Nowadays, people can build their own personas through the digital world using the most updated social media. However, society will also have a private life other than a digital one. The Canadian-born American sociologist Erving Goffman believes there is a ‘frontstage and backstage in region daily life’, defining it as impression management.
Erving Goffman’s view of Impression Management
The frontstage is how people behave in front of an audience by creating a specific impression, knowing they are being watched. This could be a streamer showcasing their actions and entertainment to their audience by having a particular way of giving the impression to them. They know they need to create a persona for their platform, as the audience can be global.
However, the backstage is the total opposite of the frontstage. The backstage is where society doesn’t need to act in a specific way to people, but they can be their true persona. This could be people who know your true self, such as family or best friends. The society backstage doesn’t need to wear a mask to create an impression, knowing they are in their comfort zone.
Streamers Identity in the Digital World
The example I will be using to expand more on Goffman’s view of impression management is streamers!
There are different platforms where streamers showcase their content, such as Twitch or YouTube. A streamer’s job is to entertain their audience, and they do that by creating a specific persona that can target a particular audience. How they engage with their community is very important because streamers need to ensure they can keep their audience entertained.
This is where Goffman’s view takes place. Streamers must use a specific language that engages with their audience or needs to do a particular activity, such as gaming or just chatting with the community.
In Conclusion
Most streamers spend majority of their time in the digital world to ensure they get their job done by entertaining the audience. However, streamers have a backstage with their personal life, where they can turn off their stream and be their selves when alone or with family and friends. However, it is not only streamers; this can be anyone who uses the digital world to showcase a version of themselves to a specific audience, knowing they don’t need to worry about how they act outside of their frontstage.
Bibliography
- Durham, Meenakshi Gigi (2006) Media and cultural studies: keywords, Rev. Ed., Wiley-Blackwell
- Nicki Lisa Cole (2024) Goffman’s Front-Stage and Backstage Behavior, Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/goffmans-front-stage-and-back-stage-behavior-4087971
