A Test That Reveals Your 'Online Persona' - Created By A Psychologist

"Every filtered image, carefully worded caption and strategic "silent period" reveals something deeper than just your preference: it reveals motive. Psychologically, your digital behavior maps onto enduring patterns of identity formation, impression management and social comparison."

"The Digital Persona Archetype Scale is designed to decode these patterns. It measures three central psychological dimensions that shape online behavior: visibility, curation and intent. Together, these dimensions help explain whether someone approaches the internet as a stage, a strategy board, a journal or a relationship hub."

"Sociologist Erving Goffman's theory of self-presentation proposed that people manage impressions the way actors manage roles. Social media platforms, as we know already, amplify this process. Individuals selectively present traits that align with desired impressions, often emphasizing socially rewarded qualities."

Social media behavior is not random but reflects core psychological patterns of identity formation, impression management, and social comparison. Every post, image, and caption reveals underlying motives beyond surface preferences. The Digital Persona Archetype Scale measures three dimensions—visibility, curation, and intent—to decode online behavior patterns and explain whether individuals approach the internet as a stage, strategy board, journal, or relationship hub. Drawing from Erving Goffman's theory of self-presentation, people manage impressions like actors managing roles. Social media amplifies this process by allowing selective presentation of traits aligned with desired impressions. Users strategically curate content to shape perceptions of competence, attractiveness, and social connectedness. This reflects basic human motives for belonging and status, though online behavior differs from offline through scale and permanence, as digital impressions accumulate rather than fade.

Read at Forbes