紀登斯（Anthony Giddens）在探討社會問題之前首先指出造成現代社會之所以不同於前現代社會的力量，這股力量就是現代性的兩個主要特徵：時空分離和抽離化機制，而且社會學的反思性力量從而也影響了現代社會中個人的行為。另一方面，個人層面的反思性亦決定了個人的生活。本研究借用紀登斯的理論，從現代性與反思性來檢視寫日記此一行為的變異。日記是傳統的行為與媒介，而網路則被視為體現現代性的媒介，網路的虛擬時空、靈肉分離、互動等特性為網路日記書寫者提供一個更為開放的自我認同的工程。本研究發現，網路日記的隱秘性及主權難以掌控，而且網友的閱讀與回應雖然增加了書寫網路日記的意願、甚至使網路日記成為展演的場所，但是卻也可能成為網路日記書寫者的顧忌，反而使網路日記所記載的我有所壓抑。 / Anthony Giddens’ theory indicating reflexivity and modernity which pose separation of time and space and disembedding as two main characters considered the forces triggering the change between traditional and modern society sets the frame of this thesis. Compared to paper-based traditional diary, on-line diary exiting on internet characterized by pesudonymity virtuality and interactivity provides a much more open construction of self-identity. The result of this study discovered that the secrecy and author right are uncontrollable, moreover, the response of on-line-diary-readers enhance, meanwhile worry the willingness of on-line-diary-keeping, as a result, the self-construction work of on-line diary is not as open as it promises.

在大多數人的日記經驗中，藏匿、上鎖、被偷窺後的憤怒總是如影隨形，因為所有說不出與不能說的秘密，都被寄情於日記之中。然而隨著網路普及，越來越多的基本生活需求可藉由網路滿足後，傳統的紙本日記也開始轉以網路作為記載與儲存的媒介，成了任何人都可公開遊賞的園地。 / 本文基於研究者本身在網路日記社群三年來的親身書寫參與經驗，以「愛情國小」作為主要研究場域，除了以日記作為文本分析的對象外，並深入訪談重度使用者以及退用者，以瞭解使用者如何處理既公開又私密的網路日記書寫。本文自日記在東西方的歷史發展出發，先行定位私密在日記中扮演的角色，再輔以從社會心理學層面對秘密本質的探討，來重新探討公開與私密的問題。最後以Goffman分析日常生活之人際互動的戲劇理論為本，佐以社會學中的陌生人理論，解析人們如何在公開的網路日記裡進行表演，其間的變與不變。 / 顛覆了傳統紙本日記之私密形式的公開網路日記，之所以能為日記書寫者接受或喜愛，無非是它既能滿足日記書寫的基本需求，同時又能在日記書寫之餘創造與他人社交互動的樂趣。雖然紙本日記「自我忠實紀錄」之要素，必須仰賴將他人隔離的秘密形式才得以達成，但日記書寫者仍是企圖向日記中想像的對象揭露公開，解決秘密無處可訴的焦慮。而網路日記不僅隔離了現實生活中的親友熟人，更進一步為日記書寫者帶來了能提供積極聆聽，並能給予回應互動的具體觀眾。這些網路上似近實遠、似遠實近的陌生人，讓網路日記書寫者願意公開與之分享私密自我，並且無須擔憂網路日記紀錄的後台面向會對現實生活之前台演出造成破壞。換言之，網路日記既有公開面對觀眾、在意觀眾反應的前台特性，亦有自現實生活前台角色解放、呈現私密自我的後台性質，實則為一結合了公開與私密、前台與後台之「私密自我的展演」的中間地帶。因此，網路日記書寫者只能透過訊息管道的操弄與分寸拿捏，隨著與不同觀眾間親疏遠近的關係變化，揭露不同層面或程度的私密，且更進一步控制與不同觀眾間的心理距離。 / Diaries, on which personal matters are inscribed, are defined as a literary form that is written for oneself and therefore are kept privately, some even locked up, to avoid prying. However, the privateness, the distinguishing characteristic of diaries, has abated since the prevalent internet has become one of the media of storing content of diaries. The study is to investigate how diary writers coping with the conflict between the privateness and publicness in online diaries. / This study is based on the personal online diary writing experience of the author for three years in "Love School" ( http://love.youthwant.com.tw), the field of this study. The interviews with nine persons, including heavy users and dropouts that had ever been indulgent in Love School, are the main qualitative analysis material with some online diaries for textual analysis. / Beginning from exploring the changes in the nature of diaries both in eastern and western history, the study proceeds with probing to the characteristic of secrecy to comprehend that diaries inherently are both public and private. Moreover, Goffman's theory of human interaction in daily life and Simmel's of strangers offer steppingstones to detail the features—interacting and sharing intimacy with others unknown—of writing diaries on public internet. / Briefly speaking, the prevailing phenomenon of online diaries reveals that making diaries public can satisfy the needs of recording private life and of social contact simultaneously. Despite that traditional diary is kept away from anyone to ensure frankness, all the diary writers indeed still reveal themselves in it to some object(s), real or imaginary. Online diaries not only can exclude, if writers want, people who know them in person, but also bring in the unlimited audience with real feedback. Since the audience is composed of strangers, somehow far enough not to reach online diary writer's everyday life but virtually close to see his/her innermost, the online diary writer doesn't have to be anxious about the destruction of frontstage performances in everyday life, caused by backstage behaviors in diary being revealed. In other words, online diary is a frontstage as well as a backstage, that is, a middle region, where the division of the public and private is blurred. In online diaries, diary writers are able to disclose private selves hidden from frontstage role playing while audience¹s gaze and applause, absent in backstage, is all around. To reconcile the conflict between publicness and privateness, online diary writers master in manipulating information accesses and discretion. Therefore, they can disclose different aspects and degrees of privacy to various audiences according to various relationships, and can be the dominators subsequently to control psychological distances between them.