Question for Jeremy Birnholtz's talk on "Self-Presentation in Sociotechnical Life: How We Present Ourselves to Each Other in a World of Digital Platforms"

[jamesallenevans]

Questions for Jeremy Birnholtz regarding his talk: Self-Presentation in Sociotechnical Life: How We Present Ourselves to Each Other in a World of Digital Platforms. "Self-presentation, rooted in Goffman’s classic work, is the fundamental social process by which people shape their public personas and play the social roles (e.g., teacher, student, lesbian, doctor, etc.) that structure our everyday interactions. Today’s social platforms and communication technologies, however, complicate this process in ways that Goffman could never have anticipated. Specifically, the “physics” of how information moves in the environment have changed and can vary widely from platform to platform. And we lack a systematic framework for discussing these differences and how people cope with them (and their consequences). In this talk, I will discuss a book manuscript Michael Ann DeVito and I are working on to address this gap. I will give an overview of the framework, our focus in particular on LGBTQ+ populations, and how we can use this work to better understand and describe important social behavior in a range of online contexts." Birnholtz_Macapagal_2021.pdf

[Jessieliao2001]

Thanks for your sharing! This paper reminds me of one paper we discussed about last quarter. And my curiosity is: How do the implications of detecting sexual orientation through facial features using deep neural networks impact privacy rights and ethical considerations in digital environments, and what measures could be implemented to ensure that such technological capabilities do not lead to discrimination or harm, especially in diverse sociocultural contexts?

[saniazeb8]

Thank you for sharing your work. I am curious about the linkage of the self presentation with the socio-economic factors. I believe this analysis could also be broadened for inequality in workspaces and how competitive job markets have become owing to raising manoeuvres of self presentation in the industry.

[Dededon]

Hi Prof Jeremy, thank you for the presentation! It is a very intersting paper to study online behavior and sexuality with qualitative method. I'm having a question about recruiting interviewees online: we are often agnostic about information as family, socio-political-economic background, and more unseen characteristics of the users, but in many ways our research are about those unseen factors. How can we tackle this question in recruitment to find the right people to interview?

[bhavyapan]

Thanks for sharing your work, Professor! I found your discussion and distinction between behavior itself and the mechanisms that render behavior visible, quite interesting. This might be an abstract line of thinking but I am curious -- how do you see the role of 'extras' and other self-presentation centered social interactions evolving in the future -- particularly as the world slowly moves towards the normalization of a virtual reality (read: Apple Vision Pro craze) -- given the insights this research presents on the changes in the 'physics' of information movement?

[zcyou018]

Thanks for sharing! I'm wondering how do the temporality and persistence of online content affect the self-presentation strategies of young gay and bisexual males on Instagram, and what implications does this have for the design of social media platforms to better support diverse identity expressions?

[XiaotongCui]

Thanks for sharing! I wonder how did the participation of the audience become a part of the self-presentation on social media? How do the actions of the audience, such as likes and comments, influence an individual's strategy for self-presentation on platforms like Instagram?

[oliang2000]

I find it intriguing that the text interview option was made available, even though only two participants opted for this mode. Considering the distinctive characteristics of text interviews compared to traditional spoken interviews, text responses allow individuals to edit and review their answers before sending, so I wonder if you have looked at the differences in expressions used and the depth of thought conveyed.

[C-y22]

In your study, you explore the nuanced ways in which these individuals navigate and perform their identities within the platform's constraints and affordances. Given the evolving nature of social media platforms and their increasingly sophisticated algorithms that influence content visibility and user engagement, how do you anticipate these changes impacting GBM individuals' strategies for identity performance on Instagram or similar platforms in the future? Additionally, how might these shifts affect the theoretical frameworks that underpin our understanding of online identity performance and self-presentation for marginalized communities?

[Hai1218]

How do participants navigate the potential social risks and perceptions associated with the strategic use and manipulation of content persistence for self-presentation on Instagram? Specifically, how do they manage audience perceptions when deleting hashtags or employing ephemeral content, to ensure that these tactics are not perceived negatively or as overly attention-seeking by their audiences?

[kexinz330]

Hi, thanks for sharing your research! I want to know that considering the findings on how young gay and bisexual males manage their online image on Instagram, how do you think these methods will change with social media updates and trends? Also, what effect might these changes have on the well-being and connections of LGBTQ+ youth online?

