personaalses

Personaalses is a neologism used in digital sociology and user experience studies to refer to the collection of personal identities that individuals actively present across different online contexts, as well as the practice of creating, maintaining, and analyzing those identities. The term emphasizes the situational nature of self-presentation and the ways in which people strategically adapt their persona across platforms, audiences, and activities.

Different from internal self-concept, personaalses focus on externally observable selves, the “selves” that emerge in social media profiles, gaming communities, professional networks, and customer interactions. The concept also encompasses methodological approaches to studying these selves, including identity mapping, discourse analysis, and behavioral segmentation, to understand how personaalses influence communication and engagement.

In practice, individuals may curate multiple personaalses—professional personas on LinkedIn, casual personas on social apps, or anonymous gaming avatars. Organizations and AI systems may deploy or simulate personaalses to ensure consistent tone, ethical guidelines, and user experience across touchpoints.

Critics point to concerns about authenticity, manipulation, privacy, and surveillance, arguing that dense personaalses can obscure genuine preferences or enable targeted manipulation. Proponents note potential benefits, such as clearer audience alignment, improved accessibility, and safer testing of communication strategies. As a relatively new concept, there is little standardized usage, and definitions may vary by field.