Abstract:

The article presents the results of research related to the perception of risks in relation to the extended concept of digital identity called "digital me (DIGME)". DIGME is a digital identity of the individual in cyberspace, which consists of two elements. The first one is the collection of personal data that openly allows identifying a natural person. The second element includes information about the behavior of individuals, derived from all available websites, in which the person leaves a trail of her or his activities. It includes all the data - the content published or left in the Internet. According to many studies only a small group of Internet users consciously use their own digital identity and take care about its security.

The students are this part of societies which benefits from media and digital technology, using ICT in private and social life as well as in professional work. It is the group open to technological innovations, having the ability to quickly obtain information and sharing it, and move in a globalized digital world.

The aim of this study was to verify the research hypothesis: "Social values play the dominant role in managing of digital identity among young people. Digital competences meet the needs of using Internet-based services firstly, and awareness and ability to protect the digital identity plays a secondary role."

The thesis has been tested using questionnaire conducted in two research groups. In addition to the research on the perceptions, the surveys have also tested the participants’ level in ICT competence areas. The research groups consisted of students of two courses differing levels of knowledge and skills in the ICT area. They were students of management and computer science. It allowed comparing the results of studies among different groups of participants and strengthening the results correctness.

The results of the study were presented in the article along with their discussion.

Keywords:

Digital identity, digital society, students’ perceptions, competence evaluation.