Imaginary audience
Encyclopedia
The imaginary audience refers to an egocentric
state where an individual imagines and believes that multitudes of people are enthusiastically listening to him or her at all times. Though this state is often exhibited in young adolescence
, people of any age may harbor a fantasy of an imaginary audience.
In extreme cases, belief in an imaginary audience can lead to paranoia
as the sufferer believes he or she is being watched by an invisible audience at all times. Fearing that he or she is being observed and evaluated, such an individual may develop a phobia
of making mistakes or looking foolish in public.
In the case of online social networks, a person will never know who views their profile, their friends, and their comments. An imagined audience provides a necessary way of envisioning who should be present. By imagining an audience, people are able to navigate the social situation required in crafting a profile. Yet, their audience online may not be who they think it is.
Egocentrism
Egocentrism is a personality trait which has the characteristic of regarding oneself and one's own opinions or interests as most important or valid...
state where an individual imagines and believes that multitudes of people are enthusiastically listening to him or her at all times. Though this state is often exhibited in young adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, people of any age may harbor a fantasy of an imaginary audience.
In extreme cases, belief in an imaginary audience can lead to paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
as the sufferer believes he or she is being watched by an invisible audience at all times. Fearing that he or she is being observed and evaluated, such an individual may develop a phobia
Phobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational...
of making mistakes or looking foolish in public.
In the case of online social networks, a person will never know who views their profile, their friends, and their comments. An imagined audience provides a necessary way of envisioning who should be present. By imagining an audience, people are able to navigate the social situation required in crafting a profile. Yet, their audience online may not be who they think it is.