UNDERSTANDING THE SELF: MIDTERM ■ Helps people privately construct

THE VIRTUAL SELF desired identities.

The Self in the Virtual World ● Impression management

The internet serves three major purposes: social ○ Is the attempt to control or influence any
interaction, information acquisition and generation, and other people’s perceptions.
entertainment. ○ Could be their perception of a certain
As a result, daily life is almost always dependent on person, a material possession, or an event.
the functions of technology, especially the internet which ○ Two main motives in attempting to increase
provides people with a venue of presenting their identities one’s impressions of others:
through social media platforms. ■ Instrumental: to gain rewards and
Nowadays, people are more inclined to show their increase self-esteem.
own personalities via online channels. The internet becomes ■ Expressive: attempting to be in
a multi-media venue for showcasing personal traits, control of one’s personal behavior
qualities, and even experiences. and identity.
Apart from social media, the use of certain
internet-based applications on different gadgets including Some other ways that we can exhibit impression
mobile phones can be an indicator of the kind of person one management is through self presentation, when we actively
is. say, “thanks” or take action to show that we are competent
about something.
Digital Identity
● Multiphrenia Ingratiation: when we try to win the approval of other
○ Kenneth Gergen people by showing our similar interests.
○ The idea that countless alternatives to self
- expression hinders identity formation. Exemplification: when we display our sacrifices for people
Ironic also is the fragmenting of the self, the disintegration of to recognize how committed we are to what we’re doing.
the “Me”, in a time where technological breakthroughs
sprout one after another, and people have never been Intimidation: when we show off our authority, power, or
interconnected. potential so that we would appear as someone that is
The self that is oriented inward toward the world of thoughts worthy of respect and praise.
and feelings because others cannot see the online user’s
overt attributes. It is a narrative in nature because online Supplication: when we try to appear weak and frail so that
users will only come to know the person primarily through we can receive sympathy and help from other people.
what that person tells them. It is retractable because others
are unable to link the online self-claims to the offline The Dramaturgy of the Self
identities. Finally, it is multipliable because people can Erving Goffman emphasizes that, as in theatrical
interact with one another in different domains of the online performances, social interaction also has the front stage,
world at a relatively same time. back stage, and off-stage regions.
At the front, factors like the performer’s consciousness that
● Digital Citizenship there is an audience and their expectations of him/her
○ Refers to the norms of appropriate and influence or impact the performance.
responsible behavior towards technology As for the backstage region, this is where the performer can
use. relax and be himself/herself, away from the prying eyes of
○ Is anchored on three general principles: the crowd.
respecting, educating, and protecting Someone is then considered off-stage if he/she gets to meet
oneself and others. members if the audience is completely independent or
○ Serves the purpose of regulating human separate from the performance.
behavior in a highly-technological and Appropriated in the context of social media, the front stage
digital world. region is when people’s carefully-constructed digital selves
Selective Self-Presentation and Impression engage in online activities, such as publicly commencing on
Management posts, choosing which “selfie” to upload, or even deciding on
● Self-Presentation what thoughts to publish.
○ Any behavior intended to create, modify, or On the other hand, the backstage region is when someone
maintain an impression of ourselves in the simply logs out and momentarily abstains from social media
minds of others. use.
○ People engage in self-presentation Off-stage, finally, is when people actually meet up with
because: people they only know on the internet, or at least those they
■ Helps facilitate social interaction; perform online through various cues and expressions.
■ Enables individuals to attain
material and social rewards; and Online Disinhibition
Unlike in real life encounters, individuals tend to act out anyone. An individual must define himself or herself based
more intensely and openly in virtual interactions. This is, in solely on his or her own terms.
large part, attributed to the mediated nature of online
communication, plus the protective weils their identities are
promised when taking part in it.

Online Disinhibition Effect

Removal of social inhibition and/or restrictions imposed
upon people’s behavior when engaging in the web.
● Dissociative Anonymity
○ People don’t know me
● Invisibility
○ People can’t see me
● Asynchronicity
○ See you when I see you
● Solipsistic Introjection
○ It’s all in the mind
● Dissociative Imagination
○ It's all a play
● Minimization of Statues and Authority
○ Your rules don’t work online

Being a Responsible Netizen

● Fake News
○ Many people on social media share fake
news because they fail to verify the
truthfulness of such online articles.
● Cyberbullying
○ People bully other people online because
they feel that they can do so as online
interaction is different from personal
interaction.
● Viruses
○ Those viruses are concealed to make
users interested in opening such malicious
links.

As a responsible netizen,, you should know what behaviors

are accepted online and what behaviors you need to avoid.
With everyone having social media accounts, everyone
should be responsible in making use of social media for its
positive aspects and not otherwise.
A netizen should be responsible for whatever he/she shares
online and must always ensure that he/she will not post
malicious content that may damage other people in any way.

In the context of work settings, companies and

organizations require digital literacy among employees to
ensure efficient job performance. For educators and
learners, more and more software applications, learning
management systems, and other digital learning tools are
being produced every day and these are imbibed by
students within prescribed teaching styles and
methodologies. In medicine, forms of clinical assessments
are now making use of computerized tools to aid in ensuring
accuracy in gathering data.

Technology offers limitless opportunities; its presence is

inevitable. However, technology need not control society
and the people’s lives. It should be complementary to
human needs and behaviors. Technology should not define