The Presentation of Self on Online Social Network Platforms from the Perspective of Dramaturgical Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to illustrate the underlying relation between Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory and people's self-presentation on online social networking platforms. Erving Goffman suggested that people "perform" in accordance with their social environment and desirable image in social life, like "actors" perform on "stages". The technological development and emergence of online social networking changed the traditional mode of communication. Therefore, people's behavior on the online "stage" is considered to be distinct from face-to-face communication. This study presents the basic idea of dramaturgical theory. It uses WeChat "Moments" and anonymous question box "Tape" as two contrastive cases to demonstrate how people present themselves on real-name stage and anonymous stage in the context of Goffman. The conclusion shows that people's behavior on a real-name online platform is more like an offline stage because they are still restricted by their expected norms and audiences' attitudes. The anonymous stage enables users to present personal characteristics and sentimental expressions because of the anonymity.