Internet Persona vs Your True Self
I recently read an article by Virginia Heffernan called “The Old Internet Neighborhood” (see below for link to article). I can’t say I cared for much of her article (considering she spent the majority of it complaining about the decline of message boards), however, she quoted a woman named Lori Leibovich (founder of Kvetch) who stated, “Social networks are about broadcasting. More about your persona than it is about you as a person.”
This quote really got me thinking. Each Facebook user creates a profile listing one’s favorite movies, music, quotes, activities, etc. You invite, accept, and ignore requests from other users as the validation of your friendship with someone. One’s popularity on Facebook is defined by numbers: how many friends do you have? how many pictures are you tagged in? how many people wrote on your wall for your last birthday?
The collage of wall posts, friend requests, and “poking” wars creates who you are on the internet. But how truthful is everyone? After all, it’s called “FACE” book.
Now, I try to be as honest about myself on Facebook as possible—rather than list my favorite movies as Inception, and Transformers, I openly admit that Hercules, Mulan, and The Little Mermaid are only a few of the many Disney films I adore. However, I will admit, it is more than easy to succumb to the pressure to be “Facebook popular.” I have seen many of my friends document their lives through photos with the unspoken captions: “Look at all my new friends at college!” “It’s our senior year of high school! Look how bonded our class has become!” “(Insert combination of Greek letters here)”
I believe that Lori Lebovich is right in that we create personas on Facebook, not ourselves. The same girls who are seen having a grand old time with their red solo cups and sorority sisters, have also called me to say they’re homesick, letting their “persona” down, and showing their real feelings through their person-to-person interactions.
The same concept applies to Twitter. The culture of documenting every inside joke, and #hashtaging every phrase in 140 characters has also become a performance: “@randomgirlijustmet but actually, that party was so awesome! #collegelife #partytime”
Have Facebook and Twitter become ways to show off? or ways to connect?
Thoughts everyone?
to see the article “The Old Internet Neighborhood” by Virginia Heffernan go to http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/remembrance-of-message-boards-past/
