Creation of Digital Persona :Visual Identity on Facebook through the Screen

Abstract: The establishment of the Internet and progression in computer science is connecting people at an alarming rate. Through these online connections an image-sharing culture has emerged. A prominent contributor to this social phenomenon is Facebook. Since Facebook launched its social networks in 2004, the popularity and growth of the platform has been phenomenal. It has become today’s dominant source for online social media. Only eight years old, Facebook has changed human behavior by presenting new ways of constructing self-identity, recording personal history, and communicating with other online identities. Visually expressed communication has become a language of its own, with online social networks as its canvas. This thesis analyzes Facebook’s effect in regards to screen-based online communication. Issues derived during the process of developing digital identities through Facebook are investigated. Furthermore, this paper relates to how expression of identity, perception of time, and interpersonal relationships are transforming as a consequence of dominantly visual-orientated communication. Finally, the role and influence of omnipresent screens, the delivery mechanisms for online social networks, will be discussed as a social mirror and measured against everyday life patterns, both psychologically and physically.