Digital face-work, politics, and small scandals

Bibliographic Data

ID2855244
AuthorsIco Maly (0000-0001-7984-0974, Tilburg University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume55
Issue1
Pages1-21
Publication date2025-01-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage in Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-4045 • E-ISSN: 1469-8013
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0047404524001076
OpenAlexW4406220739
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited32

Drawing from Erving Goffman's seminal work on face-to-face interaction, this article introduces the concepts of digital face-work and the digital interaction in order to make sense of digital interaction. The theoretical framework emphasizes the sociotechnical aspects of face-work, portraying digital platforms not merely as spaces for interaction but as active participants co-shaping users' face-work. Focusing on the political arena, the study examines how politicians use digital platforms to construct and maintain their digital face in relation to 'small scandals'. Through a case study of Flemish nationalist politician, Theo Francken, trying to save face after a scandal erupted, it illustrates the complexities of digital face-work in a hybrid media system. The article underscores the challenges of managing face in the digital landscape, where context collapse and platform directives complicate self-presentation strategies. It also explores the interplay between individual agency and platform dynamics in shaping the digital interaction order. (Digital face, digital interaction order, political scandals, small scandals

Face (sociological concept) · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Work (physics) · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Engineering · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Law · Mechanical Engineering

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