Define impression management as theorized by Erving Goffman. How does impression management apply to social media? On balance, do you think that social media allows for less or more impression management? Why? Be sure to provide evidence for your opinion

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Vary. Impression management is the process by which individuals attempt to create a favorable impression of themselves to others-maintaining a distinction between private and public selves. Social media has increasingly blurred the lines between public and private, and, on balance, it seems to have tendencies that both increase and decrease our ability to manage impressions. For instance, while Instagram, Facebook, and others allow us to manipulate the information we make available to others, governmental surveillance under PRISM allowed federal agencies to gather data on non-U.S. citizens and websites routinely track personal information. Further, Facebook and other social media networks also maintain and track personal data about their users, including where the users live and users' personal interests and activities. Many Facebook applications (including Zynga, the creator of the online game FarmVille) were transmitting Facebook user IDs to advertisers and Internet tracking firms. Facebook and Zynga both pledge not to share personally identifiable information with third parties. Student opinions will vary but must be backed by evidence.