Me, Myself & My User ID Online

Digital Self is a mask we put on to engage in the technological

world.
Belk’s summary of digital modification of
the extended self
DIGITAL DIMENSION SELF POSSESSION

Attachment to and
Dematerialization singularization of virtual
possessions

Avatars affect online self;

Re-embodiment Attachment to avatars
multiplicity of selves
Aggregate possessions;
Self revelation; loss of sense of shared place
Sharing
control online
Affirmation of self;
Co-construction on self building aggregate
extended self;
Digital clutter; digital cues
Distributed memory Narratives of self to sense of past
elective presentation & impression managemen
Self presentation is behavior that attempts to convey some
information about oneself or some image of oneself to other people.

• These behaviors are activated by the evaluative presence of other

people & by others’ knowledge of one’s behavior.

• In new situations, many people would like to impress & become self
conscious.

• People behave in ways designed to create a favorable impression or

even to one’s ideals.

• Humans are social animals & regulate our behavior to fit in the world
or adjust it to the impression that we desire.
Two types of self presentation

• Pleasing the audience – the type of self presentation which tries

to match the self to the audience’s expectations and preferences.

• Self construction – this type of self presentation tries to match

oneself to one’s own ideal self. The expression of the audience-
pleasing motive varies across situations.
Multiple aspects of self
Higgins (1987) argues that there are three domains of the self:
the actual self, the ideal self and the ought self.

Actual self – this refers to the attributes an individual possesses.

Ideal self – this refers to the attributes an individual would ideally possess.

Ought self – this refers to the attributes an individual ought to possess.

Impact of online interaction on self
Boundaries of self online