Lecture 5 Notes: The Social Media Reality — Online vs Offline Self

Acknowledgement and context
- Acknowledge traditional custodians of the land: Ramagara plan of the Gawak nation; cultures and customs that nurture the land and learning.
- Respect to Indigenous people present and online participants.
Lecture plan (overview of topics)
- Psychology of online self-presentation
- Platform-specific personality expression
- The need to belong: implications for identity online
- Application and practice of theories to cases
- Indigenous perspectives: integrating cultural ways of knowing about identity and belonging
Accessibility and participation notes
- About 90% of enrolled students are not present in person (on-campus and OUI students).
- Acknowledge mixed formats and their limitations; encourage online students to pause, reflect, and discuss with peers (study groups, online discussions).
- Advice: pause to think, discuss at home, and use worksheets; learning can still occur outside live lecture.
Recap: Week 4 highlights
- Week 4 focus: personality measurement, good and bad aspects of personality assessment, and how measurements relate to algorithms and personality development in children.
- Emphasis on critical thinking about personality measurement and digital environments.
- Prior poll results (last week): online personality testing is common among students.
- Poll on “How addicted are you?”: many report substantial time on social media; a minority report spending less than an hour.
- Poll on discomfort when you cannot check your phone: notable level of unease; suggests potential for developing more freedom over device use.
Central questions
- Are you the same person online as offline? If not, how do contexts shape online expression?
- What does psychological science say about disconnection or connectedness in digital spaces?
- Consider the role of evolution: humans have evolved traits over hundreds of thousands of years; digital environments are relatively new, and evolution is slower than technology change; naive expectations about seamless adaptation may be misplaced.
Key concept: contextual and audience-based self-presentation
- In real life, people adapt across contexts (friends, family, job interviews, lectures).
- In digital spaces, each platform creates a different audience, different feedback, and different rules, shaping self-presentation.
- Therefore, platform-specific behavior is not necessarily fake; it is a form of audience-tailored presentation.
Theoretical lens: Goffman and the front stage/backstage analogy
- Front-stage persona vs backstage persona: people present differently in public vs private spaces.
- Digital platforms can function as front-stage or backstage depending on context and audience.
- Examples: TikTok is highly algorithm-driven; views, shares, and engagement act as feedback; these metrics influence how parts of your personality are expressed online.
- Social selection: people prefer some platforms (e.g., Instagram for visual content) and less others (e.g., platforms emphasizing different content types).
- Impression management: striving to influence how others perceive you; a common online activity.
- The permanence of digital content: unlike casual in-person conversations, online posts persist as written records; long-term consequences can include family members (e.g., grandparents) seeing posts and reacting.
Algorithmic influence and feedback loops
- Platforms quantitatively shape expression via likes, comments, shares, and views.
- Feedback loops: you post something; algorithmic amplification reaches an audience; audience feedback then informs future posts.
- This can shift online personality toward engagement-optimized expressions rather than purely authentic expression.
- Distinguish: traditional social influence (observing peers and adapting to norms) vs algorithmic social influence (AI-driven engagement optimization).
- Result: online personality may gradually align with what the algorithm rewards rather than a pure reflection of offline self.
Platform differences and personality consistency
- Evidence from Big Five personality traits across platforms:
- Extraversion shows some consistency across platforms, but variation exists due to context and technology.
- Conscientiousness tends to be higher on professional platforms (e.g., LinkedIn) and lower on casual ones.
- Key question: how much of your online expression is shaped by platform features vs your true personality?
- As platforms become more AI-driven, the gap between online behavior and offline traits can widen.
Indigenous perspectives on digital identity and belonging
- Grandparent perspective: identity emerges from relationships, community, land, and ancestors; not solely individual traits.
- Ego perspective: identity is contextual and relational; continuous social interaction shapes the self.
- End perspective: the momentary details of who you are in a given context and what role you occupy (e.g., lecturer vs student).
- Grandchild perspective: online identity can disrupt traditional identity formation, especially when digital environments distract from land, community, and ancestors.
- Traditional Western psychology often emphasizes individual traits and self-expression, sometimes overlooking relational and contextual identity components.
