Architecture of the personal interactive homepage: constructing the self through MySpace

From a symbolic interactionist perspective, this work looks at the construction of self and identity through MySpace. Using ethnographic methods, I look to answer two questions: (1) how does the physical architecture of the personal interactive homepage (PIH) facilitate interaction and self presentation in particular ways? (2) How does self presentation through the PIH impact processes of negotiated self construction more largely? I discuss three architectural aspects of MySpace which influence the self construction process in particular ways. First, self presentation is predominately overt rather than covert. Second, the structure of MySpace allows for actor contextualization of ambiguous symbols. Third, MySpace facilitates a presentation created temporally prior to negotiation. These findings imply that through the PIH, actors may be granted greater control over the ways in which their self presentation is received, negotiated and interpreted.