Acta Informatica Pragensia 2022, 11(2), 218-240 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aip.1814729

Exploring Facebook Identity Construction of Vietnamese Netizens

Hai Chung Pham ORCID...1, Lien Nguyen2,3, Phuong Tran2, Thuy Tran4
1 School of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 336 Nguyen Trai Str., Hanoi, Vietnam
2 Hanoi University, Km9, Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, Vietnam
3 RMIT University Vietnam, Handi Resco Building, 521 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam
4 School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia

Studying the ways in which people construct their identities in online environments is a pressing contemporary concern. The research reported in this article was designed to examine the uses of, and influences on, Vietnamese respondents’ identity formation on Facebook. Data were collected by means of a social survey and the application of the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique, a procedure that searches for customers’ thoughts and emotions by digging deep into the visual and non-visual illustrations that customers collect or make on their own. The findings show how Vietnamese Facebook users present themselves and how they thereby facilitate their self-expansion and maintain their sense of self-esteem. According to the analysis, it can be suggested that Facebook is where adults portray their socially conformed versions against social reflection. They use this platform to seek validation, demonstrate their professional side to make them look better in the eyes of society. Drivers of online identity formation are revealed through negotiating with conflicts in their existing identities. The level of self-modification amongst respondents is adjusted in relation to their social vigilance, conformity and motivations in and between social categorization.

Keywords: Identity construction; Vietnamese netizens; Self-esteem; Social discrepancy; Young people.

