R5: Subjectivation and Social Media

Foucault’s idea of “Subjectivation” is a very difficult concept to singularly nail down and explain. However, in the context of social media, it can best be described as the self-construction of identity influenced by the perception of others, or the idea of visibility and interpretation. As analyzed by Rayner, we construct our presentational, performative identity through not only our own personal posts, but through the content we collect and share. Social media is many things, but one of its foremost functions is aggregation and sharing. Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be counted on as sources for links to news, stories, and other online content that may be relevant to one’s life or views. The sharing function of social media creates an easy and convenient tool for identity construction. People come to know us by what we post, be it its form, subject matter, tone, or any other of a myriad of factors. Rayner himself describes it as a game of “creative self-affirmation” saying 

“The rules of the game are simple: [1] share only what you love or what resonates with you; [2] pay attention to the feedback you receive from the crowd and modify your posts accordingly; [3] don’t stray too far from the truth. Be creative but don’t be phoney.” (Rayner 3)

This is to say that the “self” one creates on social media may not be a wholly genuine, authentic self. It is truthful, but it is not all-encompassing or necessarily well-rounded. It is presentational and performative, as dictated and judged by the responses of others. We aggregate and curate our identity based on the social rewards and audience feedback we recieve online, in order to make the most essentialized, idealized version of ourselves. Thus, our self-affirmation and construction of identity becomes “creative” rather than entirely authentic. Rayner elaborates that this identity construction, this subjectivation, is not only restricted to our online personas. The rewards system and perception of our identity online bleeds into our real lives, dictating and influencing our thoughts and actions. No longer do we act and share and speak with little or no thought. We calculate and navigate based on the identity we’ve constructed online; based on how we know people see us or expect us to be. 

Daniel Kaluuya in "Get Out" by Jordan Peele. Source: latimes.com

For example, I recently shared an online essay called “Let Me Whitesplain ‘Get Out’ So You Have Nothing To Fear, White People” that is hosted on The Second City’s website. This article says a lot about me, and the identity I have created for myself on Facebook. Its message and content are concerned with social justice and race relations, which I tend to take a firm stance on. Its subject is a popular film, and film is a subject I am passionate about. Its tone is satirical and comedic, and it is hosted by The Second City, both of which tie into my connections to Improv and Comedy. This post is a very strong statement about who I am, what I believe in, and what I enjoy, featuring multiple facets of my online identity. The same goes for the essay titled “I'm an Arab actor who's been asked to audition for the role of terrorist more than 30 times. If La La Land cleans up at the Oscars, I'm done.”

However, there are similarly explicit examples of essays that, although I identify with them and agree with their sentiments, for various reasons I would likely not share them online. For example, the essay titled “Whites Only: SURJ and the Caucasian Invasion of Racial Justice Spaces” contains sentiments I value as important and relevant to my identity, but given my own doubts and struggles with my identity as a mostly-white ally, as well as the controversy I do not feel prepared to debate should it arise, I would probably not share this online. 

Myself and my sibling.

Similarly, the article titled “To Grieving Christian Parents of a Transgender Person” would likely be a difficult post to add to my social media. I struggle with the conflicting teachings of the faith I was raised in and the support of my friends and even my own sibling, who is trans. Furthermore, I know that my own parents may, in some ways, fall into the category of “Grieving Christian Parents of a Transgender Person” and that’s not a debate I want to have out on social media with them, nor is it my place to bring up or call out my sibling as being trans. 

These dynamics of interaction and the influence of others' perception -- or even the perception of others' perception -- feed strongly into the identities we construct for ourselves, both online and in real life. The many complex layers of identity construction through subjectivation are constantly at play on social media, and I believe we all know and feel them constantly, whether we are conscious of it or not.






Rayner, Tim, “Foucault and Social Media: Life in a Virtual Panopticon (pt.1), I Tweet, Therefore I Become (pt. 2), and The Call of the Crowd (pt. 3),” Philosophy for Change, 6/21/12, 7/4/12, 7/26/12, http://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/foucault-and-social-media-life-in-a-virtual-panopticon/  (viewed 8/25/14) 

Delgado, DiDi. "Whites Only: SURJ and the Caucasian Invasion of Racial Justice Spaces."Medium. Black Lives Matter-Cambridge, 01 Apr. 2017. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Annamagda4christ. "To Grieving Christian Parents of a Transgender Person." Catholic Trans*. WordPress, 28 June 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Morrow, Martin. "Let Me Whitesplain 'Get Out' So You Have Nothing To Fear, White People." The Second City. The Second City, 08 Mar. 2017. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Al-Kadhi, Amrou. "I'm an Arab Actor Who's Been Asked to Audition for the Role of Terrorist More than 30 Times. If La La Land Cleans up at the Oscars, I'm Done." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 23 Feb. 2017. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.