Digital Well Being and Performance
“What the hell does Performance have to do with Digital Well Being?” A question I often asked myself while conducting research. Early on in my research I had made an assumption, that I would be able to connect Performance to digital wellbeing flawlessly, that I could string together studies in perfect harmony like a masterful violinist. The reality of the situation is that I am not a violinist, my novice experience in research roles became apparent as I was asking google what an effective Boolean search looked like. The process of research was one that did not come without frustration and internal ego battles, ironically, I often feel that I have learned more about myself than I have about Performance.
“What the hell is Performance?” A question you might be asking yourself at this point. Performance is the play that unfolds in each of our lives, it is the sense of identity that we all construct and deconstruct based on our environment. It is much like it seems, a sort of acting role that individuals and organizations participate in, and in some cases is literally an act of orally reciting literature. The study of Performance draws from behavioral sciences and looks into things like identity curation and affordance.
“How the hell does this relate to Digital Well Being?” The same question I was asking myself early in my research, and that you are likely wondering now. The key to this answer is based around identity curation, especially in digital contexts. Often times peoples’ online identities vary from what their physical identities might be. There are many factors that play into this variation in identity including anonymity and digital communication styles. In short, digital wellbeing may be influenced by the acceptance or rejection of individuals’ online identities.
