Conservateur of a Former Self | CU Experts

Abstract; Explaining how people “do” identity in online spaces has been a focus of research since the advent of the internet. Goffman’s dramaturgical approach has been heavily used to explain identity presentations on social media sites. Building on Goffman, Hogan introduced the exhibitional approach to account for algorithms that curate exhibitions shown to asynchronous audiences. However, while adjusting performance based on audience is central to both approaches, neither account for how self-presentation has changed as people factor in algorithms—a shift especially critical during life transitions when identity management directly impacts psychological wellbeing. This article revisits Hogan’s exhibitional approach, extending it to account for how people manage data with algorithms in mind. It introduces the conservateur role to describe how people make choices about their identity collection and what data the algorithmic curator can access to create identity exhibitions. Using two types of ubiquitous life transitions, it demonstrates the utility of this theoretical extension before closing by considering how it enables designing online spaces that better support data management and mental health during major life changes.

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