The norms of the COVID-19 pandemic which mandate social distancing, and the need of lockdowns across the globe meant a complete shutdown of outdoor life, leading to an increased reliance on online modes of communication. The situation was much more rigid when the pandemic was at its peak in 2020.
This shutdown of outdoor life also meant that for a long time, social interaction shifted almost exclusively to online platforms. According to Erving Goffman, when one interacts with others in a social setting, a complex meaning-making process takes place. While the individuals are continually trying to “acquire information” about a person, they too engage in presenting themselves to convey desirable information about them. The individual, in their social interaction, gives certain expressions, while other expressions are given off. Expressions given include overt verbal language of communication, and the expressions given off are all the non-verbal cues that the individual may convey, intentionally or unintentionally. Some examples of these expressions could be the person’s mannerism or the way they speak.
However, self-presentation changes entirely on online social networking platforms. This is what the COVID-19 era entailed. In India, social media usage increased from an average of 3 hours and 13 minutes in February 2020 to 4 hours and 34 minutes in March, reaching a ceiling of 4 hours and 46 minutes by the end of April 2020. A survey by the Global Web Index (p.79) showed an increase in usage of messaging apps by 43% and of social media apps by 42% in 2020. An online medium of interaction means a more significant usage of expressions given to present oneself and make impressions desirably. Interestingly, research on online dating websites revealed how self-presentation in the absence of expressions given off tend to rely mostly on “small cues” to draw inferences about people. These include the crafting of a message, its grammar, and the timing of messages. Here is an excerpt from a participant of the study:
“In the course of [corresponding with others on the site] I became aware of how I had to present myself. Also, I became quite aware that I had to be very brief. … More often than not when I would write a long response, I wouldn’t get a response. … I think it implied. … that I was too desperate for conversation, [that] I was a hermit.”
In another interesting review of self-presentation studies on social media, Schlosser (2019) proposes three characteristics of online communication that lead to an increase in desirable self-presentation. Therefore, understanding the aforementioned factors becomes relevant not only for research but also for understanding human behaviour, especially in a virtual world, like the one we witnessed in 2020.
Asynchronous communication - Virtual communication does not occur in real-time, allowing people as much time as they need to carefully curate a specific narrative about themselves to create the ‘best’ impression.
Multiple audiences - Unlike face-to-face conversations, the frequency of interacting with a larger audience in a single expression increases largely. A single post on social media becomes capable of creating an impression in the minds of several people simultaneously. This prompts people to engage in more active self-presentation to maintain a consistent and authentic image.
Audience feedback - The most differentiating feature of online communication is the ability to like, react, and comment on what people post about themselves. It furthers the need for self-presentation, to create a positive feedback loop where people modulate details about themselves to increase the chances of getting a positive reaction from their followers and friends.
Such observations led Schlosser to conclude that people posting on social media sites are mere “performers who present an edited version of themselves,” an idea that similarly finds a place in Goffman’s work too. However, Schlosser also warns that this meticulous self-presentation process in online communication distances people from the joys of real-life experiences.
The deprivation of outdoor interactions and meeting others, also witnessed in 2020, negatively impact a person’s mental health. A group of researchers who analysed the data from Google Trends found that there was a significant surge in searches for ‘loneliness, worry, and sadness’ during the pandemic. Based on some existing literature, it becomes important to note that online self-presentation can positively affect well-being. A systematic review by de Vaate (2019) highlighted that not only active self-presentation, but even lurking (passively interacting) on online platforms increases social well-being. But, when it comes to personal well-being, online self-presentation has a decreasing impact on well-being, with only an idealised self-presentation creating a positive effect. With respect to lurking, exciting results were seen. Lurking at one’s profile showed an increase in well-being while lurking at others’ showed a decrease. The following implication made by these researchers holds much value for the recent pandemic-related studies: studies also need to focus on active and passive self-presentation styles. The different types of self-presentation styles should also be studied separately to understand their cognitive and affective impact.
Ever since Goffman’s seminal work The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life was published, the concept of self-presentation became a heavily researched topic. With the advent of the internet and the boom in online communication, such research found new avenues and insights. Nonetheless, what we witnessed in the year of 2020 was unprecedented. Social media usage was greater than ever, making communications shift primarily to an online mode. With the kind of acumen existing on online self-presentation, limited studies addressed online self-presentation during this critical period. This indicates a larger scope in finding new insights about how self-presentation occurred when people were left solely in a virtual position. Was online self-presentation contributing to well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? Were there any changes in self-presentation when people resumed their lives offline? These are some questions that can be addressed in future research.
Aakash Gurbani
