The user's self-presentation in social networks and the problem of context collapse

This article discusses the social problems of communication in social networks that provide a platform and tools for the formation of a virtual network identity. The features of the behavior of users of social networks and the tactics of their self-presentation when constructing a personal network profile are described. It is argued that in the process of social communication, people present different versions of themselves depending on their audience and adapting their own self-presentation to the perceived values and preferences of the interlocutors. The difficulties of online communication are described, where, unlike real interaction, the user does not have the opportunity to correlate his/ her behavior with the situational context and carry out differentiated self-presentation. The problems of blurring the boundaries of public and private in social networks and the loss of information privacy, which is a necessary condition for personal freedom and autonomy, are raised. It is argued that the disclosure of private information is an important component of maintaining social relations. It is noted that currently there is a transformation of cultural norms regulating the degree of openness-closeness and publicity-privacy. The concept of "context collapse" is introduced – a situation caused by the mixing of heterogeneous audiences with different social values, norms and expectations into one homogeneous group. The strategies are proposed to overcome the negative consequences of this situation: dividing the audience into several segments, self-censorship, forcing to avoid discussing controversial topics and adapting the user's language style, suggesting a reduction in language variability. The work was based on the methods of symbolic interactionism and I. Hoffman's theory of roles, which he used to build the dramatic theory of social interaction and self-presentation in social interaction.