- Discussion prompts: discuss whether online platforms can support genuinely relational identity or whether they tend to emphasize individualistic self-presentation;
- Consider how culture, language, family, and locality influence online belonging.
Two-minute peer discussion prompts (in-class activity)
- Question: From a grandparent, ego, end, and grandchild perspective, how would you view online self-presentation?
- Encourage sharing of diverse perspectives and experiences; note that cultural context matters for belonging.
Indigenous and community context in identity formation
- Culture and environment shape expression: not only biology; early experiences and upbringing influence self-presentation.
- The Western emphasis on fixed traits is limited; context and community shape how identity is formed and expressed.
Theories discussed and their relevance to digital identity
- Life Narrative (McAdams): people construct self through life stories; digital platforms offer opportunities to share and curate life narratives.
- Self-Determination Theory (SDT): core needs are autonomy, competence, and relatedness; two modes of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.
- Autonomy: self-direction; competence: mastery; relatedness: meaningful connection.
- Online space analysis: do platforms meet autonomy, competence, and relatedness in a way that supports healthy motivation?
- Attachment Theory (developed in developmental psychology): secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized attachment styles.
- Secure attachment: platforms may enhance existing relationships.
- Anxious attachment: heightened vigilance and constant checking for responses; sensitivity to online signals.
- Avoidant attachment: preference for digital distance and non-disclosure; struggle with authentic connection online.
- Disorganized attachment: chaotic and inconsistent relationships; high risk of unstable online/offline patterns.
- Proportions in population: approximately
  - $60\%$ secure, $20\%$ anxious, $15\%$ avoidant, $5\%$ disorganized.
- Theories in tension with digital platforms: does online space create a new form of self or simply reveals different parts of the same self? Some argue that older theories can be reinterpreted to fit digital contexts, while others note that the fit is imperfect and evolving.
Digital storytelling and belonging
- Storytelling is a primary way people develop a sense of self; digital platforms enable life stories (e.g., “a day in the life,” “what’s in my bag?”).
- However, algorithms can curate, reward, or distort storytelling by prioritizing engagement, potentially shaping the narrative toward what the algorithm favors rather than authentic self-exploration.
- Belonging requires more than online presence; it requires place-based identity and intergenerational wisdom; online circles should connect with real-world communities and cultural practices.
Practical implications for psychology practice
- As future therapists, recognize that clients bring online behaviors into therapy and may present with digital-related concerns (e.g., online reassurance seeking, attachment patterns online vs offline).
- Honor cultural and relational dimensions of identity; avoid overemphasizing individual traits in isolation.
- Consider how to help clients achieve authentic belonging that integrates family, community, and land/heritage with digital life.
About the project: theory integration and design (Week 5)
- Project focus: problematic social media post about an aspect of personality/identity; create an evidence-based alternative post.
- Requirements:
- Use personality theories covered in class (e.g., Big Five, attachment theory, narrative identity, SDT, indigenous perspectives).
- Go deep rather than broad; five-minute post limit; cite actual research.
- Address individual differences and cultural/relational aspects of identity.
- Maintain engagement while providing nuance; explain why the original post was appealing but scientifically inaccurate.
- Show how you would improve the post with evidence-based content.
- Process demonstration (summary of instructor-led demonstration):
- Example topic: Enneagrams and relationships; start from trait and typology perspectives; integrate readings on measurement theory.
- Use grandparent and grandchild perspectives to frame alternatives.
- Emphasize that the goal is an authentic, scientifically grounded post rather than a flashy but inaccurate one.
Example post and critique (illustrative demonstration)
- Fictitious post: “Instagram aesthetics reveal your true personality” with color-coded cues (e.g., red = minimalist introverted, middle colors = colorful/extroverted, dark academia = neurotic).
- Problems identified by peers/instructor:
- Oversimplification using only two Big Five traits; ignores other relevant factors (e.g., self-presentation styles beyond five traits).
- Missing self-determination considerations (autonomy, relatedness, competence) and theoretical breadth (needs-based motivation).
- No account for individual differences; culturally and contextually biased.
