Is 2008, The Year Of The Red Coat?



The New York Times runs an article on how people are manipulating their online image to present themselves in a positive way in our hyper connected world. Keen readers may remember the Black Coat, Red Coat theory that we introduced on a BBC World Service show in 2006 - the theory describes how we can’t shield our privacy with a black coat so instead we need to project it in the same way we wear fashion - i.e. we need to don a red coat or other digital apparel of our choosing. At the time we presented the theory we weren’t too sure what these red coats were actually going to be made up with but the NYT shines some light on the methodology people are using:

People, of course, have been electronically styling themselves for as long as there has been a Web to surf. But scholars say the mainstreaming of massive social networking and dating sites — which make it easy to publicly share one’s likes, dislikes, dreams and losses in a modern mutation of the Proust Questionnaire — is prompting more people to “perform” for one another in increasingly sophisticated ways.



…Many of the self-presentation strategies observed by scholars will seem obvious to experienced Internet users: improving one’s standing by linking to high status friends; using a screen name like “Batman” or “007” when in reality one is more like Austin Powers; referring to one’s gleaming head as “shaved” not “bald”; using cutesy emoticons to charm the demographic that forwards inspirational chain mail; demonstrating leadership by being the first to adopt and turn others onto the latest Facebook applications; listing one’s almost-career as a D.J. or model rather than the one that pays the bills; making calculated decisions about what to list as interests or favorite books.



…“I use photos that describe me,” said Leonard Alonge, 44, a chef and actor in Delray Beach, Fla., who is a member of Facebook. “Photos of me in the kitchen, photos of me with friends. I use it to describe my personality: friendly, outgoing, nothing very explicit. I’m a pretty conservative person. I was raised in a Roman Catholic family.”



Clare Richardson, 17, of Los Angeles, is applying to colleges and is therefore mindful of what she posts on Facebook, but she knows teenagers who “want to appear to be the partying type,” she said. They post pictures that seem to prove it even if it is not true. “It’s clear they’re trying to impress everyone out there,” Ms. Richardson said.<.blockquote>

Putting Your Best Cyberface Forward - New York Times

Related: Privacy: Red Coat, Black Coat