Managing Self-presentation on Facebook and the Construction of Virtual Identity Dr. Rommani Sen Shitak Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Dept. of BMM K.P.B. Hinduja College of Commerce sen.rommani@gmail.com Abstract The internet is fast becoming a natural part of our everyday life. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of social networking sites (SNS) on the internet for maintaining friends and other relationships. Social networking sites have opened the doors of communication by providing people with new means to engage in identity creation and relationship development. Facebook is one of the most popular SNS among college students. This paper explores how young college-going students manage self-presentation on Facebook to construct their identity in the online world. Further, this research seeks to gain an understanding of the importance of virtual identity for youngsters. Keywords: social networks, identity formation, Facebook, online communication Introduction The internet is fast becoming a natural, inescapable part of our daily lives. From ordering groceries to high-end shopping, from pursuing online courses to listening to Ted Talks, from applying for jobs to finding your life partner; the internet offers services for all kinds of needs. Children nowadays are growing up with the internet; they and future generations will take it for granted just as they now do for television and the telephone. No one today disputes that the internet is likely to have a significant impact on social life (Bargh & McKenna, 2004). According to a report published by the Internet and Mobile Association of India in 2015, India's Internet user base grew over 17% in the first six months of the year to 354 million (Economic Times, 2015). India is said to have the world’s third-largest internet population, of which 75% of the PC internet users are under the age of thirty-five. A further 90% of mobile internet users in India are under thirty-five years of age (Titus, 2015).