact that everybody have access to my online
profiles: Doyoubuzz is accessible to everyone, Twitter and Facebook too […]”
(Rémy, France)

These quotes emphasize the coherence of Rémy’s online identity as a whole. Even if
some facets are disconnected from another (Personal – Professional for example), there
is no discordant element. Rémy’s online identity is a coherent system with
interdependent and independent aspects that form a whole.

Figure 8 - Rémy's representation of the Self (France)
Another interesting aspect of Rémy’s online identity is the representation of the Self, i.e. the
representation of Rémy himself in his own Lego construction. Described as a ‘creation’,
Remy explains:
“With the creation I fly over my own digital identity, I watch it. The man on the
right commands this creation and the latter’s purpose is to always move forward.
The creation has eyes in the front to look at the future, to anticipate, and eyes on
the sides to watch the concurrence. However the creation does not have any eye to
the rear because it does not look at the past”
(Rémy, France)
This particular quotation highlights the importance of temporality in the construction of
online identity. Although this experiment explores the participants’ online identity at a precise
moment, the exact moment of the experiment, temporality is present in every Lego
construction. It may take different forms, such as photos archiving on Facebook (Clare,
United-Kingdom), previous job experiences (Mickael, France) or even the participants’ status
of professionals ‘in-the-making’. Indeed 48,5% of the participants, both samples merged,
integrated elements to show that they also think about their future career in their Lego

34

construction. It is the reason why Aurélien (France) suggested that it would be interesting to
repeat this experience to observe the evolutions of the digital identity of the participants. This
comment is relevant insofar as the fact that online identity is a construction rather than fixed,
implies that it is adaptable, flexible, which is consistent with ‘liquid’ dimension of the
professional fields of media and communication claimed by Mark Deuze (2006, 2007).

3. Online identity management: a control of digital footprints
Online identity management is a popular expression on the Web, which designates a complex
activity; the latter is too often simplified as lists of tips and good practices instead of
explained as complex and iterative process.
The control of digital footprints has been represented by several means throughout the
research project:

Figure 9 - Aurélien's representation of the Self (France)
This is Aurélien’s metaphor of the control of digital footprints. He represented himself ‘at the
wheel’, controlling his whole online identity.

Figure 10 - Ismail's representation of the Self (France)
This picture is an extract from Ismail’s model (France). He is ‘holding the reins’ of his online
presence.

Figure 11 - Mickael's representation of the Self (France)
This picture represents Mickael (France). He describes himself as “controlling everything
from his tower”. The two red flags warn him about the fact that “on the Web, everything
stays”. This personal motto allows him to stay careful about what he posts and what he does
on the Web.

From these three different representations, one common trait: the participants control their
online identity by two means, which are visible in the two samples. First, the participants
monitor their online profiles (content, accessibility, indexation by the search engines…) and
the security settings; and then they care about what they say, post, publish, comment on the
Web.
The monitoring of online identity is close to the concept of ‘self-writing’ developed by
Michel Foucault and adapted by Olivier Le Deuff (2011). According to Le Deuff, self-writing
implies a gathering of the digital footprints and a monitoring of the production of data and
metadata, because these latters can be gathered in order to re-form “portraits” of Internet-
users (Le Deuff 2011, 102). The process of re-forming portraits of Internet-users from
disparate data is called, within the field of information sciences, ‘re-documentarisation’
(Ertzscheid 2011). According to Le Deuff, only few students are aware of the importance of
self-writing for the online identity (2011).

4. Online identity management: a performance?
Throughout the Lego online identity project, participants in France and in the United-
Kingdom stated that their attitude and the content they publish change depending on the
social media platform and on their interlocutor.
A relevant example is the construction of Mari (United-Kingdom):

36

Figure 12 - How Mari portrays herself on Facebook (United-Kingdom)
This is how Mari perceive herself on Facebook. She states:
“This is me. On Facebook you usually try to portray yourself as a certain person
and here it’s happy, with the smile, but then it’s not necessary me. When the
window is open, then it’s me.”
(Mari, United-Kingdom)
What does Mari want to say by “you usually try to portray yourself as a certain person”? Does
it mean that on Facebook, or other social networking sites, individuals are superficial? The
answer is no. What Mari highlights is related to Erving Goffman’s conception of self-identity
and interactions (1959). Goffman claims that self-identities are not a priori given but depends
on the everyday interactions. Indeed these interactions are social occasions where individuals
create a “social performance” (Gauntlett 2008, p. 266) regarding their audiences. A ‘social
performance’ is in fact an individual’s image of himself that he wants to get accepted by the
others (Baylon and Mignot 1999).
On the premise that on the Web, every social media platform and social networking site
involves at least one audience, for example on LinkedIn the audience will be mainly
composed of professionals whereas on Facebook there will be several audiences (family,
friends, colleagues etc), Internet users have to manage a range of social performances
regarding their audience. Therefore the more an individual have online profiles, the more this
individual’s online identity needs a careful monitoring. All the participants of the study, both
in France and in the United-Kingdom, were aware of having different attitudes depending on
their online profiles and their audiences. That is why they avoid letting their Facebook profile
accessible to the public and potential employers.

