Blog Assignment 4: My Online Persona

I have 2,282 facebook friends. This huge number is composed of my friends, friends of friends, family, and a lot of other people! In the developing online social world, it is hard to distinguish the different subgroups within my “friends” and control what I do or do not want them to see. When composing my page, it is also hard to find a common equilibrium between the different subgroups. However, privacy settings are available to control this problem. Initially, I had certain people, such as family members and professionals, on limited profile. With this enabled, they were not able to see my pictures. Recently, I changed my settings to friends only, now only people that I am friends with can see my information. I was ambivalent at first as to what I was going to disable and enable people to see. The persona manifested of myself does not properly show who I am. To those that only know me by my page, it may seem as if all I do is go out with my friends and drink a lot; however, in a face-to-face confrontational setting I am not perceived like that.

In this picture, it looks as it I am going to have a good time. The sunglasses, bathing suit, and gators t-shirt emphasize the strategic ability to capture my “party” persona. This picture is specified for the subculture of my real friends. The exclusion of details, such as my academic interests and extra curricular activities prevents others from seeing that side to me. This negatively affects my persona created by my facebook page. Without this part of my life shown I’m perceived as a person who does not regard academics and prioritize.

This next photograph is of my pledge class for my sorority. This represents the emphasis on friendship and bonding in society. This picture can appeal to all of my different subcultures because it shows the strength of my friendships with my sisters.