[nourabdelbaki]

Hi Prof. Birnholtz, thank you for sharing your paper with us! It was a very interesting read. I have two questions, first: in what ways do the visibility and persistence of audience engagement (likes, comments) on Instagram posts influence how young GBM curate their self-presentation over time? And also, shifting gears to possible practical solutions, what can social media platforms do to better support the safe and healthy online self-presentation of LGBTQ+ youth?

[xinyi030]

Thanks for sharing your interesting paper! In your study, you explore the nuanced strategies young gay and bisexual men use for self-presentation on Instagram, particularly around the subtlety of disclosing their sexual identities. Given the emphasis on managing audience perceptions over time, I'm curious about the psychological impacts you observed or inferred from this balancing act. How do these self-presentation strategies affect their mental health and well-being, especially in the context of potentially receiving negative reactions or facing stigma?

[PaulaTepkham]

Thank you for your informative paper! I am intrigued by the your research which focus on young gay people. My question is why you choose to focus on this group? What the distinguish between each gender in terms of their self-representative?

[shaangao]

Thanks for sharing your study! I wonder what individual differences could be read from how people present themselves. In theory of mind and narrative studies, story telling is viewed as an "inverse inverse planning" process where the presenters design a message for the audience to infer the presenters' mental states; from this perspective, how the story is framed itself is reflective of the presenters' cognitive processes. Does temporality yield different changes in self-presentation across individuals?

[natashacarpcast]

Thank you for the research!

I'm curious about the computational component of it (assuming there should be one since this is MACSS). Is it the methodology of using text-message interviews for some participants? I've never heard that approach, and I found it very interesting, as I agree that sometimes it's easier for young people to express themselves through them (myself included!).

So, is it enough to contact participants through text messages to consider that a project has a computational methodology? Or is there anything else I'm missing?

Either way, I think the topic is very interesting and relevant!

[ethanjkoz]

Because I have a similar interest in exploring online behavior and identity expression in online spaces I found this paper to be very informative and quite fun to read. I had a question regarding the collection methods: To me it seems to be a very nonstraightforward approach to find willing research participants. How did this sampling procedure come to fruition and why was this chosen over other potential participant recruitment design. Furthermore I am interested whether the results of the text message conversations should be held to a different standard than the indepth interviews?

[hchen0628]

Thank you very much for your valuable and impressive research. I would like to ask if there is any difference between people's self-presentation on platforms like Instagram, which emphasizes visuals (photos, videos), and platforms like X and Facebook, which emphasize text.

[Yuxin-Ji]

Thanks for sharing your work! In this study you recruited participants that already have a large number of followers, which might be correlated with the findings -- such as either their characteristics of identity and content persistency helped them gain audiences or they gradually developed these characteristics as they gain audiences. I wonder what are some possible implications and interpretations of the cause of the findings and whether it applies to individuals with less followers?

[HamsterradYC]

Thank you for sharing your fascinating research on the temporal dynamics of online self-presentation among young GBM Instagram users. I have a couple of inquiries regarding the broader implications of your findings. Given the diversity within the GBM community, including variations in cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds, how do you think these differences influence the strategies employed for online self-presentation? Were these diversity factors considered in your participant selection process, and how might they affect the generalizability of your findings across the GBM community? Additionally, considering social platforms that prioritize textual content or offer anonymous interactions, such as Twitter or Reddit, how do you anticipate your findings might differ in these contexts? Do you believe the unique affordances of these platforms could lead to distinct strategies in temporal self-presentation compared to visual-centric platforms like Instagram?

[fabrice401]

An interesting paper! Considering these complexities and the high stakes involved in online self-presentation for LGBTQ+ users, how do the authors propose that social media platforms can be designed or adapted to better support the self-presentation needs and safety of LGBTQ+ individuals, while still allowing for the expression of their identities and the flexibility to adjust their presentation over time?

[grawayt]

Thank you for sharing your work with us! I am wondering whether self-presentation behavioral patterns change the longer someone uses the app? For example, if the self-presentation of a new user different from the self-presentation of someone who's had it four a few years?

[yuzhouw313]

Dear Professor Birnholtz, Thank you for sharing your research with us! Based on your research, how do the strategies employed by Instagram users, such as the use of hashtags and ephemeral stories, reflect a nuanced understanding of digital visibility and audience engagement, particularly in the context of navigating identity performance and social perceptions?

