Implications of Social Networking on Identity Ontological Impacts of Marketing, Privacy and Relationships

Introduction

The potential for digital culture to change aspects of the public paradigm of personal privacy, and the ideals of a private life, are vast. Since the creation of the world wide web, communication and information technology has begun to shift from a strictly information marketplace to one increasingly promoting life as spectacle. From the advent of photography and telephones as forms of expression and communication, to the widespread popularity of the smartphone, the overall effects that new technologies have on consciousness, self-creation, ideals of privacy and relationships, have been a matter of inquiry, but are yet to be fully determined. In terms of social networking and mobile device use, which assist in increasing exposure, lines between private and public self, become blurred.

According to a report by Pew Institute, the use of social networking websites by adults in America is 74%*. Of that 74%, 42%[1] of them use multiple social networking platforms, and 40%[2] access social networking sites with their mobile phone. Additionally, there has been a substantial increase in photo and video sharing among adults over the last few years, up 8% between 2012 and 2013, increasing to 54% of adults ages 18 and over[3]. These numbers do not even take into consideration to teenage market. Where teens are concerned, 95%[4] of them are online and 81%* of them report using social networking. Of that 81%, 91% of them report having posted a photo of themselves online, an increase of 22% in just over seven years[5]. This rise can be attributed to the ease of sharing thanks to newer social networking platforms and applications such as Intagram, Snapchap, and Vine - just a short list in the plethora of available social networking video and image sharing services available.

There have been massive increases in both the creation and use of social networking over the years. As new mobile technologies and new sharing platforms emerge, there is no sign that use will experience abetment. The positive and negative implications of social networking and the ease of public sharing thanks to mobile phone technology vary greatly among researchers. While proponents of increased mobile social apps praise these new opportunities of self-expression, identity creation, and ontology, critics assert that these new technologies and their convenience is creating a vast living public gallery of exhibitionism and voyeurism, creating increased cases of narcissistic behavior[6]. Still others offer a range of pros and cons of these technologies in regards to relationship creation and sustainability, even career building. The wide ranges of dystopian and utopian views in regards to the convergence of life with technology, is a testament to the complexity of the issues regarding new and emerging communication tools.

The Concerns

In a society where privacy is perceived as a top priority, is the proliferation of social networking use parallel with these concerns? Does the convenience of self-expression through social networking assist in forming and sustaining relationships, and fulfilling needs? Does it lead to higher levels of narcissism and feed latent narcissistic tendencies, or does it lead to improved ontology and sense of self? Does social networking help in identity creation and maintenance, or does it create a human commodity, making an act out of the practitioner, pushing them to flagrant self-promotion in attempt to be the next internet star? Is it all a form of communication art or just pap proliferating procrastination? All of these issues are at the precipice as use and development of social networking continues to expand its reach and impact society in different ways.

The first phones and cameras were of relatively discrete nature compared to the instant film, video cameras, and mobile phones that followed. Now, with the convenience of all-in-one smartphones and social networking platforms “wired” to near constant digital access, some argue that their prevalence turns communication into a public spectacle. This perverseness helps manifests online communication into a “public” performance of self, what might be seen as an exhibitionist and voyeuristic paradise void of significance.

The motivation, as well as the long-term effects and consequences of giving up portions of personal privacy in exchange for an increased opportunity of self-expression and attention on a (conceivably) national stage, is steeped in sociological and psychological factors. Fields of research have been dedicated to creating an understanding of the overall implications of increased self-expression through the convenient availability and access of social networking platforms.

Social Networking and Society

In order to comprehend the many cultural impacts of social networking on society and self, it is prudent to start with outlining what social networking is and involves. Social networking can be described as a form of communication practiced through online social networking platforms, or social networking sites, and takes place within virtual online communication communities. Social networking activities are interactive and a mutual endeavor which includes many levels of digital interpersonal communication. This communication employs various representations, such as symbols, keywords, and images[7]. The use of social networking impacts a range of real life structures, from business, to community environments, to all things personal. [8] These digital communities are comprised of a wide range of user created and curated content, such as video, photography, and written word – popular examples of social networking platforms include Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Google+ and YouTube, and countless others. Content creation technologies and systems related to these platforms are now commonly referred to as Web 2.0 technologies, which is a designation for highly interactive platforms, integrated with various medias, and high in consumer content creation.[9] At the basic level, social networking sites are recognized as an increasingly important part of the framework of the internet and the World Wide Wide.

In the 2008 report from VVT, a technical research center out of Finland, researchers anticipated that in the future social networking would be pervasive in all facets of society. Not only would it be everywhere, but it would be empowering, and it would create transparent environments; however, they indicated that this would not necessarily be consistently beneficial. For example, VVT researchers predicted social networking would narrow privacy[10]. Just shy of the ten year mark of what they referred to as “the break-through year of social media”, it seems hard to dispute those predictions.

