Think of your favourite influencer or online creator. What image do they project through their posts, captions, and curated feeds? Their content doesn’t just entertain you, it shapes what you see, like, and post next. Now take a look at your own online presence. How much of it is shaped by the same algorithmic logic? And how closely does your digital self resemble the person you are offline? Perhaps, without even realising it, you too have become a performer on the virtual stage.
Whenever you go about your everyday life, do you think you are putting on a show in front of others? Sociologist Erving Goffman says we all navigate social interactions like stage actors. We present ourselves favourably through impression management and avoid social embarrassment. Goffman’s ideas resonate strongly in the age of social media, where digital spaces have become fertile ground for performing and experimenting with identity. So, how performative do you think you are?
Traditionally, identity refers to how people understand and present who they are, shaped by culture, gender, class, and personal experience. In the digital world, however, identity becomes more performative and mediated by technology. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn encourage users to curate self-presentations, choosing what to reveal and conceal.
Our digital identities are carefully constructed through interaction. Every profile picture, post, username, and comment contributes to a version of the self. In online spaces, like in theatre, there is both a front and a backstage. Behaviour shifts depending on the audience. Individuals manage their impressions by showcasing select aspects of their lives, values, and personalities on the front stage, while keeping other parts hidden backstage. When you look at your online presence, you’ve created this identity that is ‘perfect’.
We use our online identities to ‘sell’ ourselves to our audience. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok invite users to construct aesthetic, brand-like versions of themselves. These spaces encourage people to present a polished and engaging image of a personal brand through filters, captions, and algorithms. What began as self-expression often becomes a performance calibrated for attention (likes, shares, and followers).
We use different platforms to create different versions of ourselves in the best way possible. Due to the various uses of each platform, for example, LinkedIn is more professional and formal, while Instagram is more aesthetic. This variousness can empower self-expression but also risks identity fragmentation and a sense of inauthenticity if the online and offline selves divide significantly. So if you often wonder why they say ‘don’t meet your idols’, this is probably why.
Aesthetic trends and influencer culture magnify this effect, turning self-expression into a performance designed for visibility. Here, digital identity becomes crafted by the individual and moulded by the platform, shaped within systems that reward confidence, consistency, and visual polish. The more seamlessly one fits these ideals, the more “authentic” they appear, even when that authenticity is strategically performed.
To conclude, Goffman’s ideas show that we rarely reveal our whole selves online. We choose which parts of our lives to share, crafting the most flattering version for our digital audience. We’ve become performers in many ways, constantly aware of who might be watching. So, ask yourself: how authentic is the self you show, both online and offline?
References:
- Crossman, A. (2024). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-presentation-of-self-in-everyday-life-3026754 (Accessed: 2 November 2025).
- Haziq, S. (2019). Putting the best digital self forward in the age of Social Media. Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@haziqsabreen25/putting-the-best-digital-self-forward-in-the-age-of-social-media-d3dbec422b73 (Accessed: 2 November 2025).
