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Identity and Social Interaction in Social Networking Sites

Writer: Anna Kachalaba

Supervisor: Rynda Ilona Volodymyrivna

Khmelnitskyi specialized lyceum-boarding school of the profound training in the scientific sphere

The radical rise of new technologies and various innovations throughout the years has not only resulted in the fast-paced development of businesses, but an upgraded breed of individuals who have learned to incorporate technology into every sphere of their lives. In a society where speed and convenience is highly valued and constantly sought after, it is no surprise that various tools have been created to fundamentally change how individuals present themselves in social interactions with one another.

The creation of the popular social networking sites such as Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/) is a recent phenomenon that has swiftly integrated itself into the lives of many individuals. Social networking sites are not only a place for socializing but a place to freely display and express oneself in numerous ways. People's identities, now, are no longer limited to just a face and a body, but are defined by the digital realms as well.

Clearly this social networking phenomenon has had a huge impact since its inception, as it “allows youth to experiment freely with their identities in a low-stakes environment” [6, p. 230]. By carefully examining the type of environment these social networking sites have to offer to its users, this research seeks to study how individuals today are using such sites to express and present themselves in social interactions.  My research study is significant because it will evaluate the user's identity and social interaction on Facebook. This research can act as a valuable contribution to researchers in their analysis for youth development in the digital age. 

         Social networking sites provide a way for individuals to stay connected with friends or make new ones. The profile pages are formatted in a way so that users can enter information specific about themselves in the allotted subheadings. For instance, Facebook has the following headings on the main profile page of a user: “Basic Information (includes information about your gender, birthday, your preference for women or men, languages you speak, and your political and religious views),” “Work and Education (includes information about all the academic institutions you have attended and your work history),” “Family (allows you to find family members and officially add them to the list on your profile page),” and “Contact Information.” 

Additionally, the profile page allows an individual to share even more specific details about themselves, including places you’ve traveled to, and your taste in television shows, books, movies, and music. Moreover, users can also create events and group pages where they can invite people to join. Creating an events page makes it easier for the host of the event to keep track of guests that are coming. The group page brings likeminded people together and allows them to share things based on the purpose of the group. Overall, all the tools are created to help people share information and keep in touch.

Furthermore, users can update their friends by uploading photos, videos, publishing notes, and changing their status. If they want to keep in touch on a more personal level, they can write on the “wall” of their friend’s profile page or send them a private message in their inbox.

As you can see, there are many ways a user can use a social networking site to maintain constant interaction with their friends and it provides “a highly controlled environment for self-presentation behavior, [thus, providing] an ideal setting for impression management” [8, p. 357]. As a result, through a user’s constant activity on such sites, we can study how they exert their identity and their pattern of social behavior online.

1.2        Social Theories

         Before beginning to discuss identity and self-presentation in social networking sites, Siibak (2009) and Strano (2008) consider important theories regarding social behavior. Additionally, Erving Goffman, the most notable sociologist in this field of study, provides theories that will help us better understand online social behavior.

         As the research of Strano (2008) shows, profile pages on social networking sites can be equated to first impressions in face-to-face encounters. Likewise, another research explains how “life on the screen embodies […] a life on the stage, albeit a digital one” [1, p. 103]. The profile page, in other words, acts like a digital stage and a first impression of an individual, allowing people to gauge what kind of person the user is before further engaging with them. Although, of course, a first impression or a profile page cannot entirely reveal the individual as a whole, it plays a defining role in determining the type of behavior that will follow after considering the initial perceptions of that individual. 