Most of the research in the field of social networking communication has focused heavily on Facebook. This is largely due to it being the most widely adopted social networking site to date, with the highest number of active users compared to other social networking site.[11] However, an increased interest in platforms such as Twitter and other new emerging social networking services has begun. The proliferation of new platforms has shifted the emphasis, mirroring and exceeding that of previous sociological and psychological research, encouraging the further exploration of the impact and effects on ontology and relationships. Within the research, opinions run the gamut from dramatic dystopian predictions, to utopian prophesies. As members of social groups attempt to establish and maintain identity and status in online communities, as prolifically as they do in offline communities, even the effects of social networking on material and advertising culture become considered.[12]

Among dystopian talking points, there is cyberstalking, online threats, identity theft, privacy violations such as the collection and exploitation of personal information by media companies. On more intrapersonal and interpersonal levels, concerns range from increased procrastination and lower life satisfaction[13], decrease in work productivity, potential psychological consequences, relationship dissatisfaction and social isolation.[14] Even becoming the victim of unknown sociological experimentation by the platform operators themselves, which was the case with Facebook users in the summer of 2014, is a potential negative outcome of using social networking.[15] Some skeptics even mark the degradation of knowledge and intellectual pursuits by the overabundance of social networking. As a noted opponent to web technology, Nicholas Carr states, “the Web’s tendency to turn all media into social networking will have a far-reaching effect on styles of reading and writing and hence on language itself”.[16]

Despite the litany of charges against the use of social networking sites, it is not as simple as chalking it up to the negatives. The flip side of the coin is that proponents find that social networking can be beneficial to the building and maintaining of social relationships, identity, and reputation, and present opportunities for influence[17]. The argument then is that it can actually increase life satisfaction, empowering individuals, as well as creating a foundation for knowledge development.

There is not a clear determination of the consequences of social networking use, and most research tends to be ambiguous and contradictory. The intent, then, is to explore these subjects further, and discover what consequences social networking might have on those who interact with the technologies. From the cultural producers to the consumers, we can attempt to contextualize what it means for the future of modern society as it pertains to the impact of privacy issues, market influence and relationships on identity and self.

Marketing and Ontology

Economics of Self

Over the past twenty years, the development and growth of the internet and communication technology has been a driving force behind people digitally sharing their lives. This practice has taken place increasingly through social networking where people use video, images, and words intended to express their feelings, beliefs and opinions, crafting their identity, as well as expressing their physical attributes. In essence, this has turned the information marketplace into one that increasingly glorifies life as spectacle; turning “cultural producers” into willing exhibitionists, and consumers of their content into their voyeuristic counterparts, “making the previous invisible, visible”[18]. This is particularly the case with smartphone technology, which increases access on both ends, anyplace, anytime.

While social media networks are increasingly seen as a place where businesses try to engage youth, the reality is that companies have been trying to tap into the youth culture since the 1980s, engaging them through popular culture media such as MTV, and querying them in focus group to gain marketing advantage.[19] Due to a shift in technology, the same types of marketing groups can not only infiltrate youth culture online, but they can harness the power of popularity of the “created identity” of those who become “stars” on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Vine. Now, thanks to social networking, organizations are reaching further into the lives of the consumer and capitalizing on their desire to not only be “liked” by their peers, but even be “liked back by the thing they like” for no other reason than “[because] then others […] like them”. This, along with the availability of a space where one feels a perceived autonomy, fosters “self-empowering” benefits. [20] Of course it is not just the youth that desires to be liked or have attention bestowed on them, nor is it just the youth that is targeted for their marketing potential.

The type of attention provided by digital social platforms for those who Nicholas Carah describes as "cultural producers", and their consumers, is driven by the persuasiveness and integration of smartphone technology into everyday culture.[21] The perceived benefits of this attention can be powerful, says Clive Thompson, particularly because the risks involved are not easily established in the digital world.[22]

As Thompson states, “our endless appetite for self-regard [ends up] turning everyone into a star of their own private reality show”.[23] Looking at in a seemingly less cryptic manner, the individuals involved transform themselves into objects of culture to be critiqued, and their viewers (friends and followers) become cultural analysts whose “jobs” are to judge content and conjure meaning.[24]

One might argue that this performance of self is what society wants; this can be illustrated by the growing number of “social media stars”, or “personalities”, and the proliferation of people who connect with them on a daily basis. It is this that Thompson refers to as “personal branding” in the “corporate endeavor” of self[25], and this validation from peer-groups is what keeps social networking users present in generating of content. What appears to be simply a practice that encourages members of society to “overshare nothing of discernible value”[26], actually becomes an investment into the value of the user as a “brand”. This phenomenon can be illustrated by the rise of companies like GrapeStory. who seek out and represent social network talent, to Laundry Service (who has a division specifically for Instagram personalities), and Conscious Mind, all honing and curating “Vine comedians”, “Instagram photographers” and other platform “stars”, sending a clear message that corporations also want what content consumers and producers hunger for.[27]

