Ethan's Social Media & Society Blog

Importance of identity work through representation online             Social media, a sea of data waiting to be fished through for answers about societies most pressing problems online. As online media grows so too does the importance of social media with its growing influence with each growing generation, from new uses of ads for marketing to the most minute things as taking up the majority of our personal time since its introduction with smartphones the skies the limit with what social media could do next. Social media is beginning to define lives in society today especially with social validation from others being at the top of the list for many using these sites, it makes for a very pressing matter and that is our identity both online and offline. Though it is hard to define this identity being created by social media first, it becomes clearer as one is given the correct theories and phenomenon’s to piece together ...

Questions: 1)Define identity in your own words, is there a certain way you perform identity dependent upon who your peers are at a given time whether that be at work or a night out. (Does the way you perform your identity change?) 2)Representation is an important part of identity work online, do you think you represent yourself in a way that defines who you are (identity)? 3)Type 10 things that represent you (jobs, relationships, interests, hobbies, sports, clubs/groups, etc…). Could you say these things define you? 4)Does your representation of yourself vary depending on what social media site your on? (linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) 5)What varies with each account in representing yourself? Does your photos, posts, or things you share change with each media site? If there is not a change in your content for representing yourself why is that? 6)After answering all these questions and thinking about representation of your identity online, do you see any difference from ho...

Methods for data collection  Plan for collecting data  Collect data from 3-9 people ranging from young adults and up. Follow these individuals studying the rituals they learn and refer to in their posts and reposts, as well as likes they put on certain posts. Data will be separately taken in differentiating the three major media sites Facebook, twitter, and instagram. In doing so hopefully seeing the different ways each participant acts in their rituals on these separate sites trying to determine why there might be similarities and why there would be differences if any are found with how participants act on each site. The minimum number of posts looked at for each participant will be around 20 but at most 50. Towards the end of the study I will direct message each participant individually and ask them questions pertaining to identity work and what it means to them.  Procedures/methodological choices I will be transcribing all the comments and direct message...