ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that there is a social and political benefit to being able to create "a fog around ourselves", not just for the outside world, but for ourselves as well. The popularity of social networking sites (SNS) makes it increasingly difficult to develop a contingent self that embraces and exhibits doubt, flexibility and uncertainty about the world around us. Facebook encourages us to lift this fog around ourselves through an architecture of disclosure that compels us to provide more and more information about ourselves. Despite the fact that Facebook friend networks contain both strong and weak ties, they are networks we hand-pick. Facebook falls under what Walther calls computer mediated communication. Users on Facebook are engaged in a sort of "identity play" in which individuals try out different "presentations of self". Facebook may have some positive effect upon political engagement. The chapter presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
