Representation of concepts associated with the digital environments of Chilean students

Abstract

Introduction: The construction of digital identity is a negotiation process that involves a link between the self, identity, and cultural models. This process is affected by the incursion of technology, which incorporates new verbal forms and traces permanently connected spaces where digital identity is co-constructed. The objective was to determine the conceptual and social representations that construct digital identity in a group of Chilean students by sex.Method: Qualitative research with an analytical descriptive design. The sample included 509 Chilean students aged 18 to 27 from 21 higher education institutions. They were asked to write the first word they associated with the concepts of personal identity, digital identity, digital reputation, and privacy. The results were processed in the Atlas.Ti program, creating word clouds differentiated by sex.Results: Both men and women associated personal identity with "personality." For "digital identity," both groups agreed on the concept of "projection." However, regarding the concept of “digital reputation” men associated it with the term “followers” ​​and women with “prestige”. Regarding “visibility” men associated it with “privacy” and women with “exposure”.Conclusions: the concepts of identity (personal and digital) converge towards common social semantic constructions. However, in concepts such as reputation and visibility, stereotypical gender constructions are evident, with women associating them with prestige and exposure and men with followers and privacy.