Now performing is the spectacular .... "Specular Economy"

The specular economy, in the words of Marshall (2010, p. 498) is a “two way mirror projection on to the screen, and the circulation of and interaction with those images and texts into the wider world”. The most important element of Marshall’s explanation of the specular economy is the mirror’s two-way nature.
According to Marshall (2010, p. 500) it is “important to realize that the mirror of new media is a trick mirror. What is displayed is also interchanged with another audience on the other side of the mirror, where they can respond by Facebook or Twitter commenting”. I will further explain this in line with Goffman’s theatrical metaphor of the self. It is said by Goffman (Orsatti & Reimer 2012, p. 3) that the self is performed on a front and back stage, the front that is subject to the gaze of the audience and the back that is behind the scenes. However the curtain that divides the two is now a two-way mirror, and the audience now have the ability to comment, approve or disapprove of your back stage performance.

As an audience I do this in the domain of Facebook. I approve by liking a certain photo, or if it has captured my interest then I will especially comment on that photo. I validate a friend’s presence by tagging them at a location I visited with them, or I share with them an image I found funny. There is not too much thought I put into my role as an audience, but as the performer I have much to think about.

As a performer on Facebook’s stage I use much thought in selecting the appropriate picture to upload and the right wording of my comments. There is no sense of anonymity, so must present a decent image of myself online. This resonates with Hills (2009, p. 119) “conceptualisation of the self as a presentational image”. I create an image on Facebook by considering not only my own personality, but also by considering those watching my activity. Bringing this back to Marshall (2009, p. 498) ““we are becoming more conscious of how we present ourselves and how others perceive us”.

Image Source: Megan Raddatz

However what does this mean for our self-identity? Are we really being ourselves, or are we building our identity through the approval of our friendship networks? Does this approval unlock different doors to a person we should be?
Maybe we should draw the curtain and let our backstage self rehearse in peace for the onstage performance.  

Hills, M 2009, “Case study: Social Networking and Self Identity”, in Creeber, G and Martin, R (eds), Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media, Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp. 117 - 121

Orsatti, J Riemer, K 2012, “Identity of Self Presentation: from a Representational to a Performative Lens in Studying Social Media Engagement in Organisations”, paper presented at 23^rd Australasian Conference on Information Systems, Geelong, 3-5^th December 2012

Marshall, P.D 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502