The Importance of Being What? Issues of Identity in Social Media in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

Identity is an interesting subject in social media because social media users can carefully curate information about themselves and constantly reshape their identity(ies), even assuming false ones. 

In Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest, two young men, Algernon and Jack, already accustomed to manipulate their  own identities and assume or create false ones, must reshape their representations of identity to win the hearts of Cecily and Gwendolyn, who are both convinced they must marry men named Ernest. 

The title itself offers a play on words about identity.  Which is more important for Algernon and Jack?  To be (named) Ernest, or to be earnest with their sweethearts?  Algernon and Jack both pretend to be named Ernest, but before the end of the play they are discovered.  Cecily and Gwendolyn are shocked and hurt that they have been lied to, but acquiesce to marriage when Algernon and Jack agree to be christened Ernest.  This dishonesty when discovered is harmful, but false identity triumphs.

In the blogging world, honesty can often win you a wider audience.  For instance, revealing details about personal struggles creates interest and sympathy in readers.  On the other hand, users in the online dating scene may hide details about themselves or make things up to attract future mates.

Using varying levels of earnestness in different online venues and situations creates multiple representations of identity or multiple identities.  On Facebook it might get you more “likes” to represent yourself as a partier by posting pictures of the funny things you did while you were drinking, but on Linkedin you would want to project a more sober, professional identity.

Likewise, in the play Jack goes by different names in the city and in the country.  In the city, he uses the false name of Ernest, even with his friend Algernon.  In the country, where he cares for his young ward Cecily, he goes by his real name Jack and blames his frequent visits to the city on a wayward brother, Ernest, who constantly needs to be helped out of scrapes.

Though Jack and Algernon both have real and fake identities, in a sense neither of them ever reveals their true identity.  Both characters play the dandy and never say anything serious.  In effect, no matter which identity they choose, they are constantly play acting.  To draw another parallel, are any of our online identities really us?  To what extent do we show our real, personal selves in the digital world and to what extent to we spend our time acting, hidden by the virtual smokescreen?