Self-presentation In Social Media Research Articles

Digital selves: A cross-cultural examination of athlete social media self-presentation during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

This study investigates the social media self-presentation of Chinese, South Korean, and US athletes during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the aim of elucidating the influence of gender and nationalism on their online portrayals across countries. A total of 1800 photographs posted by 278 Olympians were analyzed, revealing that (a) South Korean athletes, particularly males, display a higher prevalence of business-related images in their self-presentation compared to athletes from other countries; (b) Chinese athletes exhibit a greater degree of nationalism in their posted photographs than their South Korean and US counterparts; and (c) female athletes, although gaining agency over their online presence, still demonstrate behaviors reinforcing conventional gender norms. This research underscores the multifaceted interplay of gender, nationalistic, cultural, political, and ideological factors in shaping athletes’ self-representations on social media, offering valuable insights into the complex dynamics that inform their digital self-expression.

Mapping the Field: A Content Analysis of Marketable NCAA Athletes’ Social Media Self-Presentation

The following study applies the framework of self-presentation theory to examine one year of posts ( n = 1064) from the TikTok and Instagram accounts of 18 highly marketable NCAA athletes. A content analysis was used to examine differences by platform, gender, and content type following the approval of NIL compensation for collegiate athletes. Findings revealed significant differences between male and female athletes regarding the type of content posted, prevalent self-presentation themes, and engagement. Male athletes were found to post more frontstage athletic performance content and backstage marketable lifestyle content than female athletes. In contrast, female athletes posted more backstage content in the attractive appearance category, which also was the category with the highest engagement from audiences. Additionally frontstage content in athletic performance content categories was more prevalent on Instagram, while backstage content appeared more frequently on TikTok. These findings advance our understanding of athletes’ social media platform use and are in line with traditional media presentations of gender and sport.

The Influencing Factors of Social Media Self-Presentation in Online Communication: An Analysis of Online Communication Behavior

The Influencing Factors of Social Media Self-Presentation in Online Communication: An Analysis of Online Communication Behavior

Young Females Appearance Anxiety in the Self-presentation of the Social Media Platform Xiaohongshu

This paper aims to investigate how self-presentation on contemporary social media platforms propagates young females appearance anxiety, and takes Xiaohongshu, a social media platform currently very popular among young Chinese females, as an example. This study conducted an open-ended questionnaire survey with 40 young women aged 18-30 years old through qualitative analytical research methods, and further conducted one-on-one structured in-depth interviews with representative KOLs and KOC users on the Xiaohongshu platform. Their responses focused on the strategies for presenting themselves on social media platforms, platform interventions, and social aesthetic convergence influences. The findings demonstrate that self-presentation in social media exacerbates contemporary young female appearance anxiety inextricably linked to individual, platform and social factors. This effect is intensified through the platforms adverse value propaganda and influencer marketing interventions, the individuals reshaping of self-presentation based on socially comparative ideologies that conform to