Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
  • Browse All Articles
  • Popular Articles
  • Cold Call Podcasts
  • About Us
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • All Topics...
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Gender
    • Globalization
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Negotiation
    • Social Enterprise
    • Strategy
  • Sections
    • Book
    • Cold Call Podcast
    • HBS Case
    • In Practice
    • Lessons from the Classroom
    • Op-Ed
    • Research & Ideas
    • Research Event
    • Sharpening Your Skills
    • What Do You Think?
    • Working Paper Summaries
  • Browse All
    • COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      The Presentation of Self in the Information Age
      05 Jul 2006Working Paper Summaries

      The Presentation of Self in the Information Age

      by John A. Deighton
      In the past, we knew a lot about the seller of a product (through ads, marketing, or reputation) but little about the individual buyer. Times have changed. From the Internet to store loyalty cards, technology has made the marketplace into an interactive exchange where the buyer is no longer anonymous. The future market will likely be one in which personal information is shared and leveraged. Consumers who are willing to share their information will be more attractive to sellers and more sought-after than those who have bad reputations or refuse to participate. Key concepts include:
      • Consumers will play an increasingly leveraged role in the marketplace by "branding" themselves and sharing personal information with sellers.
      • Technology is making the idea of consumer branding a reality, but it is unclear how personal information will be used in the marketplace, or which uses will be the most beneficial to both buyers and sellers.
      • Look deeper into loyalty programs for the societal and commercial, and positive and negative effects of sharing personal information in the marketplace.
      LinkedIn
      Email

      Author Abstract

      The paper analyzes what it means to be personally identified in markets in an age of ubiquitous database technology, digital monitoring and unobtrusive surveillance, as a basis for conjectures about strategies for identity management by consumers and by firms. Identity is defined. Four levels of customer identification are distinguished, transitory, persistent, role-specific and self-expressive identification. We discuss implications of each for consumer behavior and the operation of markets.

      Paper Information

      • Full Working Paper Text
      • Working Paper Publication Date: May 2004
      • HBS Working Paper Number: 04-059
      • Faculty Unit(s): Marketing
          Trending
            • 29 Oct 2020
            • Research & Ideas

            The COVID Gender Gap: Why Fewer Women Are Dying

            • 13 Jul 2020
            • Research & Ideas

            Merck CEO Ken Frazier Discusses a COVID Cure, Racism, and Why Leaders Need to Walk the Talk

            • 11 Jan 2021
            • Research & Ideas

            Is A/B Testing Effective? Evidence from 35,000 Startups

            • 17 Feb 2020
            • Sharpening Your Skills

            How Entrepreneurs Can Find the Right Problem to Solve

            • 13 Jan 2021
            • Research & Ideas

            How 'Small C' Change Can Beat Large-Scale Rebuilding

        John A. Deighton
        John A. Deighton
        Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus
        Contact
        Send an email
        → More Articles
        Find Related Articles
        • Consumer Behavior
        • Advertising

        Sign up for our weekly newsletter

        Interested in improving your business? Learn about fresh research and ideas from Harvard Business School faculty.
        ǁ
        Campus Map
        Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
        Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
        Soldiers Field
        Boston, MA 02163
        Email: Editor-in-Chief
        →Map & Directions
        →More Contact Information
        • Make a Gift
        • Site Map
        • Jobs
        • Harvard University
        • Trademarks
        • Policies
        • Digital Accessibility
        Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College