In class this week, we read an article from E. Pearson titled, “All the World Wide Web’s a stage: The Performance of Identity in online social networks.” She refers to this concept of “identity-as-performance” (created by Goffman) where a person puts on a performance that is fitting to their setting. I think this is something we do every day – our ‘work performance’ may be different from our ‘friends performance’, which may be different from our ‘family performance.’ Pearson then points out that these performances may start to blend and your audience can now get a peek at your front-stage and back-stage persona, thanks to social media. This could then lead to a person to be cautious of how they present themselves, which leads to a new performance identity.

Some of the questions we were given to think over:

• What is your preferred role as a participant in social settings?
  In social settings with friends, I am the quiet one. I prefer to listen to my friends and will say a comment here and there. Though there are a few people I can talk endlessly to. In regards to my parents, I think there is an equal amount of talking that occurs between the three of us. 
• In social media do you like to “speak up” and participate? watch/observe/lurk?
  I think I am more of an observer in social settings, both online and physically. I like to read people’s statuses and thoughts on issues and every once in a while, I will ‘like’ or comment back. I have always been a shy and quiet person, which also reflects online.
  
• Are you a non-participator?
  I don’t consider myself a non-participator, but I observe more than I comment.
• What might be an optimum solution for you in your work as an information professional? (ie., it may depend on what your job title is; is there an official “code of conduct” or social media policy?)
  If I ever post anything regarding work on my personal social sites, I try to keep it positive because, in the back of my mind, what I say could go back to my supervisors, and I would not want to be a bad reflection to the institution. I also try to promote events and activities that my institution might be holding just so I can help them reach a wider audience.
  If I were given the task to be in charge of social media, I would also keep posts positive and/or informational. This would be an issue I would have to discuss with my supervisor and any other related parties since this social media will be representing all of us in the institution.

In the past, I have used MySpace and Friendster but I do not have those accounts anymore. I used MySpace more frequently and I think that is where I got started with expanding to different types of social media.

I started using Facebook and Twitter because my friends encouraged it and those seem to be the two tools I use the most. I mainly use Facebook to keep in touch with family from different parts of the world and it is a great way for me to stay connected to their usual activities. I use Twitter as a way of connecting with friends and I like that it is a quick snippet of the events that are happening in their lives. I also use Tumblr to get the latest news on television shows or movies that I am interested in.

I have never used social media management tools like HootSuite or Netvibes, but it is something I will consider using since it is not always easy to keep track of my classmates’ notes on my own. That is something I will have to explore as the class progresses.