These enterprises capitalize on the relatively inexpensive marketing available through the broad media influence provided by these digital producers, or “personalities”. The powers of these personalities are calculated by “impressions” and numbers of followers to form a measure of influence. This encourages an environment where the amateur content producers “build and leverage [their] social network”, where they are not just the producer, but the consumer and marketer[28] and their reputation [29] and social interaction becomes a form of currency.[30]

These social network content producers attempt to attract consumers, or an “audience”, using their influence to promote consumables, who, in their own quest for “fame by association” create “an endless [marketing] feedback loop”. In this way, companies can create a perceived transparency and trustworthiness surrounding their products and services[31] via what Hearn calls “mystifying assumptions” regarding the perception of purity, honest expression, and value.[32]

Additionally, this encouragement of self-promotion often turns communication into entertainment, transforming “intimate messages […] into fodder”[33], where “public display and mediation of personal emotion and affect is clearly linked to monetary value”[34] and “social currency” [35] of interaction, thereby feeding the exhibition-voyeur relationship preferred not only by the social media masses that consume it, but corporations alike.

The assumption that social networking is simply a platform for self-promotion, a vehicle in the monetization of self, may create a bleak outlook for many. This postulation leads to disregarding social networking as nothing more than a mechanism which reduces humanity to “lab rats constantly pressing levers to get tiny pellets of social or intellectual nourishment”.[36] Therefore, we must delve deeper into the experiences and realities that are created by those who use social networking to meet a variety of different emotional and intellectual needs.

Identity and Ontology

The Rise of Social Networking

The relatively sharp rise in social network use in recent years, and its sticking power, inspires the examination into why people continue to use what some call “enabling technologies”.[37] Social networking platforms provide space and opportunity to attain and fulfill needs through mediated pleasure.[38] This pleasure is derived from activities such as information gathering and entertainment pursuits, as well as satisfying the desire for attention and companionship, all which creates personal gratification[39] and increased well-being. Often times fulfilling these desires requires the use of multiple social network platforms. There is a divergence in the types of social networking services that people select to fulfill their needs, which has been linked to different factors.

According to studies, use or preference of one social platform over others varies greatly and is dependent on a range of elements including personality styles and individual needs. Researchers suggest that the emphasis on the use of Twitter is that of “cognitive stimulation”, as opposed to Facebook which they propose fulfills social needs of users who are more extroverted[40], and still other platforms fulfill aesthetic needs.[41] Additionally, among the same individual, use among a range of platforms correlates with fulfilling specific needs. [42] For instance, a study by David John Hughes et al indicates that use of Twitter, which provides opinion and information dissemination, is associated with less desire to socialize, even though those that use the platform are said to score more highly in sociability. The research also indicated the use of Twitter is related to more goal-oriented purposes and a desire for cognitive stimulation, and is not generally used to “mitigate loneliness”. Whereas those said to tend towards neuroticism and who seek out more social outlets, fulfill that need on Facebook “where people focus less on ‘who you are’ and more on what you have to say”.[43]

While the nature of each platform seems compatible to different needs, the distinctions between which platforms adequately fulfill which needs may be far more nuanced that research suggests. There exist more crossovers, expanding across various social networking sites, each serving multiple needs, each adding to the experience of the cyber reality built in conjunction with “offline” as the boundaries of cyber reality blur into offline reality. These cyber realities become part of offline reality through the engagement of senses by the sharing of video, sound recording, and images on touch screens creating “visibility in shared space on the screen”[44], “virtual spaces [become tangible], not incorporeal dream worlds”[45], rather real worlds where the self subsists.

In this suspension of cyber reality the “spatial self” thrives. The world becomes one in which “individuals document, archive, and display […] lived and/or imagined social and spatial […] experience […] to represent or perform aspects [and] express identity.”[46] These activities of “spatial self” are not confined to cyber experience but equally deployed in offline worlds and are further established through activities such as geocoding content.[47] Through acts of geocoding or “tagging” users are linked “together with other people in a time and place” thereby “position[ing] content in relation to places, people and practices”[48] creating a “highly curated depiction of the individual.”[49]

Additionally, studies have shown that spending time on social networks curating personal profiles, which is also a key to identity management, can cultivate higher levels of non-narcissistic self-esteem[50] and self-affirmation[51]. Nevertheless, some question how accurately users can perceive their own identity in the potential dualities created between on and offline existence.[52] Online identity tension arises in part due to the push and pull nature of forcing “user generated content and activity […] beyond the context in which they were originally shared, creating a sometimes useful but often socially awkward convergence of different areas of users’ lives”[53]

Identity and Reputation Management

Social networks are places in which individuals and communities exist, and is therefore merely an extension of reality, “a multidimensional tool for expressing one’s identity to the outer world.”[54] It is in this extension that the ideas of what is concrete and real evolves in what Miller terms the “space of places” of “real-time communication”. This nearly unrestricted virtual space of communication is where things become actual, and where there is no limitation on experience; however, this actual experience is still not perceived as tangible or “real by some.[55] Despite doubt, social networks become a simulation of reality which encourages what Thompson calls “a ‘narcissistical sublime”[56] in “a reconstruction of the offline world”[57] where people can be free to play out their identity in what some see as a display of self-importance.

