Self in Media: Virtual Persona
Many decisions surrounding social media are determined by what is considered popular or trending and the version of ourselves that we want people to see. Dependency on other users for validation often leads to frequent, yet carefully considered updates. Posting pictures is a way to show others what you’re doing, who you’re with, where you are, your personal possessions and so much more. Depending on the platform, there are many different types of interactions and dynamics, however on this page I will mainly be discussing Instagram and online dating sites. Theresa’s page, for example, explores Facebook and MySpace in particular. Each Instagram profile is a thoughtfully-chosen array of photos, that form a simulacra because it forces the particular collection of images together, in a way they would not normally be arranged. And through this simulacra of images the user creates and continually updates and edits their perceived self.
Haunting is also readily present on seemingly innocuous social media platforms. Instagram also features a popular page, which lists photos and accounts suggested specifically for you, based on posts you have like in the past and other accounts that you follow. With information like this easily extracted, advertisement agencies are able to take advantage of your online habits and preferences. This begins the process of haunting and one action taken online leading to real life repercussions and targeted advertising strategies.
In Alice Marwick’s 2014 Article, Instafame: Luxury Selfies in the Attention Economy, she investigates the concept of “Instafame” and its different categories and criteria. Clearly there are users who are celebrities in real life that are instantly insta-famous, however there are others that become famous due to their popularity on the application or the lifestyle they convey through it, labeled Instagram famous or luxury enthusiasts, respectively. This platform allows for the evolution in the nature of a celebrity. In one way, actors, singers, and other traditional celebrities use Instagram to create a “parasocial interaction” (139, Marwick), with their fans. The immaterial labor produced by social media is discussed further on Kayla's page. This allows for additional publicity as well as another link between the celebrity and their followers, simply by posting a picture. On this same page, Kayla analyzes the idea that our social media selves are a fragmented version of reality.
Furthermore, we make instantaneous judgments and form opinions about people based on the pictures they post. Photo sharing applications like Instagram drive a more selfish, rather than amiable, social nature, leading me to occasionally question its status as a social media platform. Beyond focusing on quality interactions and conversations with other people and developing relationships, people become focused on, even obsessed with, what they look like. People take this desire to be perceived in a certain way to an extreme level, requiring assistance from others to attain a perfect image. In general, the actual interaction with others is limited to viewing, liking or commenting on someone’s photo, which gives a limited relationship a significant amount of power.
This concern of which “self” to present to the public is amplified in the online dating world. In Nancy Baym's Personal Connection in the Digital Age, she references Monica T. Whitty’s, Revealing the ‘Real’ Me, Searching for the ‘Actual’ You: Presentations of Self on an Internet Dating Site. In Whitty's study, she describes the importance of your photo, despite the fact that appearances are not as big of a factor in person. Within the virtual machine, a heavy weight is places on appearances, perpetuating the careful construction of one’s online self. However, while these dating profiles facilitate the control on your online self, the backlash for any discrepancies is harsher. The purpose of creating dating profiles is to find someone you are interested in having a possible relationship with, which goes beyond simply creating an ideal identity online for self-gratifying reasons. Therefore there is a delicate balance between selling yourself and accurately portraying yourself and your assets otherwise this deception can haunt your real life and future relationships. Alternatively from your manufactured self, Whitty references Goffman’s two divergent selves that occur during every day encounters: “self-as-performer” and “self-as-character.” The “self-as-performer” is preformed outwardly during social interactions and the “self-as-character” is one’s inner self, which maintains its unique humanity.
Haunting is also readily present on seemingly innocuous social media platforms. Instagram also features a popular page, which lists photos and accounts suggested specifically for you, based on posts you have like in the past and other accounts that you follow. With information like this easily extracted, advertisement agencies are able to take advantage of your online habits and preferences. This begins the process of haunting and one action taken online leading to real life repercussions and targeted advertising strategies.
In Alice Marwick’s 2014 Article, Instafame: Luxury Selfies in the Attention Economy, she investigates the concept of “Instafame” and its different categories and criteria. Clearly there are users who are celebrities in real life that are instantly insta-famous, however there are others that become famous due to their popularity on the application or the lifestyle they convey through it, labeled Instagram famous or luxury enthusiasts, respectively. This platform allows for the evolution in the nature of a celebrity. In one way, actors, singers, and other traditional celebrities use Instagram to create a “parasocial interaction” (139, Marwick), with their fans. The immaterial labor produced by social media is discussed further on Kayla's page. This allows for additional publicity as well as another link between the celebrity and their followers, simply by posting a picture. On this same page, Kayla analyzes the idea that our social media selves are a fragmented version of reality.
Furthermore, we make instantaneous judgments and form opinions about people based on the pictures they post. Photo sharing applications like Instagram drive a more selfish, rather than amiable, social nature, leading me to occasionally question its status as a social media platform. Beyond focusing on quality interactions and conversations with other people and developing relationships, people become focused on, even obsessed with, what they look like. People take this desire to be perceived in a certain way to an extreme level, requiring assistance from others to attain a perfect image. In general, the actual interaction with others is limited to viewing, liking or commenting on someone’s photo, which gives a limited relationship a significant amount of power.
This concern of which “self” to present to the public is amplified in the online dating world. In Nancy Baym's Personal Connection in the Digital Age, she references Monica T. Whitty’s, Revealing the ‘Real’ Me, Searching for the ‘Actual’ You: Presentations of Self on an Internet Dating Site. In Whitty's study, she describes the importance of your photo, despite the fact that appearances are not as big of a factor in person. Within the virtual machine, a heavy weight is places on appearances, perpetuating the careful construction of one’s online self. However, while these dating profiles facilitate the control on your online self, the backlash for any discrepancies is harsher. The purpose of creating dating profiles is to find someone you are interested in having a possible relationship with, which goes beyond simply creating an ideal identity online for self-gratifying reasons. Therefore there is a delicate balance between selling yourself and accurately portraying yourself and your assets otherwise this deception can haunt your real life and future relationships. Alternatively from your manufactured self, Whitty references Goffman’s two divergent selves that occur during every day encounters: “self-as-performer” and “self-as-character.” The “self-as-performer” is preformed outwardly during social interactions and the “self-as-character” is one’s inner self, which maintains its unique humanity.