Threads and Instagram: Ethics of Cross-platform Online Identity Management


Zahra Falahatpisheh, Western University

People tend to use multiple social media platforms simultaneously, with an average of seven platforms (Horvát and Hargittai, 2021; Matassi, Mitchelstein and Boczkowski, 2022; Matassi and Boczkowski, 2023). This means that users now have various opportunities to represent different aspects of their identity. As a result, several and often unique online identities have been created on social media platforms, each developed based on features and characteristics of platforms and the groups with whom a user interacts. A problematic belief in the design of social media platforms is that a single unified identity is adequate (Farnham and Churchill, 2011). Owning a single unified online identity across multiple platforms can pose several privacy challenges (Malhotra et al., 2012), including identity theft, stalking (e.g., Irani et al., 2009), targeted spam and phishing (e.g., Balduzzi et al., 2010, as cited in Malhotra et al., 2012), and targeted advertisement. Research on online self-representation has significantly focused on single-platform analysis (e.g., Birnholtz et al., 2014; Duguay, 2016; Litt et al., 2014); however, with the increasing use of multiple social media platforms simultaneously and their close connection, it is important to consider online identity management across multiple platforms. Users’ data privacy has received a lot of attention, and while this paper addresses privacy issues of this new platform, its primary goal is to explore users’ control over their online identities from a cross-platform perspective (Matassi and Boczkowski, 2023). The importance of this issue is evident in Gulotta et al.’s (2012) study, where participants showed respect for other users’ right to autonomy in freely representing their identity. Therefore, the study draws attention to users’ lack of control over whether to link their online identities and the inability to de-link without affecting their identity on the original platform (Instagram). An unwanted result of this issue can be self-censorship, which hinders authentic self-representation and freedom of speech. This study uses Brey’s (2000) ethical framework of disclosive computer ethics to explore online identity management. As case study method provides a comprehensive and contextualized of the research topic, I have chosen this methodology for this study. A case study is an empirical exploration that examines a phenomenon in its real context (Yin, 2009, p. 18). Autonomy is the most relevant in this study, as it relates to users’ ability to have control over how they choose to show themselves to others. Gulotta et al. (2012) call on academics to clarify “ethical and practical implications” of the rights to create and represent identities in the modern day, where the lines between the online and offline worlds are becoming increasingly blurred. Therefore, this paper discusses the importance of managing online identities, particularly on a cross-platform level. This paper draws on existing literature as well as Instagram’s and Thread’s privacy policies and terms of use. Scholars studying topics of social media, online privacy, online identity, context collapse as well as social media platform designers can benefit from this study. Thus, the research question of this study is: How is logging into Threads using an Instagram account relate to online identity management and self-representation? Therefore, this study concludes with a number of design recommendations for platform designers to mitigate these concerns. These recommendations are re-evaluating privacy controls, consent-based information sharing, profile differentiation, and improving transparency. This paper calls on social media platforms, developers, and designers to incorporate these suggestions into their processes and prioritize ethical considerations. The application of these recommendations is a crucial starting point for fostering a more ethical and user-centered approach to online identity management. Future research should include a more diverse array of platforms and examine the differences between platform policies and users’ behavior.

This paper will be presented at the following session: