1 new friend request!
The notification is emphasised on your Facebook main page. You have no idea who this person is though. So do you add or decline? I know I’ve been in this position before. Donath and Boyd (2004, 78) were correct in saying, “the networking sites make it much easier to form some kind of connection with other people. On many of them, a simple click on the profile of a person who intrigues you is all that it takes to launch an email to them, stating that you would like to be their ‘friend’ or ‘connection.’” We think we can see who people really are through these sites, but are we seeing the real them?
I would say no. Online you can be who ever you want to be. It is so easy for users to create profiles that are not true representations of themselves. As Pearson (2009) said, “users manipulate these communicative codes, with varying degrees of skill and dexterity, to create not only online selves, but also to create the staging and setting in which these selves exist.” Online platforms allow users a space to express themselves, comparable to a stage in a theatre. This adds to the idea that whenever we use social networking sites, we both perform for an audience, as well as becoming the audience members to the performances going on around us.
We can portray ourselves in any way we wish, effectively creating perceptions and beliefs about ourselves to seem more appealing or socially acceptable to others. While some people may simply lie about a sporting involvement, as Erin Ryan suggested, others can deceive on much larger scales. Donath and Boyd (2004, 74) reported that “there have been numerous reports of identity deception in such sites, ranging from the relatively innocuous misrepresentation of personal appearance and achievements, to more serious deceptions about marital status and intentions.”
So the next time you’re online be more aware; aware, not only of your own performance, but of the performances you’re watching. Just make sure you don’t get deceived by any over convincing actors.
Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web’s a stage: the Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. First Monday, volume 14, Number 3.
Donath, J. and Boyd, d. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal, volume 22 (4): 71-82.
Facebook 2011. Accessed 14 March 2011 at www.facebook.com
Taylor, D. 2011. How to Find Your Friends On Facebook With The Facebook Friend Finder. http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_to_find_friends_facebook_facebook_friend_finder.html (accessed March 13, 2011)
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