UNIT 11_DIGITAL SELF

• We may also use the social networking sites as our - “online diaries," keeping our friends updated on our activities, whereabouts, plans, accomplishments, and even our problems,
• Social networking sites - are now considered significant tools that foster psychological development, especially between adolescence and adulthood.
• Erving Goffman (1922 - 1982) - a Canadian-American sociologist, used the term impression management to refer to the process by which people control the impressions other people have toward them. The term was first applied to how we create impressions in face-to-face interactions, but it has also been used in online interactions as well. Human as we are, we strive to create a positive impression to people both in the real world and in the online community. Goffman further suggested that people are like actors in a play - we act in a way that pleases our audience to create good impression.
• One way by which we can manage other people's impressions about us is through - self-presentation, or the process of communicating an image of ourselves to other people.
• IMPACT OF ONLINE INTERACTIONS ON THE SELF

  • Virtual worlds serve as a tool for identity exploration.
  • Social media can impact our self-esteem.
  • Social media and other online platforms can provide"catharsis"
  • Social media can also be a host to different emotional experiences.
• Facebook can enhance our "social self-esteem" or how we see ourselves based on the positive feedback we receive from our Facebook friends.
• Online self-disclosure - is seen to increase our social connectedness and well-being
• Social media - can also provide awareness and understanding of different identities and cultures, which in turn, enhances appreciation to diversity.
• cyberbullying - is seen as an inevitable risk from disclosure in online sites.
• facebook depression - has been suggested to refer to the feeling of being depressed because of Facebook use.
• Oversharing - refers to our tendency to share even the most private details about our lives and perhaps, those of other people. This may put us in danger since whatever information we disclose can be seen by a lot of people all over the world and may be used in a way that can jeopardize us.