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Dramatic Analysis: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

Posted on 15/05/2018

The Presentation of Self

There can be few works of sociology as prescient as Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. This short book, originally published in the 1950s, was the first to offer a description of the ways in which people manage their own images and the public impression of themselves. This analysis of a seemingly universal human behaviour is more relevant than ever in an age of social media and has had an impact on the thinking behind data privacy laws such as the GDPR.

The Basic Premise

Goffman’s observation is that all actions that humans perform in the social world are acts – by which he means a projection of a particular image of ourselves that we would like others to see. We can’t control what others think of us. However, through manipulation of aspects we can control: the setting of an interaction, our own appearance and the manner in which we behave, we attempt to exert some influence over how we are seen. Goffman calls this behaviour ‘impression management’.

The Sincere and the Contrived Performance

The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life uses a lively theatrical metaphor throughout: acts, costumes, settings and performances. The performances that we put on can be sincere – a true reflection of our inner selves – or contrived – intended to mislead a person, group or institution for personal gain (this could be financial or some perceived gain in social status). This dramaturgical dichotomy can lead to a contradiction in the roles we play for different audiences – a sort of Danny Zuko effect.   

The Presentation of Self in a Digital Age

Social media has made it much easier to manage the impression the world has of you. Only posting the best selfies is a textbook example of the contrived manipulation of appearance. In the early days of the internet, people were wary about sharing their identities. To borrow a theatrical metaphor from Goffman, everybody wore a mask. Increasingly, platforms have asked us to remove the mask – demanding more personal information from users. Those who can present a contrived performance online fare better than those who are sincere. A rise in mental health issues amongst teenagers has been in part attributed to the impossibility of living up to the contrived ideals presented by their peers on social media.

The Right to Privacy

Goffman’s dramaturgical theory of self relies on a public/private distinction that is the philosophical backbone to the legislative body of modern data protection laws. In Goffman’s view, we all have the right simply to be ourselves with nobody watching. In fact, we could not properly prepare our public performances without this private time. GDPR is a defence of our right to a private life. An attempt to return personal data to its rightful owners who should have the right to access platforms wearing whatever mask they see fit.

If you would like to discuss the impact of GDPR on your organisation, please get in touch by calling 0203 2878 243 or emailing info@priviness.eu.

You can download a pdf of The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life from scribd.com.


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