Problems of identity are being studied not only in psychology and psychoanalysis but also in sociology and philosophy. Conceptions of identity differ a great deal among different writers. In sociology the term has been the object of study and a means of analysis of social groups, social behavior, and various social processes and phenomena. For the sake of precision, the author will describe briefly the interpretation of identity that seems most appropriate to the analysis of the Internet's influence on active social involvement and identity. This article discusses how the changing nature of personal identity in Russia during recent decades shows stability in identity influenced by close social relations and marked changes in relation to more remote factors. It illustrates how the Internet's anonymity contributes to changes in identity. (Contains 2 tables and 8 notes.)