2025/12/16 by Lesedi Kgatla
paper · doi:10.1177/10497323251401824
This study examined how young adults navigate digital self-representation during episodes of depression, focusing on the shift from curated personas to vulnerable disclosures on social media. Grounded in Goffman’s dramaturgical theory and Meyrowitz’s notion of blurred frontstage/backstage boundaries, the research explores social media as both a performative stage and an emotional refuge. A two-phase qualitative method was employed: digital content related to depression was first mined from participants’ social media accounts, and then explored further through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed that participants initially masked their struggles to avoid stigma, but many transitioned to more authentic disclosures as a means of seeking support. This shift introduced emotional risks including misrecognition and judgment prompting users to strategically curate content and manage visibility. Rather than a binary of “real” versus “fake” identity, online self-presentation emerged as fluid, contextual, and emotionally negotiated. The study contributes methodologically and theoretically to qualitative health research by adapting dramaturgical theory to digital contexts and highlighting social media’s dual role in youth mental health: performative and therapeutic.