<![CDATA[This study aims to explore the contribution of online self-presentation in social media in shaping interpersonal communication anxiety. In the digital era, individuals often rigorously curate their identities to construct positive impressions, inadvertently creating psychological pressure. This study employed a descriptive qualitative design to explore the perspectives of participants regarding the online self-presentation that shape interpersonal communication anxiety. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews, online observation, and documentation, and were analyzed using Miles and Huberman procedure. The results indicate that extreme impression management on the digital front stage creates a wide gap with the "back stage" or the informants' real-life reality. The increasingly blurred boundaries between these stages on social media trigger a constant mental burden that transforms into interpersonal communication anxiety during face-to-face interactions. Informants experienced a decline in communication self-efficacy due to a loss of control over their messages, leading to social withdrawal and interpersonal alienation. The study concludes that the less authentic an individual's online self-presentation, the more fragile their social competence and the higher the level of communication anxiety they face in everyday social reality.]]>
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