Exercise 2 Communications & Media Essay Research Paper

Chapters 2 & 3 discuss how we perceive ourselves and others. Your task this week is to analyze how we present ourselves and form impressions of others while engaging in online communication.


Your task: Watch episode 1 of Netflix’s “The Circle,” a social media competition TV show. IMDB’s description of the show is as follows:


“Contestants live in an apartment building, but they never meet face to face. They communicate through a social media app called “The Circle.” They can create a profile as themselves or make up a fake persona to play as. They regularly rank the other players based on their impressions through social media interactions, and the top rated players become influencers. The influencers get to block, or eliminate a player, until ultimately a winner is crowned.”



There are a couple of different versions available but I would like you to watch the American one. If you have a Netflix account, you can stream the full episode there. Dr. C will host a Zoom meeting this Friday, April 10 at noon, during which we will stream the episode for anyone who does not otherwise have access to a Netflix account. Dr. C is willing to host a second Zoom meeting on Friday or Saturday at a different time if people need it. Please email her and let her know.



If you cannot access Netflix or make it to the Zoom meetings, you can watch the abridged version of the episode via YouTube: https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=9-m4gFdrQ8M


While you are watching the show, I would like you to consider the following questions:



What are your first impressions of the contestants as they are introduced? What factors are a part of your impression-forming process?

How do the contestants perceive themselves? How does this influence how they curate their Circle profiles? Consider both the image selection and the text they choose to include.

How do other people’s perceptions influence how the contestants build their profiles? Consider the differences between the contestants who are playing as themselves and the players who are catfishing.

What impressions do the contestants form about their competitors during the first ranking? Do these impressions seem accurate? If not, where are the flaws in their perception processes?

What strategies do the contestants use to maintain face during while playing the breaking the ice game and during their first group/private chats?

Are you surprised by who gets voted to be influencers? Are you surprised by who the influencers choose to block? Why or why not?

Based on this episode alone, who do you think has the best chance to win The Circle? (If you’ve already seen the show and know the winner, please do not post spoilers here. Rather, I want you to try and pretend that you've never seen the show or think back to your initial impressions when answering).

After you’ve finished the show, I also want you to reflect upon your own impression-management for your social media accounts (if you have them). Do you think the public face you put out accurately represents who you are? When do you use face to mask parts of your private life? How do the perceptions of others influence what you post? If you don't have any social media accounts, you can write about your perception of them and why you choose not to participate.