[ecg1331]

Thank you for sharing your work! It was a very interesting read. I thought your comparison to followers as 'extras' who are participating in the performance such a unique perspective.

I am curious if you see the changes in the Instagram algorithm so that a lot of posts are less visible will change the way that people perform/give you different results.

[binyu0419]

Thank you for sharing! My question is: Goffman's theory emphasizes the performance of individuals in social interactions, he writes that: "Under our published principles and plighted language we must assiduously hide all the inequalities of our moods and conduct, and this without hypocrisy, since our deliberate character is more truly ourself than is the flux of our involuntary dreams.” (Goffman, 1959). Here he suggests that even in the backstage, an individual's behavior can be influenced by internalized social norms and expectations. Therefore, can we consider that there is no true "sexual orientation," and that an individual's understanding of their own "sexual orientation" is a sum of their masks, because there is nothing substantial beneath the masks?

[zhian21]

The study demonstrates that gay and bisexual men (GBM) on Instagram strategically utilize the platform's affordances for identity persistence, content persistence, and audience engagement to adjust the speed and visibility of their role performances. This strategic use of Instagram's features allows them to manage how their identity is perceived over time, balancing the need for authenticity with the desire for privacy and safety.

Based on this finding, how will the strategies employed by GBM on Instagram for managing identity and audience engagement influence their sense of authenticity and privacy, and what will be the potential implications for their mental health and well-being?

[jiayan-li]

Thanks for sharing! I'm really interested in Goffman's self presentation theory and enjoy your take on it! The point of "alter the pace of their role performances" is fascinating to me. I'm interested in learning about your view of the potential of computational methods in studying tech-mediated communication.

[JerryCG]

Hi Jeremy,

An interesting qualitative research. Would you consider quantitative empirical study to validate your theoretical framework?

Best, Jerry Cheng (chengguo)

[zihua-uc]

Thank you for sharing your work! I wonder how this differs across different social networking platforms. E.g., I would imagine self-presentation on LinkedIn to be a toned down version of self-presentation on Instagram. On the other hand, I would imagine self-presentation to be more flamboyant on dating websites. It would be interesting to learn how different groups of people (lesbians, bisexual females, etc.) behave differently on these platforms as well.

[Weiranz926]

Thank you for your sharing! I have two questions as follows: How does your framework account for the role of algorithms and data privacy concerns in shaping self-presentation strategies on digital platforms, especially for marginalized communities like LGBTQ+ populations? In light of the global nature of digital platforms, how does your framework address cross-cultural variations in self-presentation norms and practices, and what challenges do these variations pose for users trying to navigate different online spaces?

[lbitsiko]

Always refreshing to see some Goffman. I was wondering on how to approach your research topic from a computationally enhanced methodology perspective, maybe from an observational perspective. Have you considered this? Would very much value your inputs.

[yuhanwang7]

Thanks for sharing such enlightening research. I'm particularly intrigued by the interplay between content persistence and audience engagement that you've highlighted. My question would be how the temporal affordances and audience engagement features of platforms like Instagram might shape the self-presentation strategies of marginalized groups.

[HongzhangXie]

Thank you very much for sharing. In your study, you gave a shoutout to about 200 individuals who met the eligibility criteria, and eventually, 32 people agreed to participate. Is there a problem of representation here, in that those willing to participate in the research project might not represent the entire study population?

[Zhuojun1]

Thanks for sharing! I wonder how do you envision your framework evolving to accommodate future changes in digital platform design and the emergence of new communication technologies that may further impact self-presentation? In your research, have you identified any gaps or limitations in current digital platforms that hinder effective self-presentation for LGBTQ+ populations, and what recommendations would you make to platform designers to address these issues?

[QIXIN-LIN]

It's always exciting to see Goffman in research. Studying the social media looks like a great chance to embed some computational components into the research - but will the quantitative research lack depth than qualitative one? How to combine the qualitative and quantitative better together?

