Self-Expression, Self-Actualization, and Media Experimentation (SESAME): A Dialogue and Ruminations A symposium at the ASIS&T 2026 Annual Meeting (Bangkok, Thailand) ( https://www.asist.org/am2026/am26/) Sponsors: U.S. West Chapter, SIG-USE Website: https://sesame-asist.github.io/ Background Social media platforms provide opportunities for people to connect not only with others, but also with themselves. Posting to and engaging with social media can be viewed as a form of active self-making - through content creation and content feed curation, people can form better understandings of themselves by constructing and exploring different realities (Takahashi, 2010). In online spaces, the interactions that contribute to identity and personality development are hyper-responsive and hyper-mediated: social feedback is nearly instantaneous and can be amplified by the platform itself, becoming a form of currency that is used, whether consciously or subconsciously, as a component of self-reflective identity formation processes. However, there is tremendous diversity in how people interact with and engage in self-expression using digital media. Some might use video or images, such as creating TikToks or uploading to Instagram; others may vent their frustrations or engage in discussions via text-based media, like Reddit. Some may share stories of health challenges (Chen, 2016; Lundy, 2024), while others focus on professional or personal self-representation (Van Dijck, 2013). Still others see social media as ?civic laboratories? for political expression (Lane et al., 2019). Not all of us produce visible traces of ourselves online; for example, there are yet others who receive and consume information through these social networks and use it to inform their own experiences, perspectives, and understandings of themselves. What stories do we all have to tell? In this symposium, we invite everyone to contribute to a collective exploration of self-making and communication through different forms of media. Relevant considerations include: - How do people express themselves online and contribute to their own online experiences? To what extent do these forms of self-expression change over time? - What are the processes that underlie identity formation and development in online spaces? To what extent are they iterative, dynamic, or even static? - How does the structure and design of social media platforms mediate self-expression online? How have these platform-mediated venues and self-reflective processes changed over time? - What can we gather from the self-expressive content and interactions on social media platforms (e.g. genuine expressions of self vs. formatted, algorithm-minded content vs. reposts/remakes of other users? content)? - What might the future of self-expression online look like, given the general motivations and direction of social media platforms? How do these motivations aid or hinder users in relation to self-expression? - What are the important considerations for information and library science professionals as these platforms evolve? How can information- and behavioral frameworks inform our understanding? About the Symposium & Pre-Symposium Participatory Experience This symposium is an in-person event co-located at the ASIS&T 2026 annual meeting. We seek to bring together researchers, practitioners, and students interested in exploring the intersection of media and self-expression, aiming to welcome a diverse audience of experiences, perspectives and disciplines. No technical expertise or prior formalized experience with research is required. Additionally, we encourage interested attendees to engage in a participatory experience in the timeframe leading up to the workshop, where they will have an opportunity to create their own social media content as a way to engage with self-expressive and self-reflective processes firsthand. This symposium strives to be a venue to discuss existing as well as new work/creations, and foster a collective dialogue. Call for Participation We will accept three different types of submissions. Attendees may also participate in the workshop without engaging in Options A to C below. - Option A (?Demo?): Submit content of your own reflecting Self-Expression, Self-Actualization, and Media Experimentation (SESAME)! If you do not already have content in mind that you want to submit, you can engage in the pre-symposium content creation experience. - Option B (?Reflection?): Submit a summary, introduction, and/or a reflection on your SESAME content creation experiences. For options A and B, detailed submission instructions and the submission link are available via the symposium website: https://sesame-asist.github.io/. - Option C (?Classic?): Participants can submit a short paper or poster on a topic that aligns with the theme of the symposium. Option C should be submitted using the ASIS&T template <https://growthzonecmsprodeastus.azureedge.net/sites/2036/Template-Instructions-2026v2.docx>; participants can submit short papers (up to 4 pages not including references) or posters (up to 2 pages not including references). Submit here: https://www.conftool.org/asist2026/. - Option D (?Participant?): Participants can attend the workshop without engaging in any of the options above. Important Dates Submissions due: Option A and B August 10, 2026 Option C August 3, 2026 Notifications: September 3, 2026 For inquiries, contact: asist.us.west at gmail.com. Program Committee Sharon H. Wong Independent Scholar Annie T. Chen University of Washington Maja Krtali? Victoria University of Wellington Alison Day Victoria University of Wellington Yu Chi San Jose State University Hayley Park University of Maryland Mimi Martin University of Washington Ella Zhou University of Washington -- Yu Chi, Ph.D. Assistant Professor School of Information San Jose State University yu.chi at sjsu.edu