Expressing the “True Self” on Facebook

Abstract

The present research examined correlates of “true self” expression to offline friends on Facebook. The “true self” (McKenna et al., 2002) consists of qualities an individual currently possesses but does not normally express to others. In Study 1, 184 undergraduates completed an online survey assessing “true self” expression to their friends online and reported the frequency of various Facebook activities. True self expression was positively correlated with using Facebook for communicating with others, general self-disclosure, emotional disclosure, attention-seeking, and acceptance-seeking, but was unrelated to seeking connection with and expressing caring for others. In Study 2, 41 undergraduates completed the “true self” measure and their Facebook profiles were saved and coded. True self expression was positively correlated with frequency of posting on others’ walls, but not posting on one’s own wall or receiving posts from others. Finally, true self expression was positively associated with the level of personal disclosure of participants’ wall posts. These results suggest that those who feel able to express their “true self” online are more active on Facebook, have more self-oriented motivations for posting, and post more personally revealing and emotional content.