[kiddosso]

I wonder if quantitative research such as social media scrapping could also probe such a question. The web data could definitely bring more samples and make the generalizability of the research better

[AnniiiinnA]

Hello Professor, I really like the content of this paper! The topic of self-presentation reminded me of what I studied when I was first introduced to sociology, and your expansion and extension of this topic is also very interesting. The research has focused primarily on adolescents and young adults, but I was wondering if you have looked at how age and access to smart devices differ on patterns of self-presentation on the internet? For example, is it possible that younger people or those with earlier access to the Internet are more accustomed to expressing themselves and seeking role models on the Internet, while older people or those with less access to electronic devices are better able to "separate" the Internet from reality?

[zhuoqingli526]

Thanks for sharing the interesting research! The study on the online self-presentation of 32 young gay and bisexual male Instagram users is undoubtedly fascinating. How might the limited scope of this study affect its applicability to a broader population, including those of different sexual orientations, ages, and cultural backgrounds? Given the rapid evolution of digital platforms and the emergence of new communication technologies, how do you envision the framework presented in your book adapting to future changes in the digital landscape? Are there any particular trends or developments that you believe will significantly influence self-presentation in sociotechnical life in the coming years?

[anzhichen1999]

How can the findings regarding temporality and audience engagement in online self-presentation among young GBM inform the development of AI systems like GPT to support users in managing their digital identities across different social media platforms?

[wenyizhaomacss]

Thank you for sharing the research. In a more general context, how do users leverage the affordances of social media platforms to curate their digital identities and communicate effectively with their followers while maintaining a sense of privacy and control over their online presence?

[secorey]

Hi Dr. Birnholz, thanks for coming to present your work. How much do you think your results are unique to Instagram rather than other social media platforms? Would you expect that results from platforms like TikTok, YouTube or Twitter might differ significantly?

[MaoYingrong]

Hi, Dr.Birnholz, thanks for sharing your work. I'm thinking that, with the development of generative AI, there are more and more AI bloggers, AI Youtubers, and AI avatars on different platforms. Would this impact individuals, like LGBTQ+ people's self-presentation online?

[ksheng-UChicago]

Thanks for sharing. I am actually curious about the professional social network - Linkedin. Since the users' purpose of using Linkedin is comparatively homogenous, and the setting is professional, do we expect to see less diversity in users' presentation?

[isaduan]

Amazing work! As social media enables new "para-social" relationship between humans (e.g. influencers and audience), how does this new relationship shape identity-forming of individuals?

[jinyz1220]

Thank you for sharing your inspiring work! How would the self-presentation strategies of the LGBTQ+ community differ on platforms that offer more anonymity compared to Instagram, which is tied to a persistent identity?

[franciszz992]

Thank you for sharing - this is totally new to me. I'm wondering for a highly qualitative study like this, how did you design the research methods, and what to look for? Do you have established methods to depend upon? What do you think about the validity of your study considering that it's largely about one person?

[QichangZheng]

The conversation around audience participation in self-presentation on social media, particularly for LGBTQ+ youth on platforms like Instagram, highlights the complex interplay between individual self-expression and audience engagement. The actions of the audience, such as likes and comments, significantly influence an individual's self-presentation strategies. This dynamic suggests that the visibility and persistence of these engagements can pressure individuals to curate their online selves in ways that garner approval, impacting their authentic self-expression over time. Moreover, considering the distinct nature of text interviews, which allow for more deliberation and editing before responding, there's an interest in understanding how this format might affect the depth and authenticity of responses compared to spoken interviews. This discourse raises important questions about how social media platforms can better support safe and healthy online self-presentation for LGBTQ+ youth, suggesting a need for mechanisms that encourage authenticity while minimizing the pressures of audience expectations.

[lguo7]

Thank you for sharing. Given the rapid evolution of social platforms and communication technologies, how does your framework adapt to the emerging trends and new platforms that continuously reshape the landscape of digital self-presentation? Can you provide examples of how your framework would apply to recent developments in digital communication and social interaction?

[alejandrosarria0296]

Thank you for sharing this paper. Based on your findigns on self-presentation, do you think there is an opposite, possibly balacing, effect of self-censorship of identity on digital spaces?

[Caojie2001]

Thanks for sharing your interesting work! I'm curious how you think differences in the structure of social platforms (such as optional interaction methods) affect the self-presentation of participating individuals.

[Ry-Wu]

Hi professor Birnholtz, thank you for sharing your amazing research! I wonder if the self-presentation for LGBTQ+ community is consistent across different social platforms and whether recommendation algorithms in the platforms affect their self-presentations? Looking forward to your talk today.