In Chapter 5, Baym mentioned that “people often expect others to be less honest online.” Although she noted that existing research does not support the hypothesis that anonymity contributes to dishonesty, most of us have heard of incidences of deception that happen online. Perhaps it could be that these are high-profile cases, ala Manti T’eo, which distort our perception of the amount of this behavior. Yet, on the other hand, the show Catfish supposedly highlights cases of online relationship deception between ordinary people.
Turkle’s article brought up the Freudian concept that our identity is multi-faceted, and that we have latent desires to exhibit different sides of ourselves. Her study found that, for a number of reasons, some people feel like they can’t be their complete selves in the real world. Instead, they manifest different parts of themselves online. It could be that some people feel the need to lie online about their physical identities in order to live out parts of themselves they feel they cannot show in real life.
Baym pointed out that “…self-representations are grounded in explicit connections…” which makes it difficult to create elaborate falsities online. For my semester blog analysis, I’m following Jason Good, a self-proclaimed writer, comedian and family man. I wouldn’t call him a public figure, but he has been on Comedy Central, which by most people’s standards would make him a comedian. Obviously he’s a writer because he has a blog. His blogs are almost entirely about his family, thus making him a family man. It would be very difficult for Good to lie in detail since his offline identity is well known.
Baym touched on the idea that most people go online to satisfy communicative desires, much as we do face-to-face. CMC does not necessarily enhance our desire to lie. In the case of Jason Good’s blog, it’s quite the opposite. His motivation appears to create authentic connections with his audience, primarily those with kids who can relate to his life. CMC allows him to expand his network.
The Walther article emphasized that self-presentation is not unique to online communication. Referring to Goffman, he noted that “people are concerned with the way others perceive them, motivating actors to manage their behavior in order to present favorable and appropriate images to others.” Whether we purposely speak formally to a professor or slang with a friend or whether we write longer emails and spend more time editing them when a professor is our intended recipient compared to a classmate, we are creating an impression.
It seems that now since social networking has become the primary for communicating with different people that you may not have had the chance to meet otherwise, there has been a high amount of “catfishing” going on. Much like Freudian concept I believe that people are multifaceted. Our moods, days, personalities, humors all change. Communicating online allows a person to experience each personality. I always say that I have a different friend for everything: the friend who will go to the museum with me, the friend that will join a book club with me, a friend that will go to a rock concert with me or a friend to get a tattoo with. I believe that the thing that is so alluring about social networking is that you can “find” all of that in one stop. You don’t have to be the person you were yesterday, your tweets can vary day to day, hour to hour. Some take it to far, instead of only taking advantage of the ability to be every inch of you, they choose to recreate themselves completely, which begs the question, “who are you”. That is the danger behind the power of the internet.
Shows like Catfish and the Manti T’eo distort our perspection of how often deception of that caliber go on online. They are sensationalized because they are interesting, not because they are common. The same thing happens with stranger kidnappings which happen rarely but they captivate us because they instill a fear. The news sells the fear to translate into ratings. However, I do agree that many people put forth the version of themselves they wish they could be all the time in their online interactions. Many people do this with first impressions, and an online persona can be much like an extended first impression.
You bring up a really good point about how our facade or persona is not just in the virtual world. We blame a lot on technology, but really, the problem lies within us. We want to present ourselves in a certain way, instead of being exactly who we are. How we dress, how we walk, how we talk, etc, are all ways in which we try to change people’s perceptions about us.
In agreement with your statement, I have also heard of incidences of online-based deception. It can range from easily forgiveable incidents to more serious situations such as abduction and/or rape. Scenarios like these and similar ones must be taken into consideration before they occur. Otherwise, an innocent person might be taken from his or her home, never to be heard from again. This happens far too often to simply be ignored by potential victims.