Identities can be shaped not only offline but also online. Nowadays, online digital interactions with others can define a part of our identity because they can play an important role in our learning and professional development by providing added valued support. However, online interactions take place in specific discourse systems, groups and cultures, where members form group identities often with alignment to similar interests, goals, and norms. Moreover, members have to invest effort to cultivate social capital, their resources, in this case online platforms, such as Web 2.0, which include social networking software to maintain relationships and project their personae. This presentation examines the value of online social capital for the formation of a sense of place, specifically for the contextual building of one’s online identity. It provides participants an opportunity to explore their own perceptions of online social capital and share them with each other.

STEMS² Pillars: Sense of Place