Received: February 22, 2022; Revised: May 1, 2022; Accepted: May 18, 2022; Prepublished online: May 21, 2022; Published: August 19, 2022  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Chung Pham, H., Nguyen, L., Tran, P., & Tran, T. (2022). Exploring Facebook Identity Construction of Vietnamese Netizens. Acta Informatica Pragensia, 11(2), 218-240. doi: 10.18267/j.aip.181
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Ahuvia, Aaron C. (2005). Beyond the Extended Self: Loved Objects and Consumers' Identity Narratives. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(1), 171-184. https://doi.org/10.1086/429607 Go to original source...
    2. AIESEC. (2022). 25+ best memes about AIESEC. https://awwmemes.com/t/aiesec
    3. Alvarez, R. (2013). Illustrations by Rafael Alvarez. https://theinspirationgrid.com/illustrations-by-rafael-alvarez/
    4. ASOG. (2022). ASOG holds a Parliamentary Forum and Workshop in Cotabato City. https://www.ateneo.edu/news/2019/10/11/asog-holds-parliamentary-forum-and-workshop-cotabato-city
    5. Belk, R. W. (2013). Extended Self in a Digital World. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(3), 477-500. https://doi.org/10.1086/671052 Go to original source...
    6. Benwell, B., & Elizabeth, S. (2006). Discourse and Identity. Edinburgh University Press. Go to original source...
    7. Billig, M., & Tajfel, H. (1973). Social categorization and similarity in intergroup behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology, 3(1), 27-52. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420030103 Go to original source...
    8. Bloom, W. (1990). Personal Identity, National Identity, and International Relations. Cambridge University Press. Go to original source...
    9. Boyd, D. (2010). Friendship. In Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out (pp. 79-115). MIT Press. Go to original source...
    10. Burke, P. J., & Stets, J. E. (2009). Identity Theory. Oxford University Press. Go to original source...
    11. Carter, M., & Grover, V. (2015). Me, My Self, and I(T): Conceptualizing Information Technology Identity and its Implications. MIS Quarterly, 39(4), 931-957. https://doi.org/10.25300/misq/2015/39.4.9 Go to original source...
    12. Chen, B., & Marcus, J. (2012). Students' self-presentation on Facebook: An examination of personality and self-construal factors. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(6), 2091-2099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.013 Go to original source...
    13. ChibirdArt. (2017). Video. https://www.facebook.com/ChibirdArt/videos/1216342185115262
    14. Chung Pham, H., Nguyen, L., Vu, T.A., & Tran, P. (2022). Body Image Esteem and Photo Manipulation Among Social Media Users. Acta Informatica Pragensia, 11(1), 62-79. https://doi.org/10.18267/j.aip.166 Go to original source...
    15. Computers. (2022). Computers. http://www.wicat.org.uk/computers.html
    16. Cooley, C. H. (1902). Human Nature and the Social Order. C. Scribner's sons.
    17. Coulter, R. A., Zaltman, G., & Coulter, K. S. (2001). Interpreting Consumer Perceptions of Advertising: An Application of the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique. Journal of Advertising, 30(4), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2001.10673648 Go to original source...
    18. Dalton, D. (2020, August 21). RROBOTS, Holywell Lane, EC2A. BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/stunning-street-art-murals-in-east-london
    19. DeFrancesco, J. L. (2022). Musicians are rebuilding a movement to demand better pay and working conditions. https://thewire.in/culture/music-artists-unions
    20. DeVito, M. A., Walker, A. M., & Birnholtz, J. (2018). "Too Gay for Facebook." In Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (CSCW), (pp. 1-23). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3274313 Go to original source...
    21. Forest, A. L., & Wood, J. V. (2012). When Social Networking Is Not Working. Psychological Science, 23(3), 295-302. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611429709 Go to original source...
    22. Gaither, S. E. (2018). The multiplicity of belonging: Pushing identity research beyond binary thinking. Self and Identity, 17(4), 443-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2017.1412343 Go to original source...
    23. Gal, N., Shifman, L., & Kampf, Z. (2016). "It Gets Better": Internet memes and the construction of collective identity. New Media & Society, 18(8), 1698-1714. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814568784 Go to original source...
    24. Gripsrud, J. (2002). Understanding media culture. Bloomsbury.
    25. Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Doubleday.
    26. Hamilton, I. (2022). Facebook's user numbers shrunk for the first time in its history. https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-facebook-user-numbers-shrink-first-time-ever-2022-2
    27. Wu, C. H., Yan, Y. H. & Shu, K. M. (2018). Projecting the Mental Model of Social Networking Site Usage. Advances in Technology Innovation, 3(1), 36-42.
    28. Hancock, C., & Foster, C. (2019). Exploring the ZMET methodology in services marketing. Journal of Services Marketing, 34(1), 48-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm-11-2018-0344 Go to original source...
    29. Hogg, M. A., & Ridgeway, C. L. (2003). Social identity: Sociological and social psychological perspectives. Social Psychology Quarterly, 66(2), 97-100.
    30. Hogg, M., & Abrams, D. (1988). Social identifications: Asocial psychology of intergroup relations. Routledge.
    31. Jenkins, R. (1995). Personal Identity, National Identity, and International Relations. Cambridge University Press.
    32. Jenkins, R. (2008). Social identity. Routledge.
    33. Jenson, J., Taylor, N., de Castell, S., & Dilouya, B. (2015). Playing With Our Selves. Feminist Media Studies, 15(5), 860-879. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2015.1006652 Go to original source...
    34. Johnson, R. B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: a Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14-26. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x033007014 Go to original source...
    35. Jung, D. (2022). Travel risks in the COVID-19 age: using Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET). Current Issues in Tourism, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2047164 Go to original source...
    36. Kim, H.-W., Chan, H. C., & Kankanhalli, A. (2012). What Motivates People to Purchase Digital Items on Virtual Community Websites? The Desire for Online Self-Presentation. Information Systems Research, 23(4), 1232-1245. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1110.0411 Go to original source...
    37. Makarius, L. (1983). The Mask and the Violation of Taboo. In N. C. Halpin, The Power of Symbols: Masks and Masquerade in the Americas (pp. 195-203). University of British Columbia Press. Go to original source...
