“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts” (Shakespeare, 1963). Almost everyone can attest to having moments where they acted in a certain way, as to avoid critique of others or to make a good first impression. Living in the 21st century, people have more of an ability to curtail the way they appear to others than ever before; with the use of social media, internet, text-messaging, and photos. Self-presentation is the manner by which an individual will try to conform to what others think of them and what the individual thinks of themselves (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2014). Impression management process by which an individual is controlling …show more content…
By using tactics of self-presentation, many rulers, revolutionaries, and adverse thinkers across history have convinced millions of people to agree with their opposing views of society. With technology everywhere, it makes it much easier to use self-presentation to curve the ways other's perceptions. Impression Management As stated in the above, impression management is the process by which an individual is controlling or manipulating the attributions and impressions others form for them (Leary, 1980). Some underlying reasons why an individual may use impression management tactics are preforming for social roles (how others may treat them), strategic self-presentation, upholding self-esteem, and gaining power and social influence (Tedeschi, …show more content…
The world is not a perfect place; therefore, impression management tactics can be useful to get ahead in life. By using tactics such as self-promotion and ingratiation to look sharper than a colleague when in competition for a promotion, the payoff is higher. Some may view these tactics as ruthless or manipulative, but that is how society runs. Those who engage better in impression management tactics tend to rise to more positions of power, that is why the public is shocked when confronted with celebrity/politician scandals, blackmail, and unsightly images, because the impression that that person has built through the use of various impression management tactics has been
The development and performance of identity has intrigued researchers from all disciplines. The Self and being have been conceptualized and investigated from varying points of view. Goffman and Butler have created frames through which performance of the self can be comprehended. (Goffman, 1959) brings forth the frame of “impression management” and Butler discusses “performative identity” (Butler, 1990). Impression management explains how people alter their presentation of the self to fit social contexts and mentions how social interactions can reshape an individuals sense of identity. Whereas performative identity claims that one’s identity is constructed discursively and that individuals perform according to
In our age of endless involvement in social media, we often see that people know online aren’t what they seem. Some social media users don’t know that same people we follow or are friends with on Facebook are controlling the way they are being perceived by other users. It’s a new social phenomenon born online and isn’t taken noticed by the everyday users, but there had been movies and stories about it. The topic of identity on social media is being bought up more often in the worldwide conversion about what social media means to us. In the essay “Impression Management on Facebook and Twitter” by Annalise Sigona seeks to inform readers and social media users about the unknowns about the impression and the way user present themselves in social media. When reading this essay, I was introduced to new term, and something I had vague understanding for.
In the article “What Your Selfies Say About You” by Peggy Drexler, she talks about self-portraits also known as the “selfie”, and how it has taken over social media and added a manifestation to society’s obsession with looks. Taking a self-portrait can be positive in the sense that you are proud of your image and are not scared to share it with others helping boost up your self-esteem. Although this may help others by persuading them to not be ashamed to share their true image, Drexler believes this can also affect other individuals whose focus is only on looks making them feel self-conscious about their looks. A recent study out of the UK found that the selfie phenomenon may be damaging to real world relationships, concluding that both excessive
Many people spend their time creating his/her image in order to get where they want to be, celebrities, politicians, public figures, etc., but never do they spend time trying to be themselves; Instead they suppress it.
In the book, Propaganda, author Edward L Bernays, who is nephew of Sigmund Freud, transcends the public relation industry. This short, 13-part instructional manual delves deep into the intricacies and usage of propaganda. Bernays claims that the public is in a constant state of manipulation. He argues that in order for a society to be highly functioning and stable, public opinion must be manipulated and swayed. While I find his claims disturbing, it was refreshing to read something so blunt. Bernays’ use of psychological techniques to work the mechanics of public opinion truly classifies him as the “father of public relations.”
Have you ever heard, “You only have one chance to make a first impression?” Now, whether you choose to be yourself or you choose to be who you thought someone wanted you to be, a conscientious decision was made. Presenting who we would like others to believe we are is self-presentation (Gilovich, Keltner, & Nisbett, 2011). Now answer another question for me, under the correct circumstances, do you think that everyone has the ability to lie about information or details about themselves?
Adopted into sociology by Erving Goffman, he developed most terms and the idea behind dramaturgical analysis in his 1959 book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. This book lays out the process of human social interaction, sometimes called "impression management". Goffman makes the distinction between "front stage" and "back stage" behavior. “Front stage" actions are visible to the audience and are part of the performance. We change our hair color, eye color, complextion. Wearing make-up, the way our hair is styled, the clothes we wear. The demeanor we present to the world to the. All of these things lead to an outward appearance of what we want others to think we are. People engage in "back stage" behaviors when no audience is present. We whine and moan about the customers we deal with. Hair goes un-styled, make is wiped off. Clothing is comfortable and unrestricting. When a person conducts themselves in certain way not consistent with social expectations, it is often done secretly if this ...
