In “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” Erving Goffman beckons us to view our daily interactions as a stage, where individuals skillfully perform to manage impressions. This concept of dramaturgy introduces a captivating perspective on how we navigate the intricacies of social life.
Impression Management, as it said, people manage their impression to others. Say job interviews, the interviewee or the job seeker would try to shape the perceptions from the interviewer(s) even as we all know what he/she is there for.
As Goffman suggests, people construct their appearance, and strategically present themselves to align the performed self with societal expectations, much like actors adhering to a script to captivate their audience.
Goffman used metaphor of “Front Stage and Back Stage” for that actor part to make more sense. The front stage is the where individuals face the public or just other people in general, playing their roles according to social scripts, and the back stage is where they’re free of disguise.
Think of a big family dinner like the coming Thanksgiving or Christmas, people would be on the front stage, saying nice things and greet each other as if they really missed the hell out of them. Everyone maintains the semblance of harmony as the script tells them that’s how a family dinner should be.
While in the back stage, the genuine dynamics of familial relationships appears only when people are with who they’re truly comfortable with. Perhaps that’s why you only get to hear something like “that turkey was way too dry” on the drive home instead of earlier.
The digital age has fitted an entire new dimension to Goffman’s dramaturgy, especially the rise of social media providing ‘front stages’ for everyone. Users establishing their profiles with selective and filtered contents, lots of the time altered or say improved, well in a word photoshopped. All that to strategically present oneself to shape the way of being perceived by others, constructing a digital identity that mirrors our ideal self, which aligns with Goffman’s idea.
Family dinner happens to be perfect example of the concept of “face” introduced by Goffman as well, it refers to the socially approved identity that an individual presents to others. Maintaining face involves managing one’s reputation, avoiding embarrassment, and navigating social expectations.
“Asian weddings was the original Instagram” by Ronny Chieng (picture on the right) is just spot on. Often you get to see Asian families throwing wedding parties inviting everyone they know, arranging bookings of the entire hall in fancy restaurants, putting gold or silver accessories weighs about a car on the bride, etc.
All of that was how they meticulously did impression management, getting on stage. They were strategically crafting their profiles, just as individuals nowadays done it on social media.
“Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America” on Netflix
In conclusion, Goffman’s “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” encourages us to put on the lenses of dramaturgy, recognizing the theatrical nature of our interactions. As we navigate the complex stage of life, we are not just individuals; we are performers, actively participating in the ongoing production of our social selves.
References:
Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
Turner J. (2012). Beyond Goffman: Studies on Communication, Institution, and Social Interaction.
Hi，AKI! I really like the narrative of your article, especially the example of front stage and back stage: the behavior of front stage and back stage when people are eating together is very real and fits in well with this title. The article closely follows Goffman’s theory, with good evidence, and extends from Goffman’s “front stage” theory to the reasons why people choose to embellish their digital identities. Lovely.
Hey, love the way you’ve referred back to the theorist a lot and linked to his “Front Stage and Back Stage” metaphors. You’ve used good examples and I like the images you’ve used for the Asian Instagram aspect, as it explains what you mean without having to go on about it.
Hi, your article is very good, I like how you using different examples that is close to our real life and also referencing it. And the structure is plain to see, also using highlight to mention the connections between the theory and the examples, I like it very much!