Drawing from Goffman’s performance theory, there are three fundamental components to the passage of social information between individuals. When information is to be conveyed explicitly, it is given, but these messages are also impacted by the subtle, and perhaps unconscious messages that are given off by the actors, as well as the intention that the observer might infer (Goffman 1956: 2). Thus, any social message is not simply a set of factual data, but a negotiation in communication relying on both the signals presented by the actor as well as the signs perceived by the observer. .
