TOPIC 6: THE DIGITAL SELF

“Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions a near
constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self- control.” – Daniel Goleman

Your digital self is the personality you use when you’re online. Some of you at this point maybe
maintaining one or more online identities that are distinct from your “real world” selves; or if
not, some of you may have only a single online self that is more or less the same as the one they
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live in the real world. This chapter will allow you for 3 hours to examine how you extend
yourself to the many social media sites and other online platforms.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this topic, students will be able to:

1. explore how the self is presented digitally;

2. assess responsible use of social media and any other online platforms; and
3. reflect on how social media sites serve as an extension of one’s self.

 LET’S LEARN

Do This! Me on FB

Look at the print-out of your Facebook profile account then identify what goes into building your
digital self by answering the following questions in writing.

On your online behavior: Is your FB profile up to date? Do you post regularly? Are you
consistent with your posts?
On your online voice: When you post in your FB account, what do you say? Are you
controversial? contentious? or otherwise inappropriate? Do you also think you’re adding value to
conversations?
On your online presentation: What does the fonts, styles and images you use say about your
presentation of yourself? Do you maintain a professional visual image?

I, ME, MYSELF AND MY USER ID ONLINE IDENTITY

Given that your online behavior makes a huge impact on how you present your digital self, it’s
important to always use social media with care and consistency—always make yourself aware of
how your personal brand can be affected by what you say and post. Always assume that potential
people will often perform an online search, so make sure that everything they find about you is
positive and professional.
LET’S PRACTICE

Try This! Picture-Slogan

Study the four pictures below. Create your own slogan to depict the meaning of each of the
image on how your online identity creates or destroys you.
Image 1 Image 2

Image 3 Image 4

LET’S ASSESS

Check This! Critiquing of a Research Output

Read the full copy of the research article of Nathalie N. Delise, a professor of the University of
New Orleans, entitled Me, Myself, and Identity Online: Identity Salience on Facebook vs. Non-
Virtual Identity

After thorough reading, examine the paper in terms of the following:

1. What new knowledge have you learned from the paper?
2. What new knowledge did the study claim it contribute?
3. How the did paper project the management and construction of the self through social
media?

Note to teachers: For this activity, download the research output at

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2487&context=td

Rubrics

Exceeds Meets Approaches

Criterion Expectations Expectations Expectations Comments
3 2 1

All questions Most of the Most of the

Completenes
were answered questions were questions were
s
completely answered not answered

All answers
Answers were Answers were
Depth were profound
somewhat clear shallow
and clear

Answers were
grounded in
Answers were Answers were
concepts of the
clearly related vaguely related
Relevance lesson and built
to the concepts to the concepts
on these
of the lesson of the lesson
concepts in an
original way
Grammar, There were few Grammar
Sentence punctuation and grammar, punctuation and
Structure spelling were punctuation and spelling errors
error free spelling errors were evident

 LET’S LEARN

Do This! Watch and Learn

Let’s watch an episode of the ABS-CBN program Wansapanataym

Selfie pa more, Sasha no more at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsjJ_An8zlg

SELECTIVE SELF PRESENTATION AND IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

Let’s face it, like Sasha in the episode you watched, most often you try to impress others – to put
your best foot forward, to try to look good and always into new trends, and to always get people
to like you even if it means you need to lie, to pretend and to create fictitious self of yours.

However, selective self-presentation and impression management is very important in the

development and maintenance of your social relationships, and it is critically important for you
to gain self-confidence and pride.

But your success in social relationships and your triumph as a person requires a delicate balance
of self presentation and impression management. It is with this reason that you need to monitor
and control how you appear to others. But never forget that you also need to be straightforward
and ‘authentic’.

LET’S PRACTICE

Try This! Impromptu Speech

Prepare for a one-minute speech on this passage of Erving Goffman, “Choose your self-
presentations carefully, for what starts out as a mask may become your face”.