Impression management is a social phenomenon that occurs in our daily life both consciously and unconsciously. “It is the act of presenting a favorable public image of oneself so that others will form positive judgments.” (Newman 184) Our first impressions of a person are always based on physical appearance and we compare them to the norms of our society. We can all admit to the initial meeting of a person and first noticing their age, gender, race, or other ascribed characteristics. Our cultural norms are ideas such that fat is “ugly” which are very different across societies and time. Also, impression management is an idea of how individuals interact in different social situations. “Sociologists refer to dramaturgy as the study of social interactions as theater, in which people (“actors”) project images (“play roles”) in front of others (“the audience”).” (Newman 169) This is our human need for acceptance and way of managing the impressions we give others and perform what we think people want to see. Our social life is governed by this concept but it only works with effective front-stage and back-stage separation. Our front-stage is the visible part of ourselves that we allow others to see unlike our hidden back-stage self.
First impressions are created by a composite of signals given off by a new experience (Flora, 2004). The judgment of these impressions depends on the observer and the person being observed (Flora, 2004). When you meet someone for the first time it takes about three seconds to be evaluated by the observer (Mind Tools, 1996-2011,). During this time the person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, and how you dress (Mind Tools, 2996-2011,). Impressions are important to us because they are impossible to be reserved and the set the tone for all the relationships that follow (Mind Tools, 1996-2011).
...ge. Even now, I am engaged in a performance in which I am trying to not only apply Goffman theory on social media but information about me through sharing my front and back region, the writing style in which I did and so on. That is impression management. No one can draw a clear line between what is a front region and a back region of a platform (Goffman, 1959), it can transform freely. My roles, identities and face are changing through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Line (Goffman, 1967).
“All the world’s a stage the men and women merely players”. This line is the beginning of the “The Seven Ages of Man” and is a recurring question throughout the poem. You may wonder how the world is stage, and through his use of similes, metaphors, and imagery Shakespeare explains this elaborates on this question.
The social psychology phenomenon that I have chosen is the spotlight effect. The spotlight effect is the belief that others are paying more attention to one's appearance and behavior than they really are (Myers, 2013). This phenomenon occurs more in adolescence and in situations such as public speaking or if a person has a change in appearance (i.e. a blemish or a “bad” haircut). The spotlight effect particularly interests me because I have experienced this phenomenon and I have seen many of my friends and family members experience it as well. I feel that it is fascinating that people feel that others are paying more attention to them than they actually are and that we see ourselves as center stage (Myers, 2013).
Erving Goffman uses a dramaturgical perspective in his discussion of impression management. Goffman’s analysis of the social world primarily centres around studies of the self and relationship to one’s identity created within a society. Through dramaturgy, Goffman uses the metaphor of performance theatre to convey the nature of human social interaction, drawing from the renowned quote “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” from Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It.’ Much of our exploration of Goffman’s theories lies within the premise that individuals engage in impression management, and achieve a successful or unsuccessful performance. Impression management refers to the ways in which individuals attempt to control the impression that others have of them stemming from a basic human desire to be viewed by others in a favourable light. Goffman argues that our impressions are managed through a dramaturgical process whereby social life is played out like actors performing on a stage and our actions are dictated by the roles that we are playing in particular situations. In a social situation, the stage is where the encounter takes place, the actors are the people involved in the interaction, and the script is the set of social norms in which the actors must abide by. Just as plays have a front stage and back stage, this also applies in day-to-day interactions. Goffman’s theory of the front and back stage builds on Mead’s argument of the phases of the self. The front stage consists of all the public and social encounters with other people. It is similar to the ‘me’ which Mead talks about, as it involves public encounters as well as how others perceive you. Meanwhile the back stage, like the ‘I’, is the time spent with oneself reflecting on the interactions. Therefore, according to Goffman’s dramaturgical
"A central part of a play's meaning is the way it was originally designed to work on stage."
Several decades ago, communications philosopher Marshall McLuhan spoke about the development of the Global Village and how the evolution of new technologies would help connect people on opposite sides of the world, creating online communities that would break boundaries and borders. While this change has been recognized, so too has the idea explored by his successors in which while individuals were expected to look at others in the world through a telescope, they have alternatively developed the tendency to look at themselves through a microscope. As the era of worldwide connectivity began, so did the era of ‘me, me, me’. Both the hardware and the software of the new millennium, inclusive of the iPhone’s forward-facing camera, and apps that allow one to fix blemishes and whiten teeth, have adapted to allow this change to an inward focus. While this has certainly caught on, it has also begun to cause a lot of problems. The act of posting about the self began to be seen as a negatively self-centered one when Facebook NewsFeeds were filled with egotistic stories and ‘Selfies,’ photos of the self. Shortly after, the application Instagram was created, where the occurrence of the Selfie was magnified to a greater degree. This intensive focus inward, and the way these pieces of media are shared, have made some individuals reliant on the positive expressions of others for self-confidence and social approval. When self-esteem is intertwined with how many ‘likes’ a photo gets on a mobile application, we start to see a shift in how self-awareness is formed, what people will do for this approval, and how some will react to a lack of attention.