- Visual aesthetics may misrepresent personality and reinforce stereotypes.
- Step 2: apply personality psychology to the post; discuss how platform features (e.g., visuals) influence presentation but do not define the whole person.
- Step 3: create an evidence-based alternative: maintain the same topic but broaden theory use; include caveats about what is inferred from online behavior; propose multiple perspectives (e.g., both trait-based and narrative/relational understandings).
- Step 4: encourage creative yet rigorous redesign; ensure the post demonstrates nuanced understanding and avoids simplistic judgments.
- Step 5: integrate Indigenous perspectives into the post to illustrate relational identity and belonging across generations.
Practical tips and timeline for the course
- Week 5: theory integration and design focus; guest lecture in Week 6 (on sex, gender, and personality); Week 7: creation and production; Week 8: on-campus students answer questions when screening projects; UI/OUA differences explained.
- Students should start with a problematic post, develop an evidence-based alternative, and reference research; ensure the work demonstrates understanding rather than opinion.
- Collaboration and discussion encouraged; peer leaders and the instructor available for questions.
- Tools and deliverables: consider using Adobe Express for post design and presentation; plan team meetings and perspective rotations; begin drafting content with a clear evidence base and citations.
Miscellaneous notes and administrative details
- A correction: a slide or reference mistakenly listed the wrong chapter; Week 5 content refers to Chapter 15, not Chapter 10. Students should click the link for Chapter 15.
- The decorator/illustration exercise illustrates the general approach: an online post can be analyzed and remixed using multiple theories to yield a more accurate and informative representation of identity and belonging.
- The instructor emphasizes that visuals and ceremonies still carry cultural meaning that may be difficult to convey through likes and shares alone; culture is transmitted both online and offline, and algorithms cannot replace place-based knowledge and intergenerational wisdom.
Summary takeaways
- Online self-presentation is context-dependent and platform-dependent; each space provides a different audience, feedback loop, and set of norms.
- Genuine belonging online requires more than surface-level engagement; it must connect with real-world relationships, culture, and community.
- Theories from psychology (Big Five, attachment, SDT, narrative identity) can be applied to digital contexts, but they must be integrated with cultural perspectives (including Indigenous ways of knowing) to provide a holistic understanding.
- Students should develop evidence-based, nuanced posts that explain both the appeal and limits of online self-presentation, and propose improvements grounded in research.
Final prompt before activity ends
- If questions remain, students are invited to ask the lecturer or peer leaders; use the remaining time to refine posts, discuss with peers, and prepare for the next workshop focused on delivery and presentation.
Key reminders for exam and study preparation
- Understand how online environments affect personality expression and social connection.
- Be able to articulate the differences between online and offline selves, including when they align or diverge.
- Be familiar with: Goffman’s dramaturgical framework, social selection, impression management, algorithmic feedback, SDT, life narratives, attachment types and their prevalence, and Indigenous perspectives on identity and belonging.
- Be prepared to discuss ethical, philosophical, and practical implications of digital identity, including the permanence of online content and the impact on real-world relationships.
Glossary of core terms (for quick study)
- Front-stage / Backstage (Goffman): different selves depending on social context and audience.
- Social selection: platform choice driven by user preferences and content type.
- Impression management: shaping others’ perceptions through curated self-presentation.
- Algorithmic feedback loop: content is selected by AI for engagement, which then shapes future content.
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic motivation (Self-Determination Theory): internal satisfaction vs external rewards.
- Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness: the three core needs in SDT.
- Life Narrative (McAdams): identity built through coherent life stories.
- Attachment styles: Secure, Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganized with approximate population proportions: $60\%\,\text{Secure},\ 20\%\,\text{Anxious},\ 15\%\,\text{Avoidant},\ 5\%\,\text{Disorganized}.$
Notes for exam readiness
- Be able to discuss both the opportunities and risks of online self-presentation.
- Be able to critique a social media post using multiple theories and explain why the post is appealing yet scientifically incomplete.
- Be able to propose an evidence-based alternative post that integrates Indigenous perspectives, relational identity, and platform dynamics.