Public space and self presentation in social media and Metaverse universe: Blockchain technology, NFT (Non-Fungible Token) and corporate behaviors

The expression public space dates back to ancient Greece and includes politics, sociology, communication, etc. It covers many interdisciplinary areas. In terms of meaning, the concept refers to an area where people can freely communicate and interact on political, cultural and social issues and can be accessed by everyone. The differentiation of social life and the influence of mass media on individuals and society show us that the meaning of the concept differs or changes according to the conditions of the period. In this context, public space is a concept that has different definitions according to periodic conditions, and can actually be expressed as an abstract space and a communication process and an operational practice that can be realized through new communication environments that emerge independent of the physical space. In this communicative action process, individuals, whether in a physical space or a virtual environment, transfer the set of images that are the reflection of their own differences to the other party as the appearance of the conceptualization of self-presentation. Instead of looking at it differently from new communication environments, the metaverse universe we are in, where digital assets are exhibited and recorded through the blockchain, has brought to the agenda the negotiability of the concepts of public space and self-presentation. While this situation enables our offline identities to be reproduced in online environments, as in social media platforms, it has also increased the possibility of expressing comfortably the discourses that a person cannot express freely in physical life during the mutual communication process. However, these identities produced in the virtual environment may also cause the self-presentation to remain anonymous or appear different from what it is. In this context, the basis of the research is to convey how the meaning and dimension of concepts such as self-presentation and public space have changed from past to present, and to discuss the self-presentation and public space nature of virtual environments by examining the relevant concepts within the scope of actions taking place in online virtual environments. Keywords: Public Domain, Self Presentation, Social Media, Metaverse, Blockchain