Construction of identity in a digital world is a fluid process through which individuals create, curate, perform, and manage their sense of self on online platforms and social media. Social media has become an important part of today’s world, where influencers present themselves to others through photos and videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. These platforms allow individuals to create and share particular versions of themselves with an online audience.
To understand how people construct their identities online, it is useful to consider Erving Goffman’s theory of self-presentation, which explains how people manage others’ perceptions of them. Social interaction is like acting on stage: people self-present online and act differently to show the audience what type of person they are, but off-camera they may behave differently. This is where Goffman introduced front stage and back stage. We can use this theory in today’s world, where you will have influencers who will self-present themselves on social media as happy and having a good time, where they share photos of the positive lifestyle they are living in; however, away from social media, they may be experiencing personal issues where their lifestyle is the complete opposite, and they could be lonely or depressed. They are just self-presenting their lives to an audience to show that they are fine and happy. Still, they are not and will not share that with the audience. This is an example of Goffman’s theory of front stage and back stage: on the front stage, they show the positive on social media, but on the back stage they don’t share with the audience, and it’s negative.
However, Goffman’s theory helps explain how people construct their identity in a digital world. Social media has introduced new ways for individuals to manage how they are perceived by others, making Goffman’s theory more complex in the digital world. Goffman developed his theory around face-to-face social interactions. Still, social media has introduced some differences:, Unlike face-to-face interactions, social media allows individuals to edit, select and change how they present themselves before sharing content with an audience whereas in face-to-face interactions, when it happens, it happens. You can avoid it. Whereas on social media, you can take 20 photographs and see which one is best to post, and when it’s posted, people will like and comment. You can keep it for a very long time, and they can edit it using filters to make it look better. If they don’t get enough interaction, they can easily delete the video. They can choose which aspects of their personal lives they show to the Audience; this is the difference between social media today and Goffman’s theory.
Overall, Goffman’s theory is still relevant in today’s digital world because it explains how people manage the impression they give to others; however, social media has introduced new ways to show their identity, meaning the theory does not explain every aspect of how people construct their identity in today’s world
Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday.
