The process of self-presentation on social network sites involves both the
production of performances and simultaneous or subsequent editing of these
performances. Redaction enables the bringing together and editing of identity traces
to form and frame a coherent performance. Self-editing has always been a part of
how we present the self to others, but online platforms frequently prompt selfsharing
by default without permitting self-editing. The kind of literacy that supports
performative fluency online rests upon one’s own acumen for redaction. Structured
around the tendency to delete, or otherwise edit aspects of one’s identity, redactional
acumen enables individuals to present a coherent and polysemic performance
of the self that makes sense to multiple publics without compromising one’s
authentic sense of self. It is this sort of editorial acumen that individuals must
find a way to apply to online environments. And it is this editorial acumen that will
help individuals to not just attain 15 minutes of privacy online, but also perform
their identities autonomously in the digital era.