Self-governance in a digital age

The discussion that arose from my post on managing your online reputation on Thursday has prompted me to think about the dangers of over-editing, or over-censoring your profile. It is, of course, right to argue that if everyone were to adopt a safe, corporate approach to their online interactions then social media would be a more boring place for all, and would undoubtedly lose its appeal for many, but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

What interests me more about this idea of self-censorship, and I am guilty of it too, is the way it can be related to the Foucauldian concept of governmentality. Michel Foucault was a Twentieth century French philosopher and social theorist who, among his many works, developed the concept of governmentality in his later life. One of the key tenets of this theory was that governments like to produce citizens that self-govern, it makes their life easier after all, and that discourses arise in society to pursue that aim; we might consider recent discourses of 'modernity' and 'continuous professional development' in these terms too (I have written papers on these discourses, so ask in class if you would like to read them!).

My argument about monitoring your online profile could also be said to be such a discourse. In encouraging you to curate your own profiles and think about how you present yourself online, I am guilty of encouraging self-governance. Nonetheless, I remain resolute about the need to think carefully about how much you share online. Social media is pervasive and hard to avoid in our society and so I remain convinced that it is important to curate your online presence in some way, but certainly not in a way that leaves you looking devoid of personality, interests and passion. Any profile which focuses entirely on promoting your corporate skills and competences is to be avoided, especially in the creative industries which thrive on people and ideas rather than skills and competencies alone.

Ultimately it is your choice to get involved in social media networks and you do have the freedom to decide for yourself what, how much and how frequently you share information about your life, but projecting an image you are comfortable with and understanding your audience's perceptions of that image, are good, basic PR skills too. Remember perception is the reality.