It’s good to know this topic is becoming relevant in contemporary fashion media – self and identity in online space.
These decisions may be processed in questions like; should I openly document my life? Am I going to remain private or go public? Am I digitally attractive? Should I create a personal brand? What will my USP be? Can I utilise my career, interests, appearance or morals to maximise my platform? And most crucially, do I want to?
Differentiating each personality with visual headlines of professionalism, family, idealism and provocativity, the fast impact of the viral #DollyPartonChallenge playfully permitted us to hold up our hands to the selective behaviours we use when it comes to portraying ourselves online. From slight subtleties to outright blatant differences, the incredibly high wave of engagement enthusiastically nodded to what we already suspected to be true; the concept of digital attractiveness has become a universal desire.
On the pursuit of playful and somewhat harmless online appeal, clinical psychologist Clare Watson says that “creating a digital persona allows us to construct an ‘ideal’ version of ourselves, projecting not who we are but what we want to be into the world. This can be a fun, creative and freeing process, unhindered by our everyday insecurities and self judgement.”