Digital identity refers to all information and footprints related to the Internet. It is broad, ranging from the most basic personal identifying information such as name, and date of birth, to work, financial, legal, and other related information. So digital identity is very important.

There are many differences in the performance of personal and professional approaches on digital identity. I think it can be mainly viewed from several aspects. Firstly, the most obvious thing is the content. For the personal approach, it is usually to publish some personal opinions or interesting things about life, which are relatively casual. But professional words are related to work or achievements, and will be more business-like and formal. The second is the type of platform. Usually, individual users prefer to use Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, but the professional approach will use social platforms such as LinkedIn. Also, the interactive relationship and audience group, if it is some posts posted by individuals, friends and family members usually come to view and comment, so it is just some daily interactions between acquaintances. But for professionals, they focus more on expanding relationships among peers or stakeholders, so the groups they face are more diverse and complex, which may include colleagues, potential customers, and so on. Lastly, there is the image management of digital identity. For the personal approach, there is basically no need to manage the image, but for the professional approach, the image is very important, and it may even be necessary to create a brand image, which will appear more professional.

There are definitely pros and cons in using digital identity. First of all, it can help users increase social aspects and social opportunities, while promoting knowledge sharing, learning and collaboration opportunities in various fields. Secondly, the intersection of different digital identities promotes cultural exchange and globalization, breaking geographical and cultural barriers. But it will also bring some negative effects. The most obvious one is the privacy issue. If it is not properly protected, it is likely to cause privacy leaks. In addition, the use of digital identity will make users dependent on the Internet, and may lead to social barriers due to the reduction of face-to-face social interaction (Mahboob et al., 2019).

Mahboob, U., Jawed, S., & Yasmeen, R. (2019). Digital professional identity: Dear Internet! Who am I? Education for Health, 32(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.4103/efh.efh_232_17