Is Authenticity a Thing?

 

I’m the daughter of a social worker.  I’ve always been interested in people’s stories and in the psychology behind why people are the way they are. Identity construction is a book-worthy topic in its own right, so when given the flexibility in my writing class to select a project topic about anything in the world, I chose to link this concept of identity with something relevant – social media. How do we see ourselves and how do others’ perceive us at this intersection? This question guides my research.

 

Presenting ourselves in a way that we feel comfortable with adds a layer of complexity to this relationship. I realize that the toughest job any of us has is being comfortable with ourselves.  Being true to ourselves.  Being real.  As a 22 year-old, I more importantly realize how hard it is to be comfortable with ourselves when we are so often on a public stage on Facebook and Instagram. The tension between curating our images on social media and this notion of authenticity is the area I chose to explore for my project.   

 

I initially wondered, does editing my pictures on Facebook, filtering images, tanning, un-blemishing, “perfecting” – does that make me in-authentic?  Am I deceiving my audience?

 

The Millennial Generation is often scorned for our obsession and infatuation with social media, specifically, how it complicates identity formation and social perceptions. The truth is, we are meticulously cultivating, crafting, and curating our online identities. But the creation of this “more-perfected” image is not dishonest or deceptive to our audience. Deceiving our audience would imply that we have one fixed, unmolding identity – which is not the case. 

 

Just as Erving Goffman says, “Everyone is always playing a role.  It is in these roles that we know each other; it is in these roles that we know ourselves." Our identity online is one role we play.  We play many different roles according to varying contexts. Goffman’s quote is the impetus behind my decision to consider that our roles online are one dimension to our whole Self.

 

We are dynamic, multi-faceted and complicated.  We are always presenting some version of our selves, a shifting and changing version.  We do not have one fixed, unmolding identity, but rather we evolve.  We change according to context – and, we take on different roles in these varying contexts. We are always consciously presenting a version of ourselves, often leveraging certain aspects of our identities to appeal to a particular audience. It’s still all us.  The different roles we play make us true people, not  “in-authentic” or “un-true.” They contribute to the essence of the Self.

 

While we may curate our online images, there are truths negotiated in the roles we play.

 

I propose that so long as we present some version of ourselves in which we are comfortable, we are acting authentically. Comfort with oneself is the mark of authenticity.