We’ve all Googled our names. It is alluring to find out what an online search of ourselves generates. Within a search of my own name, images of other Anna Hodges appear, in addition to an article I wrote and my Twitter account.

Amid all of the websites, domains, images and posts, it is our online identity that appears. Our many accounts, despite having different titles, are all congregated under one name.

In today’s highly connected world, we are told to form an online identity in order to thrive socially and professionally. Nowadays, it seems an online self is just as important as our physical, mental and emotional selves.

And yet, this online identity can be, in some cases, a huge threat to our real lives.

Until recently, I never really considered the number of online identities I hold. My Facebook, Twitter, email, Tumblr and WordPress accounts, as well as my LinkedIn profile, are all “Logged In as Anna Hodge” and reflect the different facets of my life.

These accounts are where I seek social interaction, a space to express personal thoughts and feelings, and a professional page to highlight my resume.

My cyber footprint is large, vast and dominated by my name: two words, nine letters.

Of course, our names can reveal so much about who we are without a Google search bar. Our name is telling of our heritage and ancestry. Last names hold stories of triumph and tragedy, love and desire.

They ultimately intertwine our lives with the others who came before us.

But the romance of our names can easily lapse into something more sinister.

First and last names, which are attached to so many online accounts, are suddenly potential threats to our future job pursuits and relationships.

Our social and professional lives mix online – potentially risqué Facebook pages appear alongside LinkedIn profiles.

We are told to be careful about what we post because it may come back to bite us. Our online image could overrule and damage all of the real-life, admirable qualities that could land us a job.

Many employers no longer simply look at our name on a resume and job application. They now search that name to find the character behind it.

I often write a tweet but never send it out to the Web, purely because of the backlash I may receive. I ask myself, “Could this be detrimental to my future, these 140 characters?”

Dramatic? Maybe. But the threat of becoming a potential victim to my own name is too scary to risk.

The forever-famous line from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” “What’s in a name?” held so much truth for the lovers, who were doomed from the start because of their warring families.

Centuries later, the line is also relevant to our generation.

We struggle to separate our online selves from our real identities, creating a constant struggle over how we present our names online.

Do we appeal to our social selves or work to construct a more professional online image? Can we combine the two urges and still be true to our values and dreams?

Of course our online identities are important — to refute this would be turning a blind eye to the digital revolution.

However, we need to be sure these accounts are not all that shape us. We are more than just a profile picture. Regardless of how many accounts we create, our name still links us to our values, aspirations, past, present and future.

With our online selves comes a great responsibility to maintain a positive image, so the story we tell about ourselves is one we want to tell.

Anna Hodge is a freshman magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @annabhodge.

Published on March 21, 2013 at 2:46 am