9.
1: The Digital Self
“Whether you realize it or not – or even
wish to admit it – you already have an
online reputation to protect”
– Brian Solis
Digital Self is a mask that an individual
puts on to engage in the technological
world (Tamara, 2010). It is the aspect of
oneself that is shared with others through
the use of social media and computerized
technology.
Digital Identity is the set of
characteristics that identify a person
within the internet (Mazo, 2014). So, our
digital identity is:
1. Our personal information online
(texts, videos, photos, name,
address, and the sites that we
visit);
2. What we post; and
3. What other people post about us
A theory by Donald Winnicott points that
there is a “true self” that is the
instinctive core of one’s personality. It
must be nurtured and realized. On the other
hand, there is also a “false self” that is
established to defend the “true self” from
insult and danger. Everyone has a “true
self” that is complex and fragile, but
basically, is the basis of oneself. Since
people are social animals, they tend to
share the self with the world, but it is
the decoy self that is engaged to manage
the day-to-day anxieties and challenges
that come (Hicks, 2010).
The Development of Digital Self
The impact of communication media on the
formation of identity in today’s societies
is focused on internet communication and
virtual realities. The idea of digital
self-developed from the original phenomenon
of the extended self. Russell Belk (2017)
believed that possessions are a major
contributor to and reflection of individual
identities. Generally, material possessions
are considered extensions of the self. In
the current generation, however, digital
belongings like videos, online messages,
and social media statuses are viewed as
factors in molding the identity. Therefore,
millennials are also called “Digital
Natives.”
Why Do We Have a Digital Self?
An excerpt from “The Digital Self: Why Do
We Express Ourselves on Social Media Like
We Do?” Retrieved from
https://sensum.co/blog/the-digital-self-
why-do-we-express-ourselves-on-social-
media-like-we-do
The idea of the Digital Self is an
interesting and relatively new topic
discussed in consumer behavior research.
Researchers, such as Stone (1996) and
Hemetsburger (2005) claim that the digital
web allows us to try out different personas
that differ from our real-life identities.
But why would we want to even do this? We
were especially interested in looking at
why we express ourselves online the way we
do and we wanted to share the most common
reasons:
1. We want to meet the expectations
of others. Research shows that
over 50 percent of women would
edit their social media photos to
look better and meet the
expectations that the media and
magazines have set.
2. We want to boost our self-
esteem. People upload photos and
statuses online that they feel
will receive “likes” and positive
feedback in which ultimately
helps their egos.
3. To feel a sense of
belonging. Some of us want to fit
in with the crowd and upload
things that are “down with the
trend.”
4. A bigger sense of freedom. Unlike
in real life, digital platforms
allow us to express ourselves in
any way we want to without anyone
there to physically judge us.
5. Striving to be our ideal
selves. Digital applications like
Snapchat allow us to improve our
appearances on photos. These
applications help consumers
express themselves as their
“ideal” self-online and
inevitably feel better about
themselves.
Therefore, the digital world has provided
us with greater opportunities to express
our identity in any form we want to. What
we all need to remember is: how will we
feel if we go so far to express ourselves
differently inline that we forget what
reality is, or worse, we end up resenting
it?
9.2: The Elements of the
Digital Self
Elements of the Digital Self
Online identity is like an investment.
People often start out with a small amount
of capital, and the way it is used over
time determines how much people end up with
later on.
The following elements include a person’s
digital self:

Your online behavior
· People tend to assume that your online
actions are representative of the way you
are in person
Your online voice
· When you post online, what do you say?
Are you controversial, contentious, or
otherwise inappropriate?
Your online presentation
· From your blogs, website to your Facebook
account, the images, and other style
elements can say a lot too
9.3: Selective Self
Presentation and Impression
Management
The Internet and digital technologies
present an ample opportunity for
individuals to manage the impressions they
make on others. The wide range and nature
of the Internet mean that for most,
presenting the self to others via the
Internet is a common and usual daily
activity. As human beings, we strive to
find social relationships and fit in. We
present ourselves every day to the world
and to others, the issue that arises,
however, is the tactics we use. Self-
presentation and Impression management may
seem to be similar, yet different at the
same time.
Self-presentation is a process that
individuals use to control the impressions
of others through social interaction. It is
our efforts to shape others’ impressions in
specific ways in order to gain influence,
power, sympathy, or approval (Kassin, 2008.
p.90). Strategic self-presentation is
intended to only be used at the beginning
such as an interview for a career. The
following are the types of self-
presentation (Flemming, 2015):
1. Authentic – the goal is to create
an image in line with the way we
view ourselves
2. Ideal –the goal is to create an
image consistent with what we
want to be
3. Tactical self-presentation – the
goal is to create a public image
in line with what other people
want or what they expect us to be
Impression management is a process by which
individuals attempt to influence the
reactions and images people have of them
and their ideas. The intent of control and
deception is present in impression
management, but the difference between this
control of power is that is used to justify
actions and is used more consciously and
more often than self-presentation. Erving
Goffman defines Impression management as
“about successfully staging a character and
putting on a performance” (Aspling, 2011).
The performance, however, is not an
individual act. Instead, individuals
cooperate in the staging of a single
performance. That is why a “team” is
important in Goffman’s impression
management.
Goffman defines a team as “a set of
individuals whose intimate cooperation is
required if a given projected definition of
the situation is to be maintained” (Ibid,
p.108). The following are the techniques of
impression management:
1. Dramaturgical loyalty – used by
members of a team in order to be
loyal to the team and behave in
accordance to the team’s
performance and never exploit the
presence in their front region in
order to stage their own show.
2. Dramaturgical Discipline –in
order to successfully stage a
character and a team performance,
each performer must have a
presence of mind and self-control
so that he remembers his parts
and does not commit any
unintended gestures while
performing and is able to save
the show if that would be the
case.
3. Dramaturgical circumspection
– carefully selecting the right
team members and making sure that
they are dramaturgically loyal
and disciplines. It is also about
selecting the audience that will
give a minimum of troubles in
terms of the show the performer
wants to put on as well as the
show he does not want to put on.
9.4: Impact of Online
Interaction
Positive Impacts:
1. Enhancement of social contact,
independence, and communication
2. Increased social connectedness,
well-being, and friendship
quality
3. Develops companionship, well-
being, and a mature emotional
state
Negative Impacts:

1. Meanness and bullying

2. Misunderstanding
3. Unwanted contact
4. Unintentional disclosure
5. Facebook depression – increased
depressive symptoms when the
internet is used for other
purposes
6. Jealousy and self-mutilation

9.5: Presentation of Self:

Online
Blended Identity – when an individual
creates an online identity different from
the identity offline but in cases where
they meet in person the people they speak
to online, the online persona is kept

 There are many layers and sides

to people’s identities and many
choose which side to present
depending on the audience
 The development of computer-
mediated communication has
allowed people to create new
personalities that are extremely
different from the offline
personalities
 The online world also allows
individuals to be who they want
to be and escape reality by
creating a virtual personality
 However, it is rare for people to
adopt a whole new persona and the
digital self is believed to be
just another side of a wider
identity and this part of the
wider identity is generally the
best side or what people believe
as the best side
 People become so dominated by the
online world that it becomes the
main stage while real-life
becomes the backstage, and
actually blurring the lines
between what is real and what is
virtual

Identity tourism – characterize instances

where individuals use the possibility of
anonymity on online platforms to shift
significant parts of their identity like
gender, age, or race

 Identity tourism is rare but it

is done to look more appealing