5. Constructing a professional online identity: a necessity for students
in media and communication?
The aim of this last paragraph is not to provide answers to such a vague and sensitive
question. However it will be a place of confrontation of ideas in order to explore the reasons
why students in media and communication in France and in the United-Kingdom construct or
not their own professional online identity. An important element to consider is that 100 per-
cent of the French sample have a professional online identity, whereas only 20% of the
sample in the United-Kingdom have one.
To the question “what are the main reasons that lead you to construct your professional online
presence?”, which was asked to the French sample, only on participant clearly answered:
“If I do all this [i.e. the construction and promotion of his own professional online
identity], it is to be seen, to be recognized professionally, to be hired and maybe to
get a job.”
(Mickael, France)
This desire of being recognized professionally reminds of Ertzscheid’s adaptation of
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to the field of online identity (2011):

Self-‐actualization:
adequacy
of
the
online

reputation
and
the
claimed
identity

Esteem:
strategies
of
construction
and

management
of
an
online
reputation,

narcisssic
dimension,
self-‐esteem,

conHidence,
achievement

Love
&
belonging:
presence
on
social

networking
sites
(Facebook
etc)

Safety:
security
settings,
user
ID...

Physiological

Figure 13 - Maslow's hierarchy of needs adapted by Ertzscheid (2011)
Indeed the need for esteem matches with the desire of being recognized professionally. As
Ertzscheid reminds us, this hierarchy of needs “allows us to have an overview of the steps of
a basic construction of identity” (2011, p. 31).

38

The other French participants did not answer to the question directly but they stated that it
was for them a good way to find job placements. For example Ismail managed to get a job
placement in 2012 thanks to an unsolicited application via Twitter and a video resume
uploaded on Youtube. Again, having a coherent professional online presence appears to serve
the students’ need for esteem.

The participants of the sample in the United-Kingdom appear to be less disposed to start the
construction of their professional online presence. The only two students who explained why
they do not have a professional online presence are Sara and Stacy. Sara states that she is
planning to construct hers after her graduation:
“I don’t have a professional online identity because from everyone I know, I’m the
only one studying media, apart from my friends here [in Cardiff]. […] But I’m
actually planning to do something when I’ll graduate, to prove them [family and
friends] wrong, to show them that media is completely different from what they
actually think. “
(Sara, United-Kingdom)
Sara perceives her future professional online identity as something challenging that will help
her proving to her friends and family that they were wrong about the media industries. Here
again, the construction of a professional online presence seems to be related to the need for
esteem.
Stacy’s perception of her future professional online identity is different, insofar as she does
not want to have a career in media:
“At the moment I’m doing media but I want to have a career in make-up artistry.
And just because I think I haven’t got enough experience yet… I haven’t got
experience really in that area. But I will definitely… [Construct a professional
online presence]; my Twitter does say ‘Make-up artist’ on it, I have got a bit of
experience but not enough to set up an account.”
(Stacy, United-Kingdom)
Therefore what stops Stacy from constructing an active professional online presence seems to
be the lack of experience in make-up artistry. This lack of experience is related to the need for
esteem explained in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs adapted by Ertzscheid (2011). These
examples, both from France and from the United-Kingdom, show the links between the
construction of a professional online presence and the need for esteem. However, even if
these links are showed, they cannot be explained in this research project.

V. Conclusion
The Lego Online Identity Project has been conducted from October 2011 to April 2012. After
several experiments conducted in France and in the United-Kingdom, several findings have
been noticed. Regarding the Lego research method itself, the three main findings are that
participants need to be in a structured and framed step-by-step process where a challenging
aim is stated at the beginning in order for them to reach the state of ‘flow’ which allows them
to enjoy an experiment and produce knowledge; then participants have different systems of
representations, different codes, which enable them to represent same ideas and concepts in
different ways; the last finding about the method is that the latter is a process of co-
construction of meaning and knowledge, where participants produce signs and the researcher
use a semiotics approach in order to understand and interpret these signs.
Regarding the online identity itself, a variety of findings have been noticed. The use of the
Lego research method allows use to map the factors that influence and shape the online
identities of media students in France and in the United-Kingdom. These factors have certain
similarities and certain differences from a sample to another. The structure of the Lego
construction is also important. Throughout the experience it had been noticed that the more
students maximize their online presence, the more they have a tendency to represent their
online identity as radiant: the Self is central, it is the hub where everything facet is connected,
and the facets of the online identity are diffused by this hub.
Above all, online identity can be considered as a complex construction that all the participants
are aware of. Moreover the study highlights the online identity narrative dimension: online
identity is not a priori given but can be considered as an active construction, a reflexive
project of the self. Therefore it needs a management, a monitoring, which is composed of two
main elements: a monitoring of the digital footprints and a performance. Finally the
construction of a professional online presence appears to be more natural for the French
participants, whereas participants from the United-Kingdom have a tendency to think about
their professional online identity as project they will start after their graduation. In all the
examples, the construction of a professional online identity seems to contribute to the
satisfaction of the need for esteem identified by Abraham Maslow as a crucial part in identity
construction.

With hindsight, the Lego research method and the whole project seem to be in adequacy with
the research questions. Moreover this project contributed to the exploration of the concept of
online identity from another perspective, which may be used by other researchers. The study

40

of online identity is crucial in the fields of information and communication sciences, media
studies, sociology or even semiotics. The recentness of this issue is accompanied by a real
passion for themes such as ‘personal branding’, ‘online reputation’, ‘personal knowledge
management’ etc. These relatively popular expressions highlight the range of studies that
could be conducted in order to get a better understanding of these trends. One thing is certain,
although the Lego online identity project is relatively complete, there are gaps that could have
been filled in order to have a deeper understanding of the concept of online identity and its
appropriation by media students.

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VII. Appendices –
A. Lego online identity models explained - France

46

B. Lego online identity models explained – United-Kingdom

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