ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the issue of newness in relation to questions of personal identity and interpersonal relationships. It explains the term “online” to name cyberspaces, because it is the most commonly used term and is a somewhat more neutral term in that it merely designates connection to the Internet without unduly characterizing the nature of that connection. Much of the cyberbole stems from too stark a set of claims about the inherent difference between online life and away from screen life. There is a strong case to be made that for many people a digitized life is a more mobile one, literally and figuratively. Identity cross-dressing remains a significant phenomenon in chat rooms, social media and dating sites and other online spaces. The claim that identities may be more fluid, more mobile, online than off continues to be approached from a number of other angles as well.
