A Study On Online Self-presentation Of Youth Based On The Theory Of Visibility

Since it was first introduced in 2009,the "like" button has become a standard feature embedded in all major social media platforms.With the embedding of online social media into real life,the "like" button on social media has become much more than a simple binary code and has taken on new symbolic meanings and behavioral connotations.This study uses qualitative research methods to conduct semi-structured interviews with 29 young social media users through in-depth interviews,and through the analysis of the interview materials,attempts to explore how this group understands and uses the "visibility" brought by the "like" to themselves,and thus analyzes their own self-presentation behavior on social media.The study found that,as a kind of digital imprint,"like" is not only a form of information dissemination,but also a way to get others’ attention and presenting oneself.The motivation of youths to use "likes" for self-presentation in social media is to satisfy their own demand for visibility,and there are two main types of performances by using "likes":one is relationship-based performance,that is,youths use the "visibility" brought by likes to realize their "informational presence" in the relationship between themselves and others;the other is content-based performance,that is,youths use the "visibility" brought by likes as a way to shape their self-image,so that they can show their personal tastes and preferences.At the same time,in these self-presentations,young people use certain strategies to manage their visibility according to their imagined audience.Young people not only assess "who I will be visible to",but also consider "what is visible" and accordingly adopt strategies like selective presentation and audience segregation to adjust their own traces of likes on the platform.In terms of selective presentation,young people may actively like content that contributes positively to their image,while they may deliberately choose not to click the like button when they think that the content is not suitable for display in front of others.In addition,young people may also use multiple social media platforms,apply for multiple accounts,and turn off the feature of nearby in software to reduce the risk of their accounts being discovered by others.In the Internet age,the visibility of individuals is no longer only granted by the mass media,but can also be granted by individuals themselves through the media.However,this visibility is on the one hand a positive empowerment,allowing users to present themselves through various mediated media,but on the other hand it also brings with it a crisis,such as the fear of privacy that excessive visibility brings to young users.Privacy concerns arise from other people’s viewing and from the accessibility of information to users on platforms.This also reminds us of the need to be aware of the influence of ’invisible platforms’ in the context of visibility.