LET’S ASSESS

Check This! Mask Your Face

This can be done at home.

a. Design your creative ‘face-mask’ which you think is the most appropriate representation
of yourself.
b. Your output will be assessed using the rubrics below.

Rubrics

Exceeds Meets Approaches

Criterion Expectations Expectations Expectations Comments
3 2 1 115
The artwork is The art work
planned is planned The artwork
carefully; adequately; shows little
understanding understandin evidence of
Concept
of all concepts g of some understanding
and concepts and the concepts and
instructions is instructions instructions
clearly shown. shown.

The artwork The artwork

The artwork
shows shows below
shows
outstanding average
average
Craftsmanship craftsmanship, craftsmanship
craftsmanship
with clear and little
and attention
attention to attention to
to detail.
detail detail.

The artwork
demonstrates The artwork
The artwork
original demonstrates
demonstrates
personal little personal
Originality an average
expression and expression and
amount of
outstanding problem solving
personal
problem skills.
expression.
solving skills.

 LET’S LEARN

Do This! Fast Survey

Go out of the room and interview at least three people you meet. Ask those things they think they
need to post, and those they believe they should not post online. Do this for only 15 minutes.
After which, write down your data in your journal and reflect on their answers. Write down your
thoughts.

IMPACT AND BOUNDARIES OF ONLINE INTERACTIONS ON THE SELF

As digital natives, the emergence of gadgets and your frequent online acts are known to have
been interfering your daily lives to a huge extent. You almost rely fully on modern technologies
to accomplish any task. Your social media account is a face of modern technology that found its
way in your life, which for sure have both positive and negative effects on you.
The next activity will give you a glimpse on some of the negative impacts online undertakings
bring into our lives.

LET’S PRACTICE

Try This! Acting Out

Read the situations below. The class may choose to dramatize each of the situation before
analysis is done.

1. Lita, a senior high school student who happens to be chubby, dark skinned and curly hair
is often bullied in school. One time, a classmate, took a stolen photo of her, edited her
face with a pig face and uploaded in the Facebook with the caption, “black-boar for sale”.
The post went viral and many more insulting comments popped in.

2. John, 15 year old is fun of playing Mobile Legends using his gadget. He would missed
eating his meals, urinating, drinking water and the like just to finish his online gaming for
a win. He would chat with his ML friends more often. He then loss his concentration in
school and family affairs.

3. Teacher Anna is a quiet person. But lately she would always post rants and complaints on
her social media account. She discloses things on public, and tries to humiliate her boss,
her co-employees and subordinates online.

Reflect on the following questions:

On situation 1: What do you think will be the long term effect of cyberbullying to
Lita?

On situation 2: What do you think is the major loss of John in getting addicted to
playing Mobile Legends online?

On situation 3: What do you think is the persona Teacher Anna is being portrayed
on her negative posts?

LET’S ASSESS

Check This! Case Study

From the 3 scenarios above, choose one that you would like to work on. Find an individual
whom you think have a similar story. Interview the person and gather additional information.
You may use the following questions as your guide:
1. How social media does affects their life and their social relationships.
2. Are they not satisfied with their lives? Does it have something to do with their use of
your social media accounts? What are their reasons for their online activities?
3. How often do they indulge in these online interactions?
4. Do they believe that their social media accounts reflect their true personality?

Rubrics

Exceeds Meets Approaches COMMENTS

Criterion Expectations Expectations Expectations
3 2 1
Clearly identified Identified Failed to identify
the root problem, contributing the root problem,
Content and provided clear factors but did and did not
insight into the not recognize indicate any causal
causal factors the root cause factors

Identified
Clearly & some of the
Did not identify
completely relevant
relevant
determined the information
Relevance information that
relevant information that would
would assist in
needed to address assist in
resolving the issue
the problem resolving the
issue

Identified
Accurately
some of the
identified the
contributing Failed to identify
contributing factors
factors that the contributing
& provided a
Analysis impact on the factors that impact
connection
problem but on the root
information relevant
didn’t clearly problem
to solving the case
connect the
problem
information