Robelot

1
Julie Robelot
Professor Elder
CM3049
5 May 2015

Visual Identity:
American Female AUP students on Facebook
Julie Robelot
Abstract
In this study I would like to explore questions identity mediation through the virtual
platform of Facebook in a select case study of 5 American female students attending
The American University of Paris (AUP) who have moved to Paris, France for the
first time. The aim of this study is to learn more about identity mediation of the actual
and ideal self on Facebook and whether or those have changed since moving to
France and living in an International environment, I also wish to address whether or
not there is a link between the students ideal self and a cosmopolitan identity. I have
conducted this study through observations of their Facebook profiles and by personal
interviews. Through the observations and interviews I have discovered that the
students identity on Facebook is a mix of the actual and ideal self. I have also found
that the ideal self-identity being mediated through their Facebook profiles is
cosmopolitan.
Introduction
With the many social networks on the Internet today, we are constantly bombarded by
images of those we are "connected" with. In the case of Facebook we are asked to
create a profile for ourselves with general personal information, and then with a
profile picture. In previous studies on the question of visual identity on Facebook,
some would argue that a Facebook profile is a means of virtually presenting yourself
through an accessible and visually mediated communication of who you are to others
on Facebook. How you choose to present this identity may change in order to reflect
changes in your everyday lives. Other studies suggest that we are most likely to see
the positive aspects in a persons life rather than the negative aspects on their profile.
These positive and negative aspects on Facebook relate to the individuals self-esteem

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levels and well-being and how they are being supported by their peers. These virtual
expressions of self can help us to understand not only the world in which we live, but
also the social and cultural forces that have shaped contemporary world society,
including persistent patterns of social inequality. (Uimonen, 2013). Some other
studies suggest that Facebook profiles are a means to create our Ideal self.
Facebook users often desire the approval of others and/or social acceptance, therefore
often presenting themselves in the best possible light Others have described this
presentation dynamic with the connections between the actual self those attributes
possessed by an individual, the ideal self attributes the individual wishes to
possess (Farquhar, 2013). How do we create this virtual self-presentation of our
identity? Does living an international environment affect our online identity?
Facebook is a global corporation that connects people from many different cultures
and viewpoints that would not normally be in contact, which provides a cross-cultural
environment for interaction. The world culture is created through the increasing
interconnectedness of varied local cultures,...(Hannerz, 1990). I believe that there is
a link between the ideal self and a cosmopolitan identity that is presented on
Facebook. There are many definitions of cosmopolitanism but for this study we will
be using Ulf Hannerzs definition. He defines genuine cosmopolitanism not simply as
someone who moves about in the world but more as an orientation, a willingness
to engage with the Other. It is more than intellectual and aesthetic stance of
openness toward divergent cultural experiences, a search for contrasts rather than
uniformity (1990). I think it is important to note that I am not suggesting that the
students are in actuality cosmopolitan, but rather that their desired appearance or ideal
self on Facebook is cosmopolitan.
I believe that my study and research is important because it is presenting an issue of
self-mediation and identity formation through a virtual and social platform.. This is an
interesting topic to me because it brings up the social conditions and expectations
surrounding these students. As cultures become increasingly interconnected through
technology, it becomes important for intercultural scholars to understand how
computer-mediated communication (CMC) assists individuals who wish to access the
social and cultural capital needed to become more cosmopolitan (McEwan, & SobreDenton, 2011). My study is a contribution to these studies because I am combining
issues concerning identity formation and cosmopolitanism on Facebook. It is
important to continue to ask questions and research the ever growing.

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Research question
In this study, I would like to explore these questions identity mediation through a
virtual platform in a select case study of American female AUP students who have
moved to Paris, France. I like to answer questions about identity mediation of the
actual and ideal self on Facebook and whether or those have changed since moving to
France and living in an International environment. I also hope to discover the answer
to whether or not there is a link between the students ideal self and a cosmopolitan
identity. I will be conducting this study through observations of their Facebook
profiles and by personal interviews asking the following research questions:
RQ1: How long have you had had Facebook and how do you use it? How often do
you use it? What do you post about the most? How often do you post pictures,
and what are they usually of?
RQ2: How important is your profile picture and cover photo? How do you choose
and how often do you change them? Do you feel like your profile is an
accurate representation of you or are you somewhat private?
RQ3: Do you think your Facebook habits (usage, what you post, how you represent
yourself) have changed since moving to France and attending AUP? Do you
feel more cosmopolitan or American in how you represent yourself on
Facebook?
Method
Participants in this study were 5 undergraduate American female AUP students, ages
18-20 in their freshman or sophomore year. The girls were from different places in the
United States including, California, New York, Colorado, and Florida. For all but one
of the participants, attending AUP was their first experience living in another country.
The sample of girls was selected because I personally know them and they were
willing to participate in the study. I also chose three of the samples from a group of
friends to see how similar or different their posts would be. For this study I chose to
observe the participants online profiles and conduct interviews with each of the
women. I believe this was the best method to perform this study because I was able to
get their perspective on their own self-mediation along with my perspective of their
profiles, which allowed for a comparison of the two viewpoints. The participants were
very open and willing to being a part of the study and allowed me to film during the