It is, never the less, not just about narcissistic self-importance. Social networking platforms also become a place of identity management and creation, a place where economic values of “self” can be realized in conjunction with the evolution and maintenance of character. Over the years this concept has birthed a variety of online identify management services such as Klout, Empire Avenue and BrandYouself.com which help a user supervise the influence their identity has online.

“You are what you like”, and being liked on social networking sites is largely achieved through impression management via sharing, whereby what is “broadcast to the world becomes part of […] identity”.[58] In a consumer-based society, who a person is, is synonymous with what they choose to consume, and when in the online world what they choose to support and share via social networking also becomes an extension of that; this is a practice called “performing […] identity”[59]. The creation and performance of online identity becomes a “result of computational processes, social and physical practices that ‘connect the dots’ and produce a depiction [which] conveys the user’s physical actions”[60], projecting a representation of that person into the online world of social networking. The careful construction, or performance, of this representation is a form of identity management.

Farnham and Churchill contend that on a day-to-day basis, even in the offline world, everybody participates in identity management by maneuvering through different facets of identity for a variety of motives, both personal and professional. They describe these facets as those synonymous with roles such as parent, spouse, employee/co-worker, friend/lover. Thompson supports this theory by stating that humankind has been “neurotically managing their reputation for eons” in what many call “self-monitoring” [61]. Self-monitoring is a practice of close observation of one’s own behavior in order to correct behavior[62], and is just one way in which identity management is used to influence others. Not only does Farnham and Churchill claim that it is important to be conscious of how you present yourself, but that it is also something a “socially intelligent person” does. [63] So in this way one can come to understand that curating and maintaining an identity and reputation is not only normal, but important , whether online or off.

However, identity management can take a dark turn. Take for instance the “Catfish” phenomena, by which an anonymous user purposefully misrepresents their self online, or fabricates a completely fake persona. The motives for this can be vast, and sometimes unintentional and tenuous. McHugh illustrates this in an article for Digital Trends, claiming that “the line between curating your social presence to interact with other users and creating a digital personality from scratch and having completely online relationships is getting thinner and thinner.”[64] Complete “Identity Replacement”, in which the key participant essentially swaps out their own identity for that for another, sometimes fictional person is a phenomenon that exists to a lesser degree in the offline world as well; as it is much more difficult to implement than simple misrepresentation. [65]

However, the concept of misrepresentation may be more nuanced that perceived at first blush. Managing or curating even an authentic identity online to a wide range of “audience” can be messy and contradictory[66]. Doing so requires a demonstration of “personality traits [which] are associated with linguistic cues […] and [which] can be accurately judged by unknown others.” [67]

The internet is a source of anonymity. Identity, whether offline or online, is a continuous construct. Being relatively anonymous to a segment of people simply grants the freedom of disinhibition, providing an opportunity for members to present aspects of their private perceived self. It is through the presentation of this self, the person they think they are, via disclosure and sharing, that makes those who are generally regarded as introverts to “appear extraverted to some extent” [68], and which may be perceived as misrepresentation. This is not a practice unique to any particular age group, nor is it unique to social network platforms, but is played out in much the same way online as offline.

Not only does online identity management take place in social network environments through linguistics cues and image sharing, but successfully doing so “requires a combination of cultural and analytic strategies”[69] to understand segmented sharing[70], which often happens for employment and familial reasons[71] Whereas in the past it was relatively easy to successfully segment your identity into work-family-friends-etc., with the growing popularity and widespread use of social networking, additional skills must be built through privacy settings and strategic sharing decisions.

