Self – Representations of Student Transvestites on Social Media

Becoming a transvestite in the real world has a lot of risks, including receiving poor treatment from people, both on and off campus for students. Student transvestites choose virtual spaces as places to showcase and acknowledge their gender. Seeing that reality will bear different meanings for people who experience their self-identity creates a distinct experience for student transvestites during college due to social media. Therefore, researchers are interested to explore the self-representation of student transvestites on social media. This study analyzed the theory of simulacra and hyperreality of Jean Baudrillard. The research approach is qualitative and descriptive. Mechanical selection of informants was conducted using snowball sampling and purposive sampling. Data were collected through passive participation, in-depth interviews, and the study of documentation and were then analyzed using interactive model analysis which includes reducing the data, displaying the data, and drawing conclusions. Results of the study revealed elements of the self-representation of student transvestites on social media including (1) a desire to show their identity, (2) expression as a work of art and entertainment, (3) feelings of loneliness and a desire to get attention, and (4 he promotion of makeup. Keywords—self-identitycreates self-representation, social media, student transvestites