Preservation of the self

I have been wondering whether blogging changes identities...

When I was at university, doing this course, I read this book by Goffman which i think is relevant here. It is about the preservation of the self in society. That is, we all have a view of ourselves: how we should behave; act; appear. When this is challenged or slips we find it hard to deal with. This can explain why we feel embarrassed if we trip in the street, even if no-one sees, because we fear our constructed image has fallen away briefly.

I think that by blogging I am voluntarily challenging my ideas about who I am i.e. that I am not a person who blogs (!).

Goffman's ideas may also apply to other peoples blogs as their way of presenting an idealised self, without the risks of tripping up! Although, there must be some risks. I thought maybe spelling mistakes would be one but maybe I'm the only one who cares about them?