What's on your mind, Brittany?

 

What’s on your mind, Brittany?

A seemingly innocuous prompt and yet it has me paralysed. I log onto Facebook and I wonder, what do I post? What might it say about me?

I stew over what it means to be authentically ‘me’ online. 

In part one of his series on Foucault and Social Media, Rayner (2012) likens social media to a virtual panopticon. He argues that the omnipresent gaze of other users within the virtual environment conditions us to modify our behaviour to align with expectations in our online communties. Whether motivated by fear of judgement or criticism, individuals censor themselves and only seek to produce content they feel comforms to the values of their chosen virtual community. 

Judith Butler explains this inhibited use of social media as performativity (Rayner, 2012). Butler theorised that social media users amplify certain aspects of their lives and, in the process, actively solidify an image of who they are as people – essentially creating their own identity online.

According to Wheedon (2004), identity may be understood through the observation of signs, symbols and practices. So, with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn only a click away, I wonder whether you could tell me, based on what you 'do' online, who are you?

🍼 Maybe you identify first and foremost as a mum?

 Online you cement this identity by posting photos of your family on weekend outings and posting hilarious memes of adorable, snott-ridden toddlers. You join online mothers’ groups to share tips and tricks with fellow mums and share Insta-worthy snaps of healthy children’s lunches, perfectly emulating the images on your carefully curated Pinterest board.

💪 Or perhaps you consider yourself an activist?

Your Tweets are equal parts scathing critique and call to action, and you’re likely following politicians, social justice organisations, and news outlets. You share event details for the latest rallies and protests and retweet your own PSAs like it’s your part time job.

💰What about you titans of industry? 

Your online presence includes a tidy LinkedIn profile that links to your Facebook business page and you exude professionalism and success. Your online conduct is solely built around furthering your business, and you prudently steer clear of controversy and scandal.

So, what do they all have in common?

Oddly enough, despite the glaringly obvious differences in interests, all three are essentially doing the same thing. They are each carefully crafting an online identity that resonates with others in their online community. And, by enacting or ‘performing’ their particular scripts they are affirming their sense of self (Henry, 2020).

However, there are moments in time that transcend the norm and force individuals to step outside of their usual roles online and engage with subjects that might conflict with their percieved 'brand' or 'identity'.  

We have seen this recently with the resurgence of support for the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Flyod as a barrage of mothers' groups around the world took to social media and to the streets to join anti-racism protests in person and online. 

'Wall of Moms' at Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Ore.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP, 2020) 

Suddenly the mummy bloggers aren't just mummy bloggers. 

How liberating to think that when we deviate from our online identity, we remind others that people are not two dimensional. We remind others that the woman sitting behind the keyboard isn’t just a mum but may well be a highly successful businesswoman who cares deeply about social justice too.

So, yes, it’s true. Who we choose to be online isn’t the full picture. But this doesn’t mean we are being ‘fake’ or ‘pretending’. Rather, it reflects the nature of our existence in the online world: a world where we get to choose who we want to be. 

Reference:

Henry, R. (2020). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narrative s and the making of place, lecture 4: Self and Community Identity.     [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

Sanchez, M. J. (2020). Members of the 'Wall of Moms" lock their arms during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Thursday in Portland, Ore.[Online Image].         NPR.https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896174019/what-the-wall-of-moms-protests-say-about-motherhood-race-in-america

Rayner, T. (2012). Foucault and social media: life in a virtual panopticon. Retrieved from         https://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/foucault-and-social-media-life-in-a-virtual-panopticon/

Rayner, T. (2012). Foucault and social media: I tweet, therefore I become. Retrieved from             https://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/foucault-and-social-media-i-tweet-therefore-i-become/

Wheedon, C. (2004). Subjectivity and identity. In C. Wheedon (Ed.), Identity and culture: Narratives of difference and     belonging (pp. 5-21). England, Open University Press.