Semi – Final Lesson 3: The Digital Self

I. Lecture:
Why do we use social media?
― It has been noted that the amount of social media use by the youth all over the world has
increased in a yearly basis (Wood, Bukowski, & Lis, 2016).
― Aside from being an instrument by which we can connect with friends and relatives, we may
also use social networking sites as our “online diaries”, keeping our friends updated with our
activities, whereabouts, plans, accomplishments, and even our problems.
― Social networking sites are now considered as significant tools that foster psychological
development especially between adolescence and adulthood (for example: identity exploration
wherein we use social media (and other online platforms) to represent ourselves in the digital
world)

How do we use social media? (Selective Presentation and Impression Management)

― The photos we share, comments we make, posts that we like, and the different status that we
post or tweet, are ways by which we present an image of ourselves to others.
― One feature of social media as a means of identity representation is that we can choose what
to show to and what to hide from people.
― Erving Goffman, a Canadian-American sociologist, used the term impression management to
refer to the process by which people control the impressions other people have towards them.
The term was first applied to how we create impressions in face-to-face interactions, but has
also been used in online interactions as well. Human as we are, we strive to create a positive
impression to people both in the real world and in the online community. Goffman further
suggests that people are like actors in a play – we act in a way that pleases our audience and
which brings good impressions.
― One way by which we can manage other people’s impressions about us is through self-
presentation, or the process of communicating an image of ourselves to other people (Yang &
Brown, 2016). Whatever we do online can be seen by millions of people in less than a minute
thus we tend to be very careful on what we post on social media. We tirelessly take countless
photos until we capture the one which is IG-worthy, we take pictures of the food we eat, the
clothes we wear, the places we go to, and the people we are with, among others. Simply put,
whenever we do things to persuade other people to see us in a particular way, we are already
engaging in self-presentation.
― But why do we engage in self-presentation?
 Self-presentation reinforces the different social roles or identities we take on in the real
world. Example, students who identify so much with their school, organizations, or other
affiliations, are more likely to include these identifications in their profiles. Those who are
strong supporters or critics of different political personalities may use social media to show
their approval or dismay towards them. People who have strong advocacies may also use
social media to put forward their beliefs.
 We may engage in self-presentation to gain social rewards. For instance, we may
document our travels, take pictures with celebrities or other famous personalities, or subtly
brag about our newly-bought gadgets just to create an impression that we are better off
 than others. We may also carefully choose what we post online so as to earn the approval
of others or avoid negative remarks from them.
 Creating an impression towards others, will, in a way, also help us establish our identity.
For instance, we may go to fancy restaurants or coffee shops so we could share it in social
media. The likes and comments of our friends may then make us popular and thus, validate
the image we want to project. Creating an impression that we are living a luxurious life may
also convince us that we are indeed living that kind of life.
 There may be times that we consciously engage in self-presentation strategies and
at times, the act itself may become so reflexive. However, it is important to note
that engaging in self-presentation does not mean that we deceive other people and
lie regarding our identity.

Impact of Online Interactions on the Self

― Undeniably, social media and other online platforms have spurred a significant change in
people’s lives. However, although the internet may have made life easier, studies suggest that
our online interactions may have both positive and negative effects especially on our sense
of self.
― Social media can impact our self-esteem. The feedback that we get from our social media
friends can either boost or undermine how we see and feel about ourselves. In a study
conducted, it has been found that Facebook can enhance our “social self-esteem”, or how we
see ourselves based on the positive feedback we receive from our Facebook friends
(Valkenburg & Peter, 2006). Such feedback may be in the form of likes, shares, comments, or
even through number of views or page visits. On the other hand, social media sites may also
lower our self-esteem. Being updated with the lives of our online friends may make us aware
of our shortcomings, limitations, or how different we are from them, which may make us feel
bad about ourselves.
― Social media and other online platforms can provide “catharsis”. Disclosing about ourselves
in social media and other online sites can be a way by which we can release our thoughts,
frustrations, and even our problems. For instance, if we are disappointed with the kind of
service we received in an office or institution, we may post it in Facebook. If there are
thoughts, opinions, or experiences we want to share, then we can blog about it. And for some
others, social media is used to ventilate their sadness or their anger. We should be cautious
about this, because although we find such disclosures as a way to free ourselves from
all these negativities, the people reading our posts may pick up these negativities and
find our posts “toxic”.
― Social media can also be a host to different emotional experiences. Social media use can
help enhance communication and social contact. This is facilitated by online self-disclosure
which is seen to increase our social connectedness and well-being (Valkenburg & Peter, 2009).
Social media use can also provide awareness and understanding of different identities and
cultures which in turn, enhances appreciation to diversity. However, there are also risks
involved. For one, cyberbullying is seen as an inevitable risk from disclosure in online sites.
Given that cyber-bullies can bask in anonymity online and the fact that the negative remarks
or posts can be continually shared by a lot of users, the damage can be overwhelming and
difficult to control. The term “facebook depression” has been suggested to refer to the feeling
 of being depressed due to Facebook use (Jelenchick, Eickhoff, & Moreno, 2013). Other risks
posed by social media use may include the spread of wrong information, misunderstandings,
jealousy, and even difficulty in moving on after a breakup (Marshall, 2012).

Boundaries of the Self Online

The internet provides us with a lot of information worth sharing and commenting. However, we
have to caution ourselves against “oversharing”. This refers to our tendency to share even the most
private details about our lives and perhaps, that of other people. This may put us in danger since
whatever information we disclose can be seen by a lot of people all over the world and may be used
in a way that can jeopardize us. Take for example cases of identity theft wherein people use other
people’s photos or names to pretend to be someone else. Thus the free expression we may have
online comes with certain risks and of course, accountability. Although we may have public
social media accounts, at the end of the day, we still have our private lives to keep and make
secure. We are reminded to always think before clicking that button since just one click can
change not just our life, but that of others too.