The Digital Space as the Environment of Social Self-determination and Self-Expression

The purpose of the article is to highlight the characteristics and features of the digital space as a new social environment, as well as the factors that influence the process of forming a person’s identity in the digital space. One of the characteristics of the digital space as a social environment is the abundance of information. This abundance of information, however, is not always equivalent to, or combined with, an abundance of knowledge. Another characteristic of the digital space is its disruption of the boundaries between the real and digital worlds, resulting in the simultaneous existence and activity of a person in both worlds. A third characteristic is also the access to personal data and information to an unlimited number of people it provides, as well as the constant changes present in the digital space as a consequence of rapid technological changes. As for the factors that affect the process of a person's self-determination and self-expression in the digital space, we can also mention the following: the need to belong to a social community, the desire to stay in the mainstream, and the pursuit of social desirability or the “perfect self” and so on.