The Show Must Go On: The Presentation of Self during Interpersonal Conflict on Facebook

摘要

This study examines the presentation of self on Facebookby looking at user perceptions and behavior in times ofconflict. Through semi-structured interviews with Facebookusers, we examined users’ perceptions of Facebook as afront stage for social performance as well as the context ofconflicts that they experience on Facebook. The findingsshow that interviewees experience conflicts when theyencounter unexpected behaviors from peers that disturbtheir “performances” on Facebook. Violated norms activatedifferent coping mechanisms, and interviewees oftenconsidered the goal of self-presentation when adoptingcoping mechanisms during online conflicts. We also foundthat transitions in life situations were related to theheightened concerns of self-presentation. Our study shedslight on the nature of conflicts occurring on Facebook andcontributes to our understanding of a user’s decisionmakingprocess in pursuing the dual goals of impressionmanagement and interpersonal relationship maintenance.