Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

A Study on the Construction of Self-Identity in WeChat Status Updates from the Perspective of Goffman's Dramaturgical Theory

Yaxin XiaoUniversity of International Relations*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

With the diversification of social media, WeChat status has become a significant channel for young people to document their daily life. This study adopts a literature review and online ethnography, based on Goffman's dramaturgical theory, to investigate users' self-presentation and identity construction on WeChat status. By analyzing a number of WeChat status updates collected from November 2025 to January 2026, this paper examines how the media features of WeChat status shape users' self-presentation strategies and the underlying logic of digital identity construction. The findings indicate that the immediacy, semi-privacy and weak interaction of WeChat status provide users with a low-pressure expressive space. Users flexibly adjust their self-presentation between intimate social relations and real-life pressure through strategies including circle adaptation, dynamic expression and permission management. WeChat status can be regarded as a transitional zone between the front stage and back stage in daily digital interaction, which mirrors the genuine needs of contemporary young people for self-exploration and emotional expression in the digital era.

Keywords: goffman; Dramaturgical Theory; WeChat Status; Self-Identity; Digital Social Interaction
Published: April 20, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.BJ32799
Volume: CHR Vol.108
pp. 42-49
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