Privacy, Propriety, Performance, and Pseudonymity

Abstract

The past 100 years have seen an enormous loosening of what is considered “acceptable” public behavior. Much of what we do now on Facebook, Twitter, and other social sharing sites would have been wildly socially inappropriate just a few decades ago, but is seen as perfectly normal by most users. Concerns about online privacy often get confused with concerns about online. It is instructive to think of social media as performance media in which users adopt personas heightening aspects of their personalities that best match interactions. The decline of the Internet’s tradition of pseudonymous posting has changed both the nature and quality of online discourse and personal reputation. Areas of potential further inquiry are suggested.