All the World's a Stage (Including Social Media)

According to Dr. Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory of the self and society, life is a constant performance. In The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Goffman posits that we utilize different techniques to manage impressions during social interactions. Much like performers will prepare for a routine in the shadows of a stage before emerging front and center, access to various components of our personalities is controlled “in order to prevent the audience from seeing backstage and to prevent outsiders from coming into a performance that is not addressed to them.” ¹

In person, we largely decide what to share, when to share it, and which audiences can see it. But in the digital age, this presentation is far different. Reputations are made and broken because of years-old social media posts. Employers make hiring decisions based on sparse profile information. Identities are challenged and crafted based on carefully curated social media feeds. These realities combine to reveal something that we must reconcile in our connected present: although we can learn reams of information about people through their online reputations, individuals and organizations must also take active steps to manage intrinsic biases because, to a certain extent, it isn't always possible to control first impressions online.

Thanks to the proliferation of social media, setting a good first impression can be a challenge. It's nearly impossible to track down every trace of your identity online, even if you avoid social media and tighten your privacy settings; you can appear in the background of a friend's photo, you can be checked in to a local restaurant during a night out with friends, and your text messages can be shared without your consent. This lack of control over social interactions poses a stark contrast to Goffman's theory of self; even if a person takes every effort to control what people may see, the echoes of an online identity can allow curious viewers to peek behind the curtain of our private selves. This can have serious repercussions on a personal and professional level.

Research indicates that people tend to form split-second impressions based on characteristics such as trustworthiness and competence. Implicit impressions are inferred from factors such as facial appearances, behaviors, and beliefs, and studies find that these impressions are resistant to change without focused reinterpretation. ² In her article “Studying First Impressions: What to Consider?” author Irmak Olcaysoy Okten cites an example: “…having observed a person taking an elevator up one flight, people may infer that she is lazy.” ³ However, if a person “takes an elevator up one flight only on a specific occasion, people may believe he wants to be quick in this specific situation.” Neither individual has a say in the way their behavior is interpreted—only the outward presentation of their actions.

Studies have found that impressions gleaned from online social networks are a meaningful way to provide more information about a person than other sources, but accuracy can vary considerably across traits. In one 2007 study that asked people to rate themselves and their friends on the basis of their Facebook profiles, consensus levels for agreeableness and emotional stability were weak. ⁴ Extraversion showed the strongest consensus, followed by conscientiousness and openness to experience. As with Okten's elevator example, one may argue that although these impressions are not wholly true, they capture the essence of a person's personality and can help people learn more about a potential friend, romantic partner, or employee. However, this inference must be measured against innate biases that can prevent people from truly considering a person's truest self.

For example, in a study of hiring discrimination via online social networks, it was found that “the online disclosure of certain personal traits can influence the hiring decisions of U.S. firms” in a way that mirrors existing theories of discrimination on the local level. ⁵ Additionally, a 2017 study in online first impressions found that participants tended to provide gender-stereotyped impressions, such as describing male targets as athletic and female targets as creative and friendly. ⁶

Okten posits that employers should use “scripted questions or have third-party observers evaluate the interview process” to foster accurate impressions and judgments of a job candidate. These measures may help prevent bias in the hiring process, but a similar sense of awareness should be implemented as we glean personal information about the people we search online. Drawing conclusions from limited information invariably leads to misinformed decisions, which is why it is vital to consider the whole scope of a person's identity. This differs from Goffman's theory of self and society. In a way, that ability to keep select parts of ourselves hidden behind a curtain is rapidly dissolving in the digital age. Thanks to the Internet, we can quickly learn more about a person's beliefs, values, and goals, but we also have to remain aware of the impact biases can have on first impressions. After all, we're still putting parts of ourselves on center stage—but the stage is bigger now, and the audience is more informed than ever.