One, None and One Hundred Thousand Profiles: Re-imagining the Pirandellian Identity Dilemma in the Era of Online Social Networks

TL;DR

This paper explores how Pirandello's identity dilemma from his novel can be understood in the context of modern social media, analyzing the challenges of maintaining a coherent self in online social networks.

Contribution

It re-imagines Pirandello's identity crisis within the framework of contemporary social media, integrating theories of identity construction and self-presentation.

Findings

Highlights the multiplicity of online identities and their impact on self-coherence

Proposes a theoretical model for online identity management inspired by Pirandello's work

Analyzes the influence of social media on personal identity perception

Abstract

Uno, Nessuno, Centomila ("One, No One and One Hundred Thousand") is a classic novel by Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello. Published in 1925, it recounts the tragedy of Vitangelo Moscarda, a man who struggles to reclaim a coherent and unitary identity for himself in the face of an inherently social and multi-faceted world. What would Moscarda identity tragedy look like today? In this article we transplant Moscarda's identity play from its offline setting to the contemporary arena of social media and online social networks. With reference to established theories on identity construction, performance, and self-presentation, we re-imagine how Moscarda would go about defending the integrity of his selfhood in the face of the discountenancing influences of the online world.