The level of self-construction and monitoring created by the use of social networking sites may seem daunting because, as Carrs says, “our social standing is, in one way or another, always in play [or] at risk […] resulting [in] self-consciousness”[72] and fear of rejection. Some claim that this risky exposure is developing an increase in “self-regard”[73] where old paradigms which focused on “religion, family, meaningful work, and class” shifts from the construction of family and home to the construction of self.[74] Moreover, others recognize the limits and privacy concerns that arise from very public sharing and self-expression that come with curating an accurate online identity, and determine that some may come to realize they have “less control […] over the representational process they use to make sense of their world.”[75]

Making a Spectacle

Privacy and Exhibitionism

Much of the online construction and maintenance of identity, as well as the development of communities and relationships, is done through public, “instantaneous and real-time self-biographies” encouraged by social networking platforms. [76] People share and post photos for “personal and group memory, relationship creating and maintenance, self-presentation, and self- expression”.[77] Whether through words, images or video, these activities have implications on privacy. The breach of privacy is created when “virtual spaces integrate into everyday life as opposed to standing apart from it.”[78] This integration “enhances the exhibitionist tendencies of social media”[79] and promotes “watching practices embedded in everyday life and cultural space.”[80]

Privacy isn’t always easy to come by, even when the option is there. According to Pew Institute, over half of the participants surveyed in 2012 admitted having difficulty with privacy controls when attempting to manage their social networking accounts.[81] Often times the controls are overly complicated, difficult to find or the parameters change with little or no indication by the provider. Cumbersome privacy controls, coupled with a grey area in terms of the legal boundaries that surround reasonable expected levels of privacy, cause many issues in the realm of social networking and perceived levels of privacy.[82]

Further, as workplace surveillance of social media networking increases in tandem with online disclosure and “electronic exhibitionism”[83], work-related issues arise which can lead to discrimination, termination, and ostracism, while creating other personal and legal issues.[84] From an employment perspective other concerns arise as potential employers increasingly implement systems of “cybervetting” for prospective employees[85], which can lead to the rejection of a candidate based on what is found on social networking sites.

These tangible risks have inspired legislation directed at protecting employees from the ramifications associated with the blurring of private and public life due to social networking.[86] While the policies have been implemented in several states, they are not necessarily a safety net for current or future employment as they rely heavily on the transparency and disclosure of the employer.

Data Mining

An additional privacy issue related to social networking exists in data mining by the provider of the service. Often times the user has granted the service provider full rights to all of their information, as well as the images and other content they produce and post on the platform without even realizing it.[87] While data mining is recognized as a form of privacy violation in other countries, where right to privacy is considered a human right[88], the opt-out nature of terms and conditions creates a situation where little legal action can be sought.

Data mining is used extensively to create marketing campaigns, as well as gather information about mental health trends.[89] In order to adequately gather information companies have to create compelling services that seduce the user into sharing their most private information, thoughts and feelings. As Claypoole aptly states in Privacy and Social Media:

“[…]social media is not simply a collection of online places that allow private information to escape, but social media sites are organized to draw as much participation and information out of us as possible. Like casinos built without sunlight or clocks so as to encourage your further play, the social media sites and data mining industry study online behavior and build manipulation machines designed to entice you to remain engaged and to divulge information.”[90]

These coercively seductive machines become persuasive in encouraging commodification of privacy[91] in an environment “where everything creates data” and in which the data is exploited by companies for big profits.[92]

Voyeurism and Surveillance

It is this successful creation of interactive and seductive technologies that makes exhibitionism and voyeurism so enticing, where mutual a mutual relationship takes place. Voyeurism is an act of watching or observing, and is the social networking world is the counterpart to the exhibitionist performance of self. The behavior of voyeurism is nothing new, of course. From casual human observation, spying and peeping toms, to viewers of “cam girls” and reality TV - in its early days of Candid Camera and America’s Funniest Home Videos - watching people is a construct of human life. However, in social networking the possibilities for voyeurism are endless; there is an open door to countless lives and countless ways to watch people. As this voyeuristic behavior increases thanks to new technologies, some suggest that it is just “one consequence of our increasingly disconnected lives”.[93]

When the voyeur is a government or organization, it becomes surveillance. The surveillance mechanism of social networking[94] is built into the process. The process requires data and information. The very information social networks required to activate an account, and the level of disclosure needed in order to perform identity online, creates an aura of “participatory surveillance.[95] This willing participation provides a manner of implied consent, and surveillance, by anybody who wants to look, becomes the price happily paid. This price is for the “freedom” of self-expression through exhibitionist behavior, in pursuit of fulfilling personal sociological and psychological needs.

Of course this does not necessarily make the surveillance okay, and as Bilge Yesil points out, it is important to remember that surveillance persists outside of social networking. It is not uncommon to have surveillance mechanism in stores, banks, work, private homes, hospitals, etc., and many people are not concerned with how it relates to social control or invasion of privacy – if anything, he says, they welcome it.[96] One exception is government surveillance, which seems to be the bone of contention in this alleged open arms acceptance of surveillance.[97]

As social applications increase in number, and their population grows in size, there is little indication that the fear of being watched is enough to curtail the level of sharing and disclosure that persists in social networking. One might conclude that the benefits of personal gratification outweigh the costs and risks of data mining and surveillance.

Relationships and Communities

From an interpersonal relationship perspective the disclosure of private matters and data associated with social networking encourages and assists in building social capital. This social capital is integral in the formation of trust, as well as the formation of identity[98] in social networking relationships and communities.