    38. Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, Self & Society: From the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. The University of Chicago Press.
    39. Mercado-González J., Gutiérrez-Marines C., & Reyes-Mercado P. (2018) A ZMET Study of Real Meanings on Virtual Experiences in Young Consumers: An Abstract. In Krey N., Rossi P. (Eds.) Boundary Blurred: A Seamless Customer Experience in Virtual and Real Spaces (pp. 91-92). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99181-8_31 Go to original source...
    40. Perez, M. E., Castaño, R., & Quintanilla, C. (2010). Constructing identity through the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 13(3), 219-235. https://doi.org/10.1108/13522751011053608 Go to original source...
    41. Pham, H. C., & Richards, B. (2015). The Western Brands in the Minds of Vietnamese Consumers. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 32(5), 367-375. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm-09-2014-1159 Go to original source...
    42. Pham, H. (2015). Brand Consumption in Temporary Vietnam. Dissertation. Bournemouth University.
    43. Qin, Y., & Lowe, J. (2021). Is your online identity different from your offline identity? - A study on the college students' online identities in China. Culture & Psychology, 27(1), 1354067X1985102. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067x19851023 Go to original source...
    44. Puspasari, N., Herwiyanti, E., & Pinasti, M. (2021). Barking Up the Wrong Tree: SMEs' Perception of Tax using the ZMET Method. Journal of Economics and Business, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1992.04.01.327 Go to original source...
    45. Puspasari, N., & Herwiyanti, E. (2021). SME'S Accounting Information in the Eyes of Bank Credit Analyst: Exploration with ZMET Method. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 10(6), 224. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2021-0167 Go to original source...
    46. Ramjaun, T. A. (2021). Experimenting with ZMET: Issues and adaptions. The Qualitative Report, 26(5), 1633-1640. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.3718 Go to original source...
    47. Ridley, M. (2012, February 18). Internet On, Inhibitions Off: Why We Tell All. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204795304577221164189123608
    48. Rousseau, D., & van der Veen, A. M. (2005). The Emergence of a Shared Identity. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 49(5), 686-712. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002705279336 Go to original source...
    49. Ryan, M. (2020). The Metaphors of Identity Among Adjunct Faculty. Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration, no. 43. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/hied_etds/43
    50. Ryoo, J. Y., Choi, J. H., Lee, S. H., & Lee, M. A. (2020). An Analysis of Consumers' Internal Perception of Soup and Sauce using ZMET. Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture, 35(5), 417-425. https://doi.org/10.7318/KJFC/2020.35.5.417 Go to original source...
    51. Spears, R. (2011). Group Identities: The Social Identity Perspective. In Schwartz, S., Luyckx, K., Vignoles, V. (Eds.), Handbook of Identity Theory and Research (pp. pp 201-224). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_9 Go to original source...
    52. STATISTA. (2021). Number of social network users in selected countries in 2020 and 2027. https://www.statista.com/statistics/278341/number-of-social-network-users-in-selected-countries/
    53. Stets, J. E., & Burke, P. J. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63(3), 224-237. https://doi.org/10.2307/2695870 Go to original source...
    54. Stryker, S., & Burke, P. J. (2000). The Past, Present, and Future of an Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63(4), 284. https://doi.org/10.2307/2695840 Go to original source...
    55. Tabachnick, B., Fidell, L., & Ullman, J. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (Vol.5). Pearson.
    56. Tagg, C. (2012). Discourse of Text Messaging: Analysis of SMS Communication. A&C Black.
    57. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. (2001). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In M. A. Hogg & D. Abrams (Eds.), Intergroup relations: Essential readings (pp. 94-109). Psychology Press.
    58. Tajfel, H. (1982). Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Annual Review of Psychology, 33(1), 1-39. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.33.020182.000245 Go to original source...
    59. Tajfel, H. (1974). Social identity and intergroup behaviour. Social Science Information, 13(2), 65-93. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901847401300204 Go to original source...
    60. The Onlife Initiative. (2015). The Onlife Manifesto. In: Floridi, L. (Eds.) The Onlife Manifesto (pp. 7-13). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04093-6_2 Go to original source...
    61. Trepte, S., & Loy, L. S. (2017). Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory. In P. Rössler, C. A. Hoffner, & L. v. Zoonen (Eds.), The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783764.wbieme0088 Go to original source...
    62. Turner, J. C., Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell, M. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A Self-Categorization Theory. Blackwell.
    63. Venkatesh, A., Joy, A., Sherry Jr., J. F., & Deschenes, J. (2010). The aesthetics of luxury fashion, body and identify formation. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 20(4), 459-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2010.06.011 Go to original source...
    64. Yuan, Z. (2018). Exploring Chinese college students' construction of online identity on the Sina Microblog. Discourse, Context & Media, 26, 43-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2018.02.001 Go to original source...
    65. Zaltman, G. (1997). Rethinking Market Research: Putting People Back In. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(4), 424. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151962 Go to original source...
    66. Zaltman, G., & Lindsay, Z. (2008). Marketing Metaphoria. What deep metaphors reveal about the minds of consumers. Haward Business Press.
    67. Zhang, S., Jiang, H., & Carroll, J. M. (2010). Social Identity in Facebook Community Life. International Journal of Virtual Communities and Social Networking, 2(4), 64-76. https://doi.org/10.4018/jvcsn.2010100105 Go to original source...
    68. Zhao, S. (2005). The Digital Self: Through the Looking Glass of Telecopresent Others. Symbolic Interaction, 28(3), 387-405. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2005.28.3.387 Go to original source...
    69. Zunka, O. (2021). Figure. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=130977869029762&set=a.130977849029764

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content