This document proposes investigating how social masks allow for multilayered self-representation and free expression online. It hypothesizes that masks can let people freely share ideas without worrying about managing their reputation. Masks represent an identity or persona rather than one's real self, giving freedom to express aspects of oneself. The study would interview social media users about their experiences using different accounts and personas. It would also conduct role-playing experiments to see if masks influence how people express themselves in different roles. The goal is to understand the nature and effects of social masking online.

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Engine you are a biology professor and invited to attend a fashion show. Will
you freely express your idea about the show, or shame to say it because of your
“mask” (biology professor)?

2. Analysis Problem
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Observer-Expectancy Effect
Create a permissive social environment, let participants know whatever they say
is being accepted/expected. Even saying something unaccepted by mainstream
culture, they don’t need to take any risk of being judged.

3. HYPOTHESIS
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This thesis investigate the nature of social masks (culture symbols/existing
objects that have personification) and present the hypothesis that masking can
be used for constructing multi-layers representations on social networks.
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Such hypothesis can let people freely post personal ideas on social media, selfexplore(find out their potential capacity) and promoting innovation, instead of
facing the stress of needing to manage a reputation that meet social
expectation.

4. Give him a mask,
and he will tell you the truth.
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“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask,
and he will tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde
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So the idea of social mask is being real you, instead of a persona that
satisfy the demands of a situation or an environment.
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It gives you freedom of expression. I don’t talk in person, I talk in people.

5. What a “mask” can be?
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A culture symbol
Armor
Identity
Mirror
Idol

6. Supporting ideas
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Psychological and Sociological Literature
Ethnographic Research
Case Study
Experiments

7. Psychological and
Sociological literature:
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Beneath the Mask: An Introduction to Theories of Personality Christopher F. Monte & Robert N. Sollod
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Public Display of Connection - J Donath & Danah Boyd
Reflections on Friendster, trust and intimacy - Danah Boyd
The Truth of Promise of Social Media Drowned Out by Self-promotion Phil Johnson

8. Case Study
(by interviewing people’s experience)
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Myspace
Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram

9. Ethnographic Research
(Main purpose: obtain a deep understanding of people and their culture)
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Target Audience: 18-25, use social media as a main way to social, spend more than 2 hours on social media
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Extreme user: Otaku
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- Bad Experience
per day
Interviews:
- Extreme User Interviews: Ask them to evaluate their experience of using different accounts.
- Draw Social Maps
- Favorite Character: Ask people their favorite character, and how these persona influence them? Does
these character they successfully present online? In what way? If not, why?
- Conceptual Landscape: their expectation for social media

10. Experiments
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Aim: Find the Nature of Mask
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Test if they can influenced by the role/character.
Role-playing Game (by video):
-Let people play opposite roles(models and photographer; police and military;
student and faculty;), then switch the roles.

11. Outline
1.Introduction
A. Design Problem
B. Hypothesis
2.Theoretical Background and Definition
A. History of Mask
B. Contemporary Definition:
C. Phenomenon of Masking
3.Interviews and Experiments:
A.Target Audience:
B.Case Study:
a. Myspace/Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram
b. Merits and Faults
B.Extreme User Interviews:
a. Experience of Using Mask(s)
b. Conceptual Landscape/Hidden Desire
C.Role-playing Games:
D.Conclusion
4. Reference