1)  Social Categorization Theory

 states that humans are constantly categorizing people based on

how they present themselves in social situations. In Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Goffman presents his analysis of first impressions noting that if a person “know[s], or know[s] of, the individual by virtue of experience prior to the interaction, he [or she] can rely on assumptions as to the persistence and generality of psychological traits as a means of predicting his [or her] present and future behavior” [3, p. 4]. One theory that relates to this analysis is the social categorization theory [9, p. 756], which states that humans are constantly categorizing people based on how they present themselves in social situations. By recognizing certain types of people, individuals automatically categorize them and interact accordingly. In that same way, “people communicating online are also always trying to obtain information about each other, in order to be able to know in advance what to expect and what kind of response to give” [15, p. 2]. As a result, people become very conscientious in carefully presenting themselves in social networking sites. Coffman’s studies on impression management indicates that “impressions are formed through interpreting two kinds of 'sign activity': the expression given and the expression given off” [15, p. 2]. The “expression given” refers to verbal communication whereas the “expression given off” refers to the first impression based on a person's appearance. Individuals also “possess a core motive to interact with others, with many social behaviors being driven by the need for belongingness with others” [9, p. 756]. As a result, individuals are constantly seeking approval of their identities by carefully managing their online presentation of self.

2)  Social Cognitive Theory states that human behavior and practices are acquired based on the observation of others in the context of social interaction. One of the many common themes that arose from studying behavior of individuals on social networking sites is the influence that the media, particularly reality television, has on social behavior among young individuals. Reality television and the constant attention to the glamorous celebrity life has compelled young individuals to desire a similar lifestyle of fame, and with the rise of various social networking sites, this desire can be readily realized. In fact, the research of Stefanone et. al., showed that individuals who spent a significant amount of time watching reality television displayed more active participation in social networking sites. This behavior falls under the framework of social cognitive theory which suggests that “these online behaviors may reflect identification with fame-seeking and competitive behaviors observed in reality television” [16, p. 42]. Researchers came to this conclusion by analyzing various features of an individual's profile page.

3)  Identity Theory states that “the concept of the self is a set of socially constructed roles reflecting the extent to which individuals see themselves as fulfilling the criteria for particular societal roles” [9, p. 756]. Online environments are grounds where individuals can easily modify their identity and self-presentation at the click of a mouse. In doing so, individuals may highlight certain qualities while concealing those which they do not wish to reveal. Identity theory states that “the concept of the self is a set of socially constructed roles reflecting the extent to which individuals see themselves as fulfilling the criteria for particular societal roles” [9, p. 756). This means that all individuals act according to the identity and role they had established for themselves. Unlike in offline environments where you cannot edit yourself, online environments “[provide] adolescents with new spaces for identity exploration,” [6, p. 230] where they can freely and inconspicuously add or delete certain details about themselves. By comparing the user’s presentation of self in offline and online environments, we can see how individuals present themselves and how they want others to perceive them.

 

         The fast-paced digital age gradually moves humans to readjusting their ways with new innovations. The creation of social networking sites is one of the biggest and most influential global phenomenons that have forever changed the way individuals present themselves and socially interact. Goffman repeatedly noted how life was like a stage [3, p. 8] and now social networking sites have realized this stage in the digital world. By exploring social networking sites and its users, research in the social sciences can expand as new notions of social behaviors regarding identity and interaction are being formed. Incorporating research of social networking sites is crucial in deciphering identity formation today and will be inevitable for studying the future generations. This study can also be beneficial in contributing to the study of child and youth development, as social networking sites, like Facebook, are now one of the major social factors influencing youth. Social networking sites have proved to be instrumental in significant areas of society such as in the media and politics; however, to fully understand its influence, it is important to study how it shapes and influences the individual first.

 

 

 

Liturature

1.  Boon, Stuart and Sinclair, Christine. 2009. “A world I don't inhabit: disquiet and identity in Second Life and Facebook.” Educational Media International 46: 99-110.

2.  Coyle, Cheryl L. and Vaughn, Heather. 2008. “Social Networking: Communication Revolution or Evolution?” Alcatel-Lucent 13: 13-18.

      3.   Goffman, Erving. 1959. Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York,   NY: A Double Doubleday Anchor Original.