Social networking can be used to share meaning, forge new relationships, and bolster existing connections. It can keep people connected and generate new opportunities to create friendships with the most unlikely of people from the most unlikely of places. It can be used as a tool for sharing culture and experience, as well as “neutralize tremendous cultural or geographic differences”[99] and building digital communities in which participants can learn from experiencing cultural views outside their own.[100]

Through social networking platforms, communication, consumption and entertainment culture has been transformed into a “non-material culture of cyberspace, which is composed of ideas, language and social relationships.”[101] Users can relate, watch movies and play games, engage in sexual play, together “interact[ing] with complex digital media […] as opposed to just carrying out an activity, all from different parts of the world, if desired. The social networking environment becomes a place where people create shared knowledge, and acquisition becomes hybrid as users integrate knowledge of the tangible and adapt it to the digital[102], creating communities where “collaborative cognition”[103] and knowledge sharing become paramount.

Successful integration of “physical and social experience” into digital communication environments is influenced by what Thompson calls “ambient awareness”.[104] Ambient awareness is a phenomenon in which a person is conscious of the actions and movements of another, without being in the same physical space with them. Social networking attempts to create a sense of space and community through discourse, creating language with “expressions, slang, smileys, activity words”. [105] As Gotved claims, these virtual interaction, “supported by metaphors linking them to physical reality and well-known social spaces [where] “practice and imagination [become] main features”, are where “newbies become regulars, [and] friendships and interpersonal relations seem to be at the core.”[106]

Additionally, the interpersonal framework of social networking creates “cyber social reality” [where] aspects of our constructions of reality” transforms into new cultures and communities. It is in these new communities where decisions of inclusion, made by individuals and groups, related to membership and trust[107] are made, and where shared knowledge of established communications symbols “distinguish ‘us’ from ‘them’”[108] further assisting in refining identity.

Conversely, some see social networks as a place where intimacy is “strip-mined”[109] and relationships are “devalue[d] through mutual self-importance”[110], a place that creates tensions between families and friends and tarnish images.[111] From this dystopian perspective, these communities become a manufactured voyeuristic world creating nothing more than parasocial relationships in which one side knows an unequal amount of information about the other and real connections are merely fabrications.

Methodology

The methodology involved in writing this paper includes rigorous study of peer review articles and media reports related to all aspects within the scope of the paper topic. In addition, to better understand the perceptions of those involved with social networking, a survey was created using Qualtrics and deployed via social networks. Those social networks were limited to Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, Reddit. The survey was distributed over a week and a half at different time intervals to reach a variety of users. The questions asked in the survey centered on a range of topics including personal motives for social network use, as well as general perceptions of social media use. The goal of the survey was to better establish the perceptions of social media as it pertains to various subjects of this paper through the generation of quantitative data.

The study included a total of 131 participants, 43% (n~55) men and 57% (n~74) women, 73% (n~94) of whom use social media more than one hour a day. Of the respondents, 66% (n~85) say that social media is an important part of their social life, and 88% (n~112) said that they believe social media will play an important role in the future of personal communication. This provides a strong indication that social media is a prevalent part of people’s lives and relationships, and will continue to be so in the future.

Part of personal communication and healthy social lives is identity, as it is constructed to form trust and rapport among peer groups. Among the participants, 46% (n~60) admit keeping their “real life” identity private in most or all of their social media networks that they use the most. To further ascertain reasons for curating an alternative identity, the participants were asked to rank motivations for why they think people are apt to do so. The two most likely reasons were related to work (~42) or personal reasons related to friends, family or societal judgment (~29).

Identity creation and maintenance, as discussed, is done through the performance of self in attaining spatial presence, and through disclosure and sharing. Whether mundane or exciting, when viewed by friends and followers, this activity translates into entertainment. Little research was found regarding the requirement to entertain in order to perform identity and whether or not it manifests as a stressor to social network users. To discover if this problem exists, the survey participants were asked if they feel pressure to perform while using social networking. The response was roughly as predicted, as 45% (n~57) said they feel pressure at least some of the time to be entertaining, or “be a spectacle”, while using social networking platforms.

Part of projecting spatial self in social networking takes place through the sharing of artifacts, such as photos. When asked about the words that come to mind in regards to people perceived as "popular" on social networks because they share a lot of photos of themselves or their life, over half of the respondents used descriptors such as needy, lonely, narcasstic, self-conscious, lame, and annoying. Other respondents ranged from indifferent, sometimes indicating it depended on who the person posting pictures was. There was a small indication that photo sharing is perceived as a way of being misleading. This finding was contrary to what one might assume based on the underlying legitimacy photos can add to the projection of identity online.

When asked about how sharing impacts privacy, 80% (n~102) agree or strongly agreed that sharing personal details about life on social media platforms, through activities such as posting photos, status updates and opinions, helps create communities - but also creates various privacy issues.

