To Examine the Transformation of Personal Image Management in The Context of Bourdieu on Social Media

Abstract

Human beings have a tendency to adapt to the society in which they live. The manifestation of this adaptation is explained by social psychology over the concepts of compliance, identification and internalization. Through this adaptation, human beings be in harmony with other people in their lives. However, they also need to differentiate themselves in order to exist freely. The purpose of this differentiation is to gain a higher rank in one's society and demonstrate personal roles. In his field theory Pierre Bourdieu refers to the structures wherein economic, social and symbolic capital, which create this distinction, are comprised. According to Bourdieu, the concept of capital is a tool or an instrument of social distinction. And field is what structures habitus. Bourdieu describes habitus as the whole of permanent tendencies/conveniences wherein socialized past experiences are merged together. Bourdieou suggests that a person assumes their role within the context of the factors included in their field on the stage. This is also not a representation; this is the person's position. The person fulfils their role as much as their human capital and tendencies allow within the context of field. As far as the study's context is concerned, social media is a stage and people are actors who play the roles assigned to them. And the actors demonstrate and fulfil their roles on the stage. Social media is a stage which enables people to express their personalities and also helps form, develop and feed those personalities. People desire to differentiate, become famous, obtain high social ranks, earn money using social ranks and separate themselves from those they are in harmony with. In order to gain the desired, ideal and desirable image, the person should use the technology provided by Smart Mobile Phone, Applications and social media. Using these technologies, the person also employs personal image management to have an ideal and a generally desired image. With the concept of habits, Bourdieu refers to an earned position, how one gets there, who gets there, habits and processes. The paper aims to investigate the properties of new and social media. In addition, it aims to investigate the change, development and transformation of these characteristics into the life practices of people, through the context of Bourdieu's field theory and habitus context. The article is written in Istanbul Aydin University under the dissertation titled Transformation of Personal and Brand Image Management in Social Media. In this research, descriptive research, focus group method and survey technics are used which are the research methods and applications of communication science.