Cover Image by from CDC
In an era defined by unprecedented technology and extreme advancements and dependency on social media, society has witnessed a discernible shift in human behavior. Now lies an inexplicable desire to document and post every facet, even those previously regarded as private, of our lives on the internet. As a chronically online society, this begs certain questions about the sociological underpinnings and psychological motivations behind this compulsive need.
As arguably all aspects of human behavior are rooted in sociology and psychology, this is as well. To delve into the aforementioned, it is worth discussing the lens of Erving Goffman’s theory of impression management as derived from insight offered by interviews with UK institutional investors. Goffman contends that individuals strive to present an impressive and likable image of themselves to others and in past shifts to primarily appearing on social media, this concept has become applicable to social media. This is extremely evident on more recent versions of popular social media platforms, such as Instagram, and Snapchat, where people find themselves curating their self-presentation based on external audience’s expectations and the presentable image they aim to exude. Social media platforms, in this digital age, have unwittingly transformed into a stage upon which we dance for an ever-present virtual audience, which was hardly its original intention. It is evident that social media posts now are carefully constructed to elicit attention and approval. This has unfortunately permanently altered the internet and transformed it into a virtual sphere that blurs the boundary between personal and public information.
Screenshot from YouTube vlog search
Another aspect of great importance is vlogs, or video logs, as well, especially on YouTube. In the most recent decades, they epitomize the extent to which society has succumbed to this persistent desire for documentation and sharing their seemingly ideal lives on social media. From mundane activities to significant life events, there is no shortage of what constitutes as acceptable to project on social media and is in fact often regarded as a means of connecting with virtual social networks. Although people have been documenting precious moments of life on camcorders and creating home movies for decades, there is an evident shift wherein inviting viewers on social media to partake in those experiences as well through a screen. However, the constant claims of supposed authenticity is often ironic because albeit some candid, almost all posts on social media include scripting and edited content, which really begs the question of supposed authenticity.
The transition from social networks in real-life communities to social media is able to explain society’s inexplicable desire to document and share many aspects of their life on social media platforms that were originally created for connection alone, not performance . This phenomenon, exacerbated by the rise of vlogs and gamified social media platforms can be traced to certain sociological underpinnings that can offer insight into the changing politics of self-presentation and privacy on social media. There are certainly countless benefits in digital connectivity, society must intrinsically analyze what they choose to be a balance between sharing and safeguarding personal lives.
Social Media@ NYUPraha 