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interview. I believe that a strength of this method is comparing the two viewpoints. I
think that an effective way to try and understand motivations for a persons behavior
is to interview them while taking into account the surrounding influences of peers and
their society. Some limitations or weaknesses of this study may be the limited number
of the sampling size from my group of acquaintances. Ideally, I would perform more
interviews and observations of Female AUP Students to gain a broader knowledge of
the presentation of self on Facebook. Since I am American it helped me to better
understand the cultural context of the students being interviewed despite the fact that
they were from various parts of the United States. I felt like the interviews were very
comfortable since I knew the participants fairly well beforehand. Perhaps in the future
further studies on the AUP community could be performed to include male and
female participants in order to compare and contrast the results.
Results & Discussion
RQ1: How long have you had had Facebook and how do you use it? How often do
you use it? What do you post about the most? How often do you post pictures,
and what are they usually of?
All of the participants have had their Facebook profiles for over 5 years and claim to
on average use it at least once or twice a day. In general I found that the participants
post more pictures than actual statuses or text posts in order to keep their profiles
more private. The pictures posted were mainly highlighting the main events in their
lives including weekend trips, special things they did in Paris, and highlight events. I
found that what I observed on their profiles corresponded to what they described in
their interviews.
When I post on Facebook its usually like a large album of pictures um, just
because individual pictures gets kind of annoying um, and it kind of just
highlights like specific events that Ive been to like prom and like spring break
and stuff like that .yeah I dont really post like on a daily basis. (Riki
Davis, 18, Freshman).

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I usually dont post statuses like people do. I usually post pictures when I go
someplace interesting, with my friends or like on vacation. (Danica Cortez,
19, Freshman).
I usually post statuses most often: quotes I like, things that have inspired me,
funny pictures things like that. I dont really post a lot of pictures of what Im
doing; I mostly use Instagram for that (Charlotte Lewis, 20, Sophmore).
I usually post pictures of when I travel so I have like an album for each of
my weekend trips and then for spring break. I dont really post like actual
word posts or thoughts, but Ill share a couple articles if I find them
interesting (Maria Rodriguez, 19, Freshman).
Well Im really into Instagram, so if I post something on Instagram Ill
usually share through my Facebook. I usually just post about like different
things like, like because going to Paris is pretty cool, so I usually post about
cool things Im doing in Paris or in a different country, or just a different
accomplishment. I dont normally post negative things I usually just try to post
positive things. My pictures are usually different scenic places and um, just
me with my friends and stuff like that (Sarah Rosenthal, 19, Freshman).
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(Sarah Rosenthal & Julie Robelot (Me) in Paris [shared through Instagram to
Facebook])
Here we can see the highlight reel that many studies concerning Facebook talk
about. Through looking at their profiles it would seem that they are always positive
and usually doing something interesting, whether it be travelling or exploring
somewhere new in the city. I find the phenomenon of mainly posting pictures instead
of text very interesting, because in the past text posts were more often than picture
postings. This is undoubtedly the influence of technology, especially mobile phones
that make posting pictures fast and easy through whichever platform you choose.
RQ2: How important is your profile picture and cover photo? How do you choose
and how often do you change them? Do you feel like your profile is an
accurate representation of you or are you somewhat private?
On Facebook, identity is a choice, an object we choose to project. When I maintain
my Facebook page I select a 'me' to project to the world, and myself. My personal
identity is selected from a choice of social identities (Ellis, 2010). When asked if the
students thought that their Facebook profile was an accurate representation of
themselves I received mixed answers with some believing it to be a good
representation and others that it only revealed a side of them.
My profile picture and cover photo are kind of important, like, I think my
profile picture is definitely more important than my cover photo. Um, I think
thats just more important cause its like I change it whenever I feel like Ive
taken a really really good photo of myself (laughs) so, I dont knowI think
my profile represents me pretty well, because if someone like shares
something that I dont want Ill like hide it from my feed, or something, so
that no one else sees it and just that like I really am picky about what is on my
timeline, and so its. yeah I think its pretty representational of me (Riki
Davis, 18, Freshman).
My profile picture and my cover photo are important to me in the sense that I
want people to knowor I kind oflike I dont care what I look like in them

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I just want people to know that I am a person that has fun and that I like fun. I
dont usually change it that often, its different like before and now because
Im doing more interesting things now so I feel like I want people to see
what Im doing soI just know that whenever I see people on like blogs, or
Pinterest, or things like that, I like it when people seem like theyve been
places and theyve done things. They post like pictures from like where
theyve travelled and things like that. So I know thats something I would
want to be seen as, as well, so I guess thats kind of how I try to portray
myself (Danica Cortez, 19, Freshman).

(Danica Cortez, Riki Davis, Maria Rodriguez & friends in Italy)

Because a profile picture and cover photo is the first thing one sees when
looking at your Facebook, I think it should be at least a semi-accurate
depiction of who you are and what your values are, or what you like
ratherbut in the grand scheme of things its not so important. I think with any
social media we tend to put our best face forward, or our best attributes. So
yes, in one sense its a depiction of my better qualities, but in another sense it
only reveals an aspect of me (Charlotte Lewis, 20, Sophmore).

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I dont find it (profile picture) too important considering I havent changed it

for like six months now, but I thinks its good to have just like a profile picture
so that people looking you up know like what you look like. Im usually more
private with what I post, like I said, mostly pictures so through my profile you
would assume that I go, like, away a lot of the time but like I do spend
weekends in Paris and just lounging and chilling, Im not always travelling
as my profile would depict (Maria Rodriguez, 19, Freshman).

(Danica Cortez, Riki Davis, Maria Rodriguez in Spain)

I dont consi-I mean I guess your profile picture is technically your first
impre-sometimes your first impression when people are going to send a
friend request to you or if anyone is going to look at your profile, its the first
thing they pretty much see. So I think its pretty important to have a good one,
notI dont like to make it too edited, or too photoshopped, I just like to keep
it looking like myself so when people meet me in person they actually can
recognize me and my cover photo I just try to makeuh, just make it look

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really cool. I usually make it a scene of like Paris or someplace where I am, or
a group of friends that you cant necessarily fit into a profile picture.
Im definitely more private with what I put on my profile now than when I
started out on Facebook. I thought like you kind of just sort of post whatever
youre doing at the moment or how youre feeling. I think now I dont really
post statuses ever, uh, I really just if Im going to make a post itll be like a
photo orjust I try to keep it as personal as possible. I dont really like I do
think sometimes Facebook can be an invasion of privacy and I do think
sometimes that people go overboard and do share too much so I try to keep it
pretty limited in my posts. I dont really consider Facebook like a good
representation of who someone is, a lot of people use it as a right to brag I
mean you wouldnt put like a bad part of your day on Facebook, you would
really only try to put the positive things so, I dont think its really a
representation of reality (Sarah Rosenthal, 19, Freshman).
Here we see the performance of self as a primary part of activity on Facebook. Here
we actual self and the ideal self coincide in what is being represented on their profiles.
In selecting what photographs to display, Facebook users engage in a reflexive
process whereby they portray certain aspects of selfhood, while ignoring or
concealing others. This process can be read as impression management, with the
performed self quite literally communicated as an image (Uimonen, 2013). In
this case study we see different viewpoints of what Facebook profiles can be. Based
on these responses, it would seem that the students are very much aware that they are
performing certain aspects of their selfhood through the images they post and that
there may be a disconnect from what their profiles depict and who they actually are.
Having a profile page in Facebook is very much a question of visually presenting
yourself,... The mediated performance of selfhood in Facebook has everything to with
visually communicating who you are to others. (Uimonen, 2013). The selective and
continual process of creating/representing who you are on Facebook allows the user
to manage the impression they give off in their profiles. Through observations of their
profiles we get the impression that their profiles represent the positive aspects of
themselves, while also showing the highlights of their lives which is mainly
travelling or exploring Paris, which gives the appearance of being cosmopolitan.

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RQ3: Do you think your Facebook habits (usage, what you post, how you represent
yourself) has changed since moving to France and attending AUP? Do you
feel more cosmopolitan or American in how you represent yourself on
Facebook?
As mentioned earlier, we are defining being cosmopolitan as having an
openness/willingness to engage with the Other and another culture. I wanted to get
the students perspective on whether the image of themselves they are presenting on
Facebook is more Cosmopolitan or American.
I think I feel more cosmopolitan on Facebook, just because I post more
pictures in the city and travelling about, and its definitely not like everyday
back in America (Riki Davis, 18)
Im definitely cosmopolitan more than American. I feel like my Facebook
reflects it in that way because beforehand everything about my Facebook
was centered around my life in California but now its just kind of moreIm
thinking more globally I guess you could say, just because of the things Ive
been able to do here; like the food that Ive been able to try, the people that
Ive gotten to meet, and the places that Ive gotten to go. (Danica Cortez, 19,
Freshman).
I believe that my Facebook, and all social media postings have changed
significantly, mostly because Ive gotten older and now Im more aware of the
fact that potential employer or professors or faculty at the school could see my
profile, so Ive deleted a lot of immature things that Ive posted and Im now
more aware of what I post, yeahI think in my profile you can definitely tell
Im American (Laugh) if you look through my old pictures however,
since Ive been to France Ive done a lot more travelling, therefore it could
give the appearance that I lead a cosmopolitan life although thats not
necessarily the case! But to go along with that, most of my profile pictures are
in interesting placesyou know, not so central around one perspective, I
guess (Charlotte Lewis, 20, Sophmore).

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(Charlotte Lewis in Paris)

I think (Facebook profile), a lot more cosmopolitan if you could say that,
just because I have more pictures of me travelling (Maria Rodriguez, 19,
Freshman).
I think now that Im abroad I definitely post places of where I go and what
Im doing. Of course like in high school I didnt really do that cause I was
going to the same place everyday and nothing was really that exciting. So I
definitely think that in order to like let my family know that Im safe and like
having fun I do think my habits have changed a little bit, not too much
though. I think all abroad students try to make themselves seem a little more
cosmopolitan, but I definitely think my posts are pretty American, and pretty,
you know, what Im used to which is with my friendsyeah I think its just

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pretty much basic American things. Sometimes Ill post pictures of French
food or that kind of thing, which I guess is kind of cosmopolitan, but not really
(laugh) (Sarah Rosenthal, 19, Freshman).
I would argue that although not explicitly said there is an undertone of
cosmopolitanism, whether intentionally or not, being mediated through each of the
profiles. Though never asked directly if being cosmopolitan is part of their ideal selfidentity on Facebook, there is evidence that points in that direction. For example,
simply by what photos they choose to post or make their profile picture, many of
these photos are in significant places like with the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. The
pictures they post on their timelines are often doing fun things in Paris or while
travelling in different countries. When discussing profile picture or pictures that are
posted one can take into account that communication takes place because the user
selecting their profile picture has knowledge of how others in the network will
respond, even if this is only on an unconscious level. This picture means something
to the individual who is negotiating their personal identity among the available social
identities. Identity as it emerges in the mind of an individual cannot be separated from
social processes and interactions (Ellis, 2010). This suggests that the individuals are
posting based on how their network of friends may respond to what they post. What
is interesting is that this can occurs without being recognized which is what I believe
is happening in this case study. The individuals have been exposed to a new culture
and are in an environment that encourages cosmopolitanism and their peers also
influence them whether they are at home or in school by how they portray themselves
or how they might react to what the students post.
In conclusion we see how Facebook gives users a platform to create their own virtual
Identities through the combination of their actual self and ideal self. The American
female AUP students tend to post mainly pictures of the highlights of their everyday
lives abroad including events in Paris or travelling in other countries giving the
appearance of cosmopolitanism. In the future I would like to study this subject again
but perhaps with a larger sampling criteria to include male and female participants in
order to compare and contrast the genders. I think it would also be beneficial to widen
the platform of study to include other social networking sites such as instagram and/or
twitter. Some questions that this study raised for me was whether or not we are fully

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aware of the performed identities on Facebook. Do we think that we are giving an
accurate representation of ourselves or are we purposefully creating an alternative
self? This study is very relevant to todays world and I believe further studies should
be done on the subject of identity mediation on social networking sites.

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