The extended self was proposed in 1988. Since it was formulated, many technological changes have dramatically affected the way we consume, present ourselves, and communicate. This conceptual update seeks to revitalize the concept, incorporate the impacts of digitization, and provide an understanding of consumer sense of self in today’s technological environment. It is necessarily a work in progress, for the digital environment and our behavior within it continue to evolve. But some important changes are already clear. Five changes with digital consumption are considered that impact the nature of self and the nature of possessions. Needed modifications and additions to the extended self are outlined, and directions for future research are suggested. The digital world opens a host of new means for self-extension, using many new consumption objects to reach a vastly broader audience. Even though this calls for certain reformulations, the basic concept of the extended self remains vital.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/10.1086/671052.pdf

Extended Self in a Digital World

Bloggers are typically cautious about engaging in self-disclosure because of concerns that what they post may have negative consequences. This article examines the relationship between anonymity (both visual and discursive) and self-disclosure on weblogs through an online survey. The results suggest that increased visual anonymity is not associated with greater self-disclosure, and the findings about the role of discursive anonymity are mixed. Bloggers whose target audience does not include people they know offline report a higher degree of anonymity than those whose audience does. Future studies need to explore the reasons why bloggers visually and discursively identify themselves in particular ways.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00380.x

Anonymity and Self‐Disclosure on Weblogs

The use of the Web in K–12 education has increased substantially in recent years. The Web, however, does not support the learning processes of students as a matter of course. In this review, the authors analyze what research says about the demands that the use of the Web as an information resource in education makes on the support and supervision of students’ learning processes. They discuss empirical research focusing on the limitations of the actual search strategies of children, as well as theoretical literature that analyzes specific characteristics of the Web and their implications for the organization of education. The authors conclude that students need support in searching on the Web as well as in developing “information literacy.” Future research should focus on how the use of the Web in education can contribute to the development of deep and meaningful knowledge.

/pdf/the-web-as-an-information-resource-in-k-12-education-1mw8aq02zv.pdf

The Web as an Information Resource in K–12 Education: Strategies for Supporting Students in Searching and Processing Information:

This article provides an alternative to the masculine construction of the blogosphere by analyzing 'mommy bloggers' through the lenses of feminism and autobiography. It uses the event of the 2005 BlogHer conference as a starting point for a discussion about the mommy blogger phenomenon, wherein a constellation of ensuing conversations challenge the use of the title 'mommy blogger' and the activities that are encompassed by it. In qualitatively examining the form and content of mommy blogs, this article ultimately argues for their potential to build communities and to challenge dominant representations of motherhood within our society.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1461444809105349

The radical act of 'mommy blogging': redefining motherhood through the blogosphere

While researchers are increasingly interested in understanding the social context of weblogs, or blogs, most existing studies rely on analysis of English-language content. This study is a quantitative content analysis of Polish blogs (N=358) aimed at understanding the content elements and user-initiated features, such as hyperlinks, of blogs under the theoretical framework of uses and gratifications. Results indicate that self-expression is the primary motivation for blog posts. Furthermore, Polish bloggers appear to be driven more by self-expression than by social interaction motivations. Additional findings explored the relationship among motivations, gender, and topics discussed in blogs.

/pdf/rzeczpospolita-blogow-republic-of-blog-examining-polish-13eqwhxtnv.pdf

Rzeczpospolita blogów [Republic of Blog]: Examining Polish Bloggers Through Content Analysis

An analysis of online diaries suggests some of the ways in which autobiographical
stories and subjects are shaped on the Web. The computer as a
writing tool, and the Web as a publishing medium, influence the practices
of diary writing, affecting how diaries are written, what is written and to
whom, and how they are read and interpreted.

Madeleine Sorapure

Papers

Screening Moments, Scrolling Lives: Diary Writing on the Web

Web literacy: Challenges and opportunities for research in a new medium

Information Visualization, Web 2.0, and the Teaching of Writing

Between modes: Assessing student new media compositions

Computers and Composition 20/20: A Conversation Piece, or What Some Very Smart People Have to Say about the Future