Instagram Secondary Accounts as Generation Z’s Digital Backstage: A Dramaturgical Study of Identity Management

Abstract

Generation Z actively uses two Instagram accounts to manage their digital identities. This study aims to analyze the function of second accounts as a back stage space through Erving Goffman dramaturgy perspective. The research employed a qualitative phenomenological approach using in-depth interviews with three Generation Z informants who owned two Instagram accounts. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2021) thematic analysis. The findings revealed four main themes: image management on the main account, spontaneous self-expression on the second account, audience control, and more authentic self-representation through the second account. The main account functioned as a front stage where users displayed a curated identity, while the second account served as a back stage that allowed freer self-expression to a limited and trusted audience. The novelty of this study lies in the selection of informants based on significant identity contrasts between their main and second accounts. The findings indicate that the use of second accounts is a deliberate strategy for managing digital identity on social media.

Keywords: Digital identity, dramaturgy, Generation Z, Instagram, second account, self-presentation