The most interesting finding appeared to be in the category of motivation. When considering one’s own motivations for using social media, as compared to the motivations of others, there was a clear difference. While many cited staying in touch with friends and family as a primary motive for their use, they saw things such as boredom or loneliness as being the key motive of others’ use of social networking.

Some of the research indicated that social networking can have damaging effects on relationships. When participants were asked about social networking in terms of relationship impact, 38% (n~49) conclude that social media is damaging, or a source of tension, while a full 43% (~54) determine that social media is neither a good nor bad influence on relationships.

Regarding the motivation and continues use of social media, 61% (n~79) say that their reason for using social media has evolved, or they have found new uses for it that were previously unrealized, and this motivates them to keep using social media. Only a small portion, 7% (n~9), indicated that they use social media because it is popular to do so. One user specifically indicated “habit” was one reason for continued use, while others cited boredom, entertainment and networking.

To conclude, the survey gave participants the opportunity to make open-ended comments in regard to people’s thoughts and feelings about social media. It was interesting to see how they varied in response in a particular part of social media they chose to address. Of them included statements about impacts on interpersonal relationships, the different opportunities offered by different platforms as well as references to the exchange of ideas and benefits related to allowing “silliness”. The following are some responses of note:

“Today's social media, while for the most part reflects what we would expect to see with LARGE groups of people offline I also think the animosity that most social media sites allow has resulted in people being much more aggressive "bullying" than they perhaps might otherwise. I do believe that this needs to be seriously controlled and regulated and should be treated as severely as it would be 'in real life'.”

“I think tremendous potential is there, whether for positive, negative, or no influence at all - the decision rests in the hands of the individual user and the choices they make minute to minute and day to day. Like any powerful medium, it is a tool, and used wisely, it can enrich your life and benefit the world at large. Used foolishly or thoughtlessly, it's power to damage and lay waste is almost incalculable.”

“Social media is a powerful tool that is often times abused for the purpose of damaging people. Despite this shortcoming, it is a prevalent and easy way to keep in contact with friends and family. It has proven much more reliable than phone numbers and addresses when times of economic depression hit, because the accounts don't change simply because you can't afford to pay for them anymore.As a result I think it has been a powerful tool in the fight to keep my generation off the streets, and over all has aided in the reduction of homelessness due to its ability to maintain and forge new contacts. I speak from first hand experience.”

“It's fun. Sometimes you meet people you never would have otherwise. As long as it's used appropriately it can gain positive results. But, just like any tool, it can be used to ill gain.”

“Using social media is and always will be, a personal choice. like it or hate it, its a part of modern life now.”

“Social media is an important part of my life because many of my online friendships have transitioned to 'real life/real time' friendships.”

Limitations

Limitations to the survey included a lack of sampling for age ranges. The type of relationship that social networks have an impact on was also not specified. Additionally the participants were not sampled by age, nor were they sampled by geographical region. However, it is reasonable to this researcher that the participants were over the age of 18, and originating from regions within Canada, Western Europe and the United States. The survey also did not provide a broader option on use of social media past one hour a day, which is extremely conservative in ascertaining the level of use by participants.

Finally, within the scope of each issue presented in the paper, as it pertains to social networking, there is further room for exploration and elaboration that the length of this paper does not afford. The topics of this paper are excellent candidates for further research.

Final Words

Based on the literature review, combined with the results of the survey, social networking will remain a subject of debate and research as it continues to engrain itself in all aspects of people’s lives. The technology will continue to be useful as a way to build and nourish relationships, new and old alike. As it “accumulates data about the rhythms of everyday life, cultural practices and identities over the course of a lifespan”[112] it will have a time capsule effect. This effect is already becoming evident by the availability of the cataloging of Tweets by the Library of Congress, as well as applications such as Timehop which “allows you to celebrate the best (social media) moments of the past with your friends”. These digital artifacts will live on as long as there are people who strive to store and protect them, and have the potential to be useful to future generations when they research the sociological and psychological impacts of social networking on our generations.

It seems logical to deduce that social networking, through privacy concerns and marketing opportunity, can have a profound impact on identity. The research has indicated that social networking both assists and is beneficial in fulfilling needs, and that people find the use a gratifying and an increasingly important part of their life. While social networking has a commodifying effect on identity and communication, and some feel pressure to perform, the majority of people fall outside of the scope of making themselves a financial asset.

There will always be those who decry technology, who focus on the harm that it can create. It is important to look at it from many perspectives, see the bad with the good, what is good and what can be improved. It is equally important to be mindful that it is not the technology that causes problems, but the abuse and misuse of technologies that arise out of negligent and thoughtless human behavior.

