Social Meadia: Mead’s processes of self-formation on Facebook through the case-study of Russia’s troll factory.

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  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 7. Multifaceted Forms of Identity Construction

Abstract

In this paper I explore the ways in which George Herbert Mead’s theories of self and society apply to social media in general and Facebook in particular and how these processes are catalyzed by the peculiarities of technological advancement. I use the case-study of the Russian troll factory to illustrate ways in which identities are primed and constructed for political purposes and will examine online manipulation as a long-term transformative process as opposed to the more traditional “fake news” perspective. I argue that identity-building processes on social media are not limited to the online sphere and that they morph to influence not only individuals’ daily lives, but also the societies to which they belong.

Author

• Anna Gabur, University of Notre Dame