Is the Virtual Becoming Real? Self-Presentation and the Exhibition of Social Circles in Cyberspace

• In Event: 540 - Section on Science, Knowledge, and Technology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Technology/Innovation

Abstract

Cyberspace is believed to have stepped into the era of Web 2.0, which describes a cumulative shift in websites from static webpages to platforms with more interactive features allowing users to contribute, collaborate and communicate. Online self-presentation thus requires a re-examination to trace the changes in shifted situational settings and its influence on online interaction. To help better analyze the characteristics of self-presentation in the Web 2.0 cyberspace, this paper provides a new framework mapping the nature of popular online interaction tools, including emails, Bulletin Boards Services (BBSs), personal blogs and Social Network Sites (SNSs). Based on the theoretical basis by Goffman, Mead and Simmel, two dimensions are discussed to differentiate various virtual platforms: the divergence and convergence of exhibition and communication, and the level of anchorage. Using this approach, a reviewing analysis on empirical findings indicates how SNSs are anchored through exhibition of intersection of social circles. This particular feature of SNSs has been reconstructing cyberspace to be a more familiar nonymous space, leading to a fusion of virtual and real life. As a result, online self-presentation practices are converging with performances in real life, while developing more cautious strategies to avoid the mismatch of different front stages.

Author

• Ran Liu, University of Pennsylvania