Modern Adaptation of “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” (Essay 3) In the year 1959, sociologist Erving Goffman wrote his sociological classic “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”. In his book, Goffman discusses his views on identity and what he calls the dramaturgical perspective. Under this perspective, Goffman argues that the life of an individual is a performance and the people who we surround ourselves with become the audience to this performance. Being that this book was written over fifty years ago, some of the examples that Goffman uses are dated and have not aged well. The goal of the current essay is to discuss modern day adaptations related to the internet and social media that could be used to relate Goffman’s writings
…show more content…
Many individuals have a greater awareness of how they are going to be perceived by others when they post something on social media. Due to social media providing us with a larger audience than most people would ever be able to obtain in our face-to-face interactions, the presentation of self that is presented over social media websites and internet blogs can have an even greater importance to our sense of self than that which we present in our more personal environments. Personally speaking, when I post something on social media I have ample time to think about and edit what or how I am going to present any information about myself. However, in most face-to-face interactions a person reacts more instinctual and does not have the time to carefully think about how they are going to present themselves to the extent that they do over the internet. Due to this I argue that in the current climate, the use of image conscious social site, such as Instagram and Twitter, provide the people of today with much greater control over how we present ourselves in our everyday …show more content…
For example, many of us adapt and put on a different face depending on what setting or environment that we find ourselves in. From a personal standpoint, I do not behave the same way during a job interview as I do when I am around friends and family. However, on social media platforms one’s sense of identity becomes more permanent as one can not simply put on a different face because the face that they previously associated with still lives on the internet in the form of photos and message posts. I argue that due to this that the nature of social media will never let many people show who they truly are due to an awareness that everything that one does will forever be in the eye of the public. In summary, some of the examples that Goffman used in 1959 seem dated. However, I argue that Goffman’s “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” has aged well as a whole, as people are still able to make references that are guided by the ideas in his writings. The ideas of the dramaturgical perspective, front stage, and back stage all have many relevant applications in modern society. These sociological ideas and theories can help to shed light on how people present their sense of self on social media platforms and the
Many individuals have a greater awareness of how they are going to be perceived by others when they post something on social media. Due to social media providing us with a larger audience than most people would ever be able to obtain in our face-to-face interactions, the presentation of self that is presented over social media websites and internet blogs can have an even greater importance to our sense of self than that which we present in our more personal environments. Personally speaking, when I post something on social media I have ample time to think about and edit what or how I am going to present any information about myself. However, in most face-to-face interactions a person reacts more instinctual and does not have the time to carefully think about how they are going to present themselves to the extent that they do over the internet. Due to this I argue that in the current climate, the use of image conscious social site, such as Instagram and Twitter, provide the people of today with much greater control over how we present ourselves in our everyday …show more content…
For example, many of us adapt and put on a different face depending on what setting or environment that we find ourselves in. From a personal standpoint, I do not behave the same way during a job interview as I do when I am around friends and family. However, on social media platforms one’s sense of identity becomes more permanent as one can not simply put on a different face because the face that they previously associated with still lives on the internet in the form of photos and message posts. I argue that due to this that the nature of social media will never let many people show who they truly are due to an awareness that everything that one does will forever be in the eye of the public. In summary, some of the examples that Goffman used in 1959 seem dated. However, I argue that Goffman’s “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” has aged well as a whole, as people are still able to make references that are guided by the ideas in his writings. The ideas of the dramaturgical perspective, front stage, and back stage all have many relevant applications in modern society. These sociological ideas and theories can help to shed light on how people present their sense of self on social media platforms and the