A Digital Self
By Ellie Teigs
Throughout our lives, time and time again, we are asked to describe who we are. While we encounter this prompt often, we do not always share the same information with everyone. Introducing ourselves to a classmate, neighbor, or interviewer, we may find ourselves placing a spotlight on different characteristics. This is well-explained by a communication site at the University of Minnesota.
We also spend a good amount of time revealing aspects of who we are online. On social media accounts, we are given the option to create a profile and we can share information to influence how we are perceived. Toshie Takahashi explains that young people express themselves online through a desire to feel important (think of the term influencer) and worthy through “likes” and views. We also manage the digital impressions of others. In other words, we can share select information based on what we want others to know (University of Minnesota).
On October 1st of 2016, I posted my first photo on my personal Instagram account. The photo was of a very small potato sprout I planted in my family's garden. The caption read “05/26/16 One little potato plant [insert potato emoji].” I can ask myself many questions (you may have some questions too) about how I chose my first photo, first caption, the time to post, and so on. Nonetheless, the photos and captions I posted to my personal account required me to make decisions about how I wanted others to see me and what I wanted others to know. In this case, we may speculate that I wanted others to see me as ‘quirky’ or ‘artsy’ . . . who knows?
Observing my behaviors on social media, I feel that I portrayed real moments despite some of my photos being a bit staged (like the one with my bowl full of the tiny potatoes I harvested placed on a mossy brick path). Overall, the content I shared felt as real as the chair I am currently sitting on. See Tara Burton’s The New York Times piece on how our digital self is no less real than being ourselves offline.
Many of us can remember hearing about someone who intentionally shared false information online and faced serious consequences for their misleading self-presentation. While we can find many cases that fit this picture, many people choose to show their selves in a way that is authentic and makes a good impression (University of Minnesota).
Considering our interest in describing ourselves genuinely, there are two types of self-presentation to consider: prosocial self-presentation and self-serving self-presentation.
Prosocial self-presentation is an individual portraying him or herself as someone to be looked up to or admired. For example, someone may post about their gratitude for healthcare professionals – this person’s gratitude is a characteristic that others could aspire to implement in their own lives.
With a self-serving presentation, an individual may demonstrate skill and challenge others. This could look like a professional runner’s post about their latest accomplishments and asking to hear from others about their own. While it is not necessary to categorize one type of self-interpretation as better than another, it is valuable to be aware of the differences in how our self-representations can be interpreted (University of Minnesota).
We convey our personality to others through our behaviors in person and our digital selves online. The regularity of presenting information can make it easy to disregard the subtle (or not so subtle) hints we express. Our persistent interaction with others and the development of relationships reinforces the importance of our commitment to questioning the information we share with others about ourselves and how we share it.
Resources
Burton, T. I. (March 27, 2020). Our digital selves are no less real. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/opinion/coronavirus-social-distancing-facebook.html
Takahashi, T. (n.d.). Creating the self in the digital age: Young people and mobile social media. Retrieved from: https://blogs.harvard.edu/toshietakahashijp/files/2011/09/Creating-the-Self-Takahashi-2016.pdf
University of Minnesota (2013). Perceiving and presenting self. Communication in the real world: An introduction to communication studies. Retrieved from https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/2-3-perceiving-and-presenting-self/