MayaCassar.Blogs

The modern innovation of social media has changed the way individuals conduct and present themselves. It has become a part of our daily routine for many, from posting content regularly or checking social media as soon as you wake up to the moment before you go to bed. 

Social media platforms have become a space where people can present their sense of self, whether it is raw and authentic or more of a persona. Presenting self is a reflection of who we are as individuals or how we would like to be perceived by others. Traditionally self-presentation was only expressed through face-to-face interactions. Now, through the technological development of the internet and online communication people have more control of their self-presentation in a space where other people cannot directly dispute the way they wish to be perceived.

New media has been described as a liberatory space, such spaces allow individuals to explore different things such as their culture and identities away from those who may judge them. Social media not only provides an outlet for people to explore and express their identities, they can also interact and connect with others who are similar to them.

A particular platform I personally utilise that allows me to present a sense of self is Instagram. Instagram is a social media platform that has many affordances that allow its users to present a sense of self. Instagram was primarily created as a photo-sharing platform and has now expanded to video content and the new addition of Instagram shop. Instagram gives individuals a space to create a profile to share a variety of content, whether it is for personal posts, promoting a business, creating a fan account, or expressing things they admire and are passionate about. 

The app not only enables people to post content, but they can also easily share other people’s content with friends or a public audience. The use of the search bar allows people to narrow down their search to top results, people, tags, or places, thus giving individuals the opportunity to easily find things they are interested in. One of the more popular affordances of the platform is being able to message and call or facetime others within the app, on both individual chats as well as group chats. This is beneficial as social media is “architected by design to readily support participation, peer-to-peer conversation, collaboration, and community”. Instagram has a variety of many more features such as like and comment buttons, the ability to save posts, Instagram stories, reels, and the new Instagram shop. 

Instagram is an easily accessible platform and is used internationally, with most users being in India. The target audience for Instagram is young people as it is mostly used by Gen Z and Millennials with those aged 25-34 being the largest group to use the app closely followed by those aged 18-24. It is not as popular among older generations as they find it difficult to understand.

I personally use Instagram to present a sense of self by posting pictures of my life. I post photos of fun things I have done and photos of my friends to convey my personality to my followers and present myself as a fun and loving person. I also use the app to talk to my friends and connect with others who have similar interests as me.