Social Media & Identity

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Social Media and Identity

Introduction

Many discussions of social media have focussed on the social component or their ability to form

and maintain relationships among individuals. The role of social media in establishing identities

has received much less attention, yet, social media play critical roles in shaping identities by

generating avenues for individuals to share personal experience, preferences, and to connect with

like minded people. In short, social media present us with spaces for sharing who we are, our

interests, visions and missions in life. This module draws from the dramaturgical theory to make

connections between social media and identity. It specifically, seeks to address the following

questions: Do social media have any impact on our identity or how we perceive ourselves? Do

people take time to consciously reflect on the information they post on their social media outlets?

Are online identities a continuation of offline identities?

Conceptual Background

Scholars have argued that social networking sites are performative acts in and of themselves and

are therefore connected to users’ identity. Erving Goffman’s work in particular, captured in a

book entitled Presentation of self in everyday life (1959) has been used to elucidate differences

in meaning and activity of online participation. In brief, Goffman’s views are based on the

dramaturgical approach that presents human beings as actors. The approach is used to explain

how individuals present themselves as “idealized” rather than the authentic version of self

(Hogan, 2010). The approach also presents life as a stage in which human behaviour occurs in

“front” and “back’ stages. The front refers to the public spaces while the back stage occurs in

private spaces. Performances are influenced by an audience and actors are in turn often

influenced by their audience.

Social media is quite similar to Goffman perspective because the information posted on social

media platforms seeks to develop certain impressions of people’s personality. Social media

generates connectivity with people with similar interests and demographics. Interactions in this

context include identity performances through profile management, friending, becoming a fan

(‘liking’ fan pages, becoming a “follower”), tagging, being tagged, updating statuses, and having

responses given by others to one’s own status updates. However, social media also introduces a

third component that is unique. Social media media forums are owned by external people and

unlike daily communication contexts, the forums have a curator that manages and redistributes

the digital contexts (Hogan, 2010). This is distinct from mundane forms of interpersonal

communication because in social media contexts, communication occurs not only under friends

or people in our social networks but also under the “surveillance” from social media owners.

In contemporary contexts, the front stage is associated with activities such as lists of status

updates (e.g. Facebook) and sets of photos (e.g. Instagram, Flickr), alongside situational

activities, such as chatting (e.g. Twitter) or location (e.g. Four Square). The actor also performs

in real time for an audience that monitors the actor (Hogan, 2010). Social media also leave

permanent artifacts of individual’s performances and in many ways identities and performances

can be retrieved or archived.

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Impression Management

According to Goffman, people use the back stage to manage impressions. While the front stage

is used to present an “ideal” self, for example, presenting ourselves as: ideal friends, students,

employees etc. In contrast, people use the back stage to work towards keeping appearances.

When applied to social media, the back stage could be linked to the process of making decisions

on what to post on social media. For example how do individuals decide on the selection of

photos? The kinds of links posted? Interest groups joined?

Boyd’s article on Myspace (highlighted on week 2’s readings) reveals how instant messaging

can be seen as a back stage for youth to engage with other younger persons outside of the

physical world’s constraints and parental surveillance (Boyd, 2006). Instant messages serves as a

private space while provide a public component MySpace (front stage). Reacting to increasing

adult surveillance, many teens are turning their profiles private or creating separate accounts

under fake names.

Beyond influencing the social media content, the backstage can also be used to examine other

important aspects of identity. In particular, how has social media provided us with techniques for

re-inventing our identity, masking it or even allowing it to even allowing for no identity at all?

(Fisher, 2012). The use of fake names and anonymous individuals is not uncommon. Is this an

empowering notion? Does the use of alternative names provide users with an ability to share

views that are not consistent with their “real” identity? Responses to these questions vary.

Arguments have been made that social media allows for more open and inclusive communication

as the absence of visual cues such as race, dress, or real names/identity that determine how we

perceive other people are absent. Kennedy (2006) notes that computer communication is not

neutral as issues such as educational competencies and linguistic skills increase in importance in

such online contexts. Do you agree with this perspective?

Conclusion

This brief module attempts to craft an approach to understanding social networking and identity.

It takes into account some of the ways in which social networking activities are performative acts

of identity by the users. It highlights the use of front and back stages. The course materials

throughout the session have exposed us to social media. Many people in the class also use social

media. This week, I would like you to think about your activities in social media forums to

respond to the following questions:

1. Do social media have any impact on our identity or how we perceive ourselves?

2. Do people take time to consciously reflect on the information they post on their social media outlets?

3. Are online identities genuine continuations of real life identities?

4. Is social media strengthening identity or eroding it?

References

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Boyd, Danah. (2006). "Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart

MySpace." American Association for the Advancement of Science, St. Louis, MO. Retrieved

from January 2013 from http://www.danah.org/papers/AAAS2006.html (required reading)

Optional and Useful Readings

Fisher, L. (2012). Why social media is leading to a new era of identity. Retrieved on May 05,

2013 from http://inspireandacquire.ca/social-media-marketing-2/why-social-media-is-leading-to-

a-new-era-of-identity.

Hogan, Bernie. (2010). The presentation of self in the age of social media: Distinguishing

performances and exhibitions online. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30(6), pp. 377 –

386.

Kennedy, H. (2006). Beyond Anonymity, or future directions for internet identity research. New

Media and Society, 59 (8), pp. 859-876.