Research On College Students’ Self-Presentation TikTok From The Perspective Of Dramaturgical Theory

The theory of dramaturgy suggests that social life is akin to a theatrical performance.Erving Goffman views individuals in society as actors,and social settings as the stages on which humans perform.Social members adopt different roles and engage in various social performances,utilizing specific strategies to showcase their identities and intentions.The advent of the internet and self-media has not only changed people’s information consumption habits but also provided individuals with platforms to express themselves.As a prominent group in the online sphere,university students exhibit distinctive personalities,pursue trends,and are willing to experiment,often expressing their emotions through online channels.The accessibility and convenience of short video applications have attracted a large user base,making them important platforms for self-expression and self-presentation among university students.This research focuses on university students as the study subjects.Based on a comprehensive review of domestic and international literature,it adopts Goffman’s dramaturgical theory as the theoretical foundation and employs the research methodology of virtual ethnography to explore university students’ self-presentation behaviors in short videos.This includes examining the stages for self-presentation,performance images,strategies employed,motivations for self-presentation,as well as the negative effects of excessive immersion in short video platforms.The study also proposes strategies and methods to address these issues.Firstly,understanding the characteristics of the stage for self-presentation is essential to investigate university students’ self-presentation on short video platforms.With the development of human-computer virtual interactive environments,short video platforms provide new stages for performances,expanding the freedom of self-presentation.Compared to the traditional media era when Goffman proposed the dramaturgical theory,the environment for self-presentation among university students has undergone changes.Platforms like Tik Tok provide university students with new virtual stages,allowing them to enhance their expressiveness and attractiveness through physical online performances and virtual symbols such as special effects,filters,and music.This enables university students to present themselves in more creative and artistic ways,shaping personal identities and narratives that attract the attention and resonance of viewers.Secondly,regarding the aspect of self-presentation images,the research examines the content of videos published by university students and identifies five major categories of self-presentation: life sharing,skill demonstration,trends and fashion,food sharing,and knowledge dissemination.These videos showcase positive and uplifting media images,allowing university students to shape personal identities by demonstrating their love for life,humor,self-irony,dedication to learning and work,and rich emotional experiences.Furthermore,university students employ strategies such as impression management,backstage behavior placement,virtual dramaturgy,and role expectations to present idealized versions of themselves.The motivations behind these behaviors can be categorized into internal and external factors.Internal motivations include the fulfillment of psychological,social,and leisure needs,while external motivations include the development of media technology,visual imagery,and precise marketing on platforms.Lastly,while short video platforms offer stages for university students to display diverse self-images,they also present challenges such as excessive social connections leading to individual anxiety,visual imagery potentially compromising privacy,group taste distinctions in virtual communities hindering the formation of social consensus,and excessive immersion in self-mediated images constructed through virtual symbols easily trapping university students in consumerism.Therefore,in response to these negative influences,university students need to approach short video platforms with a balanced perspective,manage their time wisely,and avoid excessive immersion.Platform providers should strengthen content moderation and combat inappropriate information,foster correct values,and collectively promote the positive development of the online environment.