Open AccessLOLZ OMG, I'M DEAD. The Rise of Performative Behavior in Social Media, and Its Implications for Digital Ethnography
Author(s) -
HARTNETT KATHLEEN
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
ethnographic praxis in industry conference proceedings
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1559-8918
pISSN - 1559-890X
DOI - 10.1111/1559-8918.2016.01120
Subject(s) - performative utterance , ethnography , social media , online and offline , sociology , aesthetics , digital media , action (physics) , media studies , social psychology , psychology , computer science , art , world wide web , anthropology , operating system , physics , quantum mechanics
Performative behavior is an action taken specifically with an audience in mind, to elicit a response or reaction. Digital Ethnography encounters this on a daily basis, as we study behavior on social & digital networks where performative behavior is rampant. As a research source, social media behavior is often dismissed because of it's orientation towards performance – but as people lead more omni‐channel lives, the distinction between online and offline lives is becoming harder to discern. As such, we need to start viewing performative behavior as extensions of fully formed individuals. This means today's Ethnographers need to become Digital Ethnographers as well, to better understand individuals as the sum of both thier online & offline personalities.