Self-Presentation Of The Elderly In WeChat Moments From The Perspective Of Goffman’s Dramaturgical Theory

In recent years,the degree of population aging in our country has continued to deepen,with the rapid development of the Internet,more and more elderly people have changed from “digital refugees” to “new digital immigrants”.Social media such as WeChat Moments has become an important platform for the elderly to communicate and interact online.Goffman believes that everyday life is a performance.The self-presentation of the elderly in the WeChat Moments extends the individual’s performance-oriented existence from offline to online,and has impacts on them in all aspects.At present,there are not many researches on the in-depth discussion of their Internet use behavior from the subject of the elderly.Therefore,this article uses Goffman’s " dramaturgical theory" as a thinking frame to explore the self-presentation of 20 elderly people in WeChat Moments.Through participatory observation,depth interview and other methods,this article attempts to analyze why and how the elderly present themselves in WeChat Moments,and what does this self-presentation mean to them?This study found that WeChat Moments has increasingly become one of the important channels for the elderly to enjoy daily entertainment.They carefully set up personal information in Moments,and set up the stage simple but cautiously.In order to meet the multiple needs of obtaining information and entertainment,reconnecting to society and enhancing self-identity,they perform themselves in Moments.They collage an ideal picture of the elderly’s life by publishing original content,and also forward information to express their "low-key struggle" against their twilight years.In this way,they independently construct what their aging selves should be,and take the initiative to shape the "positive energy" positive selves,the "backstage front" negative selves,the low-key moderate selves and other roles.The self-presentation and interaction of the elderly in Moments are inseparable,the elderly constitute a tacit commentary drama class,and they give enthusiastic support to each other’s performances.Through this kind of ritual interaction,the kinship network is consolidated,the lost relationship is activated,and the parent-child relationship is further warmed up.Moments provides the third field of online communication for the elderly,who can actively create an ideal elderly life through online performances,thereby enhancing their happiness.However,it should also be noted that the elderly have problems such as excessive addiction and "self-landscape" in the use of Moments.In addition,their online interactions have a tendency to involute,this will further lead to group separation,"collective deception" and stigmatization of the elderly.