1. •
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