Every filtered image, carefully worded caption and strategic "silent period" reveals something deeper than just your preference: it reveals motive. Psychologically, your digital behavior maps onto enduring patterns of identity formation, impression management and social comparison.
Very little of what we say to other people is designed to inform them about something. Instead, we speak to have an effect on them. For example, a suspect needs an alibi, and a witness tells the police they spent the entire evening together. The witness may not be providing factual information about the suspect's whereabouts. Instead, the statement communicates that the witness thinks the suspect is innocent. Conversely, if they did spend the evening together but the witness thinks the suspect is guilty,
We've known for decades that costumes and dress-up games create a sense of anonymity that allows us to indulge and let go of some of the inhibitions that we experience in everyday life (Diener and colleagues, 1976). In a way, we feel like it's not us that's eating copious amounts of candy, but some other character whose reputation we don't have to worry about; we can let go a bit.