Social networks are places where real people exist, and share real parts of their lives, thrust their identity into cyberspace in attempt to connect with others and be part of a social world. It’s not always going to be perfect. To conclude, in the eloquent words of Yesil Bilge: “Ironically, we are searching for the real in the very medium that exploits the real to the fullest, saturates it with images, and gives it back to us. Hungry for the real as ever, we find our selves hopelessly emerging in our stage-like world.[113]

Footnotes:

[1] Duggan, Maeve, and Aaron Smith. "Social Media Update 2013." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project. *As of January 2014

[2] "Social Networking Fact Sheet." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project.

[3] Duggan, Maeve. "Photo and Video Sharing Grow Online." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project. Pew Institute

[4] "Teens Fact Sheet." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project. Accessed October 8, 2014.
* A 2012 number. Ages 12-17.

[5] Madden, Mary, Amanda Lenhart, Sandra Cortesi, Urs Gasser, Maeve Duggan, Aaron Smith, and Meredith Beaton. "Teens, Social Media, and Privacy." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project.

[6] Williams, Ray. "Do Facebook and Other Social Media Encourage Narcissism?" Psychology Today.

[7] Gotved, Stine. "Time and Space in Cyber Social Reality." New Media & Society.

[8] Ahlqvist, Toni, Asta Bäck, Minna Halonen, and Sirkka Heinonen. Social Media Roadmaps: Exploring the Futures Triggered by Social Media.

[9] Williams, David L., Victoria L. Crittenden, Teeda Keo, and Paulette Mccarty. "The Use of Social Media: An Exploratory Study of Usage among Digital Natives." Journal of Public Affairs

[10] Ahlqvist, Toni, Asta Bäck, Minna Halonen, and Sirkka Heinonen. Social Media Roadmaps: Exploring the Futures Triggered by Social Media.

[11] Lunden, Ingrid. "Tumblr Overtakes Instagram As Fastest-Growing Social Platform, Snapchat Is The Fastest-Growing App." Tech Crunch.

[12] Lehdonvirta, Vili. "Online Spaces Have Material Culture: Goodbye to Digital Post-materialism and Hello to Virtual Consumption." Media, Culture & Societ.y

[13] Hinsch, Christian, and Kennon M. Sheldon. "The Impact of Frequent Social Internet

Consumption: Increased Procrastination and Lower Life Satisfaction." Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

[14] Marche, Steven. "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?" The Atlantic.

[15] Albergotti, Reed. "Furor Erupts Over Facebook's Experiment on Users." Wallstreet Journal.

[16] Carr, Nicholas G. "The Very Image of a Book." In The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010

[17] Williams, David L., Victoria L. Crittenden, Teeda Keo, and Paulette Mccarty. "The Use of

Social Media: An Exploratory Study of Usage among Digital Natives." Journal of Public Affairs.

[18] Thompson, Clive. "Ambient Awareness." In Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. New York: Penguin Books, 2013. Pg. 222

[19] The Merchants of Cool. USA: PBS Frontline, 2001. Film.

[20] Frontline: Generation Like. USA: Public Broadcasting Service, 2014. Film.

[21] Carah, Nicholas. "Curators of Databases: Circulating Images, Managing Attention and Making Value on Social Media." Media International Australia.

[22] Thompson, Clive. "Ambient Awareness." In Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. New York: Penguin Books, 2013. Pg. 239

[23] Thompson, Clive. "Ambient Awareness." In Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. New York: Penguin Books, 2013. Pg. 220

[24] Carah, Nicholas. "Curators of Databases: Circulating Images, Managing Attention and Making Value on Social Media." Media International Australia, no. 150 (2014): 137-42.

[25] Thompson, Clive. "Ambient Awareness." In Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. New York: Penguin Books, 2013. Pg. 220

[26] Thompson, Clive. "Ambient Awareness." In Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. New York: Penguin Books, 2013. Pg. 221

[27] Marikar, Sheila. "Turning ‘Likes’ Into a Career." The New York Times

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[29] Hearn, Alison. "Structuring Feeling: Web 2.0, Online Ranking and Rating, and the Digital ‘reputation’ Economy." Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization

[30] Frontline: Generation Like. USA: Public Broadcasting Service, 2014. Film.

[31] Frontline: Generation Like. USA: Public Broadcasting Service, 2014. Film.

[32] Hearn, Alison. "Structuring Feeling: Web 2.0, Online Ranking and Rating, and the Digital ‘reputation’ Economy." Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization

[33] Carr, Nicholas G. "The Church of Google." In The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.

[34] Hearn, Alison. "Structuring Feeling: Web 2.0, Online Ranking and Rating, and the Digital ‘reputation’ Economy." Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization

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[38] Lior Strahilevitz, "A Social Networks Theory of Privacy," 72 University of Chicago Law Review 919 (2005).

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Originally posted online December 2014 http://just-call-me-frank.blogspot.com/2014/12/implications-of-social-networking-on.html