| As more actions are mediated by socially-driven technology, individuals' behaviors are increasingly observable, leading individuals to incorporate digital visibility, the visibility afforded by technology, into their decisions. My dissertation refines and tests a set of theories about the effects of digital visibility on individual choices and collective behavior. I hypothesize that the primary mechanism through which digital visibility shapes individual behaviors is via audience effects and "anticipatory" peer effects. My dissertation uses multiple methods, and I have conducted empirical analysis using data sets from three different web sites, exploiting natural experiments associated with changes in two of the web sites. I have developed a dynamic game-theoretic model of signaling that analyzes conflicting norms between people and their audiences and potential shifts in or convergence of social norms. My main findings are: (1) that audience members' reactions promote continued digitally visible behavior and encourage conformity of future purchase choices; (2) that the reactions of audience members reinforce exogenous social norms, and (3) that digital visibility biases behavior towards those that are expected to garner observer approval. Furthermore, my framework of digital visibility generates hypotheses for future trends in social media. |
