Emma will be discussing the new challenge of having an online and offline identity, and the dangers of relying on your Internet presence to define who you are. In Werner
Herzog’s 2016 film Lo and Behold, a gaming addict knew he had a problem when he was ‘spending more time in the online world than in a reallife world.’
Can the same be said for people who sit on Twitter or Facebook for hours every day? Emma will share new research around the dangers of living a virtual life through social media channels, something that she herself has experienced first hand. “Having a freelance digital career made me more introverted because it wasn’t really necessary to see anyone in real life.” Can your online and offline identity truly match up? Will there always be gaps and different projections of your thoughts/looks/opinions? How do you bridge that gap and find one true identity? Is that necessary?
Or even possible?


Emma is a blogger, author and social media consultant. She has written for the likes of Stylist, Grazia, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and more, and is the former social media editor at British GLAMOUR. Her debut book CTRL ALT DELETE: How I Grew Up Online was published in July by Penguin Random House. Her podcast interviewing digital creatives hit number 16 in the iTunes charts on its first week of release. It features guests such as Elizabeth Gilbert and Zoella. It has been recommended by The Times, ELLE UK and Marie Claire.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx