Social Networks

Prior to this blog topic, I never truly concerned myself with the images people presented on Facebook. I took a much more face value approach and never thought much into the motive or reasoning for what people posted. However, once I began to think about it, I cam to some interesting conclusions.

In life in general, people desire to portray themselves in some sort of way. Whether they are able to achieve this objective depends on a great deal of factors. What makes it difficult for people to achieve their desired images is real life interaction. Not only the words we use, but how we say them, mannerisms etc. People may desire to have this tough exterior, but being mean is extremely challenging if someone is not truly cold-hearted. People may wish to seem kind and generous, but if they are not so altruistic, their actions may come across as more selfish than selfless, and in their own best interest. However, social media can overcome this issue, as it is still somewhat genuine, but still detached from real life.

People on Facebook undoubtedly portray themselves in the way they desire to be seen by others. I have noticed people who tend to be portray themselves as tougher post videos of fighting, trash talking, and things of that nature. People who wish to be seen as caring post videos of babies, humans of New York, and other sensible items. There are very few overlaps between people who attempt to categorize themselves. By this I mean rarely do the people who post school fights share a buzz feed article. As far as gendering, I have not notice a trend between gender and types of profiles. The connection between the way people wish to be seen and their profile pictures have much greater correlation.

The best indicator to me for my theory of self-representation is my own Facebook page. As I think back on many items I've posted and shared, they certainly have been aimed at representing myself in a certain way. For example, even if I read a political article I like, or see a political video and find it fascinating, I won't post it. I have no desire to express my political views in such an open forum. In general, I like to hold my cards to my chest as much as possible, as I feel divulging information can often expose weaknesses. So, on Facebook, I will only post something I feel will not open me up to negative ramifications,but rather portray the view of myself I desire. 

Overall, I do believe Facebook serves as a virtual personality, but does not summarize the people they represent. Facebook is a constructed image, one that the user can concoct over time, as opposed to real life where a response is immediate. This time lag allows people to present themselves in they way they desire, not the way they really are.