I recently discovered David Weinberger's essay on web metaphysics. I'm about five years late on this discovery, but one section in particular struck me. His discussion of "web selves" touches on the same concept of selective identity projection I find myself circling around. A lot of what he mentions in the section is being expressed lately in the focus on attention data. The idea that I'll create multiple relatively static identities for the purpose of interacting within different networks, and that these identities have an inherent value, seems to be the dominant concept over older ideas of anonymity. The process of interacting in new media social networks, is this process of identity construction and subsequent projection. The manner of projection, and materials for construction, depend not only on the structure of the network but also on the individual's response to the collective, emergent identity of the network (feedback).

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Also, an interesting interview with Weinberger.