DIGITAL IDENTITY: ARE YOU ONLINE OR OFFLINE?

 

DIGITAL IDENTITY: ARE YOU ONLINE OR OFFLINE?

Written by - Shalini Bishi 

"SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE LONELY IN A CROWD.

THE MORE WE CONNECT ONLINE, THE MORE WE BECOME DISCONNECTED OFFLINE."

This may sound like a trailer before a film, but it's a powerful statement to start with.

While this statement specifically mentions social media, the concept of digital identity goes far beyond that. It includes email IDs, Aadhaar cards, payment apps, stock market or banking apps everywhere, we have a different digital identity. But in real life, does anyone truly know us? We may have a digital presence in the world, but not a personal identity.

Yes, the digital world has helped us in unimaginable ways and made our lives easier. And I am not against the digital sector. But the real question is:

Are we using digital media for a good purpose?

Does it help us connect with more people or are we becoming more disconnected from ourselves?

Has it made life easier or just made us more dependent?

To answer these, we must ask ourselves honestly:

"Can I go a day without my phone, laptop, or digital media?"

I believe most of us already know the answer.

We're all in the same boat.

THE ILLUSION OF CONNECTION

In the digital world, we seem more connected than ever. But in real life are we?

These connections often create an illusion in our minds that we are close to our friends and family. But it’s not the same kind of connection we felt during our childhood or in the pre-digital era.

Yes, digital platforms allow us to connect with new people across geographical boundaries. That’s a good thing. But sometimes, these connections can become serious problems.

For example:

Someone makes a friend online, opens up, shares personal details and later finds out the person was a terrorist collecting information.

Or their phone/laptop gets hacked, and a cybercriminal steals banking information or blackmails them.

It’s a scary shift:

"STARTED WITH LOYALTY, ENDED WITH CRIME " 

Or

"ONCE INNOCENT, NOW MOST WANTED."

Sometimes we don’t even realize when our own family becomes distant, yet we expect strangers to become our best friends.

Sure, genuine friendships happen online but not always. And every time we make a new friend or sign a digital agreement, we should remember:

There’s always a risk in the digital world.

There are 2 stories or may be example to understand " HOW A PING TURN INTO A PRISON" 

So can we named this portion of article as 

STARTED WITH A PING: ENDED WITH PRISON

Let’s look at two examples that explain how a simple digital connection can lead to a major downfall.

Example 1:

A man, ‘X’, found his life partner through a digital platform. He connected with a woman, ‘Y’, and after some time, both families agreed to an arranged marriage. However, they had only ever interacted online. Later, ‘X’ discovered that ‘Y’ was already married to someone else.

Is that not cheating? Fraud?

It’s a serious cybercrime that ruined someone’s life.

Example 2:

Two friends, A and B, invested ₹15 lakhs in a company called XYZ without properly researching it. They trusted the company based on its online presence. Later, they discovered it was a scam and lost all their money .

At the same time, many people also use digital tools wisely and reap benefits. So yes, the digital world has many advantages but only when used with awareness.

If we believe in something, we must dig deeper.

"BELIEFS BEGIN AT THE SURFACE, BUT THE TRUTH LIES BELOW"

There is a self beyond the screen. We often forget:

LOGGED INTO THE DIGITAL WORLD: LOG OUT OF OURSELVES 

We must remember that real life matters too.

We’re online most of the time, but at the end of the day we live offline.

" ONLINE WE PRETENDED OFFLINE WE EXISTED"

Life is more than data, more than code. Today, digital identity is almost as important as real identity in education, finance, and more. And that’s a good thing but only when used with limits.

It should never be misused to harm others.

CONCLUSION

In a world of profiles, be a real person someone who truly connects in a disconnected world.

Let your identity be one that never needs to be logged out.

" BEHIND EVERY PROFILE THERE IS A PERSON WAITING TO BE SEEN."