Me, Myself and I

Me, Myself and I

Social networking plays an increasingly prominent role in our lifestyle, and as such, in that of our self-perception. Through these sites we create, maintain and principally connect with others through the proxy of a descriptive 'Profile' (Donath and Body, 2004), the internet equivalent of the self. Interacting with friends, co-workers and acquaintances while permitting them some limited access to view others within your own network whom they might not interact with otherwise.

The reliability, or veracity of the information displayed on these sites, or Profiles, however, is inherently user-defined. While 'a public display of connections is an implicit verification of identity' (Donath and Body, 2004), it is perhaps not a verification of personality, interests or even appearance. Pearson (2009) aptly discusses users as 'actors', putting on a performance defined in turn by the performances' of their peers.

Ultimately it falls to the individual to interpret and analyse a Profile. And while it may be argued that the same is true for real-world connections; drawing conclusions based on someones' appearance, or their vocabulary, tastes in music; this would be incorrect, at least for current users. 'Online, these mediated environments mean that there is a blurring between front–stage and back–stage' (Pearson, 2009). The changes in communication (through technological advancement) over the past century have drastically altered not only our definition of communication, but our understanding of its' repercussions on the self, and others both in and outside of our networks.

References

Donath, J. and boyd, d. 2004. Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal, volume 22 (4): 71-82.

Pearson, E. 2009. All the World Wide Web’s a stage: the Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. First Monday, volume 14, Number 3.

Rabbit, or Duck?. 2011. Image from: http://rickischultz.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/rabbit-or-duck1.jpg