The word deception is associated with negative connotations. We like to believe that it is reserved for cheaters, thieves, criminals, and the like; but as we delve deeper and deeper into the abyss of the online world and computer mediated communication, we find ourselves taking part in deception, intentionally or not. Online profiles, such as Facebook, are psychological spaces that can lead to identity based digital deception, where the sender, through a technology medium (i.e. the internet), intentionally instills false information and beliefs on the receiver(s).
In order to determine the validity of the information posted on these profiles, I interviewed a friend about the information posted on her Facebook profile. The sections were broken down into general info, contact info, personal info, photos, and groups. After having her go through her profile and rate the accuracy of her information on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the least accurate and 5 being the most accurate) she said that she was roughly a 5 for all the categories. However, knowing her very well I was able to decipher what was fallacious and what was factual.
I started with the conventional signals – those that aren’t very costly and are mainly identity based – because those were more prevalent. She listed various activities that made her seem very community service oriented; however, I know that she has only participated in such a cause (Habitat for Humanity) once. She also added that she is a huge fan of her college’s athletics, and I know that she is not a fanatic. So, in this case I would say that she is using deception to be more attractive to her fellow classmates by having the same interests. . She omitted her birth year, so her age would be questionable to someone who didn’t know her, and her relationship status (“complicated”) was also deceiving because she is not in a relationship – lying about age and relationship status don’t follow Catalina’s findings. In terms of my friend’s one assessment signal (her university issued email address), she was accurate.
According to Goffman and Baumeister’s self-presentation goals, it is easy to manipulate information on an online profile because it is editable, asynchronous, and has reduced cues. We use deception to appear attractive, by posting a particular picture or broadcasting a particular interest, and to appear honest, by posting charities and community service participation (because those are associated with positive qualities). These two aspects go along with the Hyperpersonal model, in which you selectively self-present those qualities or traits most favorable, portraying a more “ought” or “ideal” self rather than the “actual” self. My friend lied frequently about her “attractiveness” by broadcasting her causes on her page (in her activities, groups, etc.) and by posting about her “favorite team” most likely to fit in with her schoolmates. She also lied subtly by just saying “too many to list” by her music and books sections. These finding closely follow Catalina’s study, except the relationship status and age were not as accurate.
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http://comm245brown.blogspot.com/2007/09/4-little-blue-lies.html
http://comm245brown.blogspot.com/2007/09/assignment-4-option-2-fakebook.html
3 comments:
Hi Samantha! This post was clear and simple, yet you touched on important concepts we've been discussing. I like how you surrounded most of your analysis by the types of self that your friend was expressing through Facebook.
What I found interesting was the ambiguous age and relationship status your friend had on. As you mentioned, previous studies showed they would not be as deceptive as other signals. Don't you notice that a lot of students like to joke around with their relationship status? I've got a few friends who put "it's complicated" with someone of the same sex when they're actually completely straight and just joking around. Or maybe they put that they're "married" to their best friend. Why do you think people do this? I would think that since Facebook isn't a dating service, then no one pays much attention to this aspect. Maybe they wan't to show their playful personality...any thoughts on it?
Hey Samantha,
It seems that your friend likes to keep some mystery about herself. One of the theories I wrote about involved people keeping their facebook profiles very short to give off the image that they are "too cool" for facebook. Your analysis makes me wonder if it might also be because of the mystery factor. Everyone is naturally curious, so leaving out birth year and keeping relationship status as complicated is a great way to invite people to ask questions or initiate conversation. Lately I've been thinking that the general image presented by a facebook profile is more notable than individual items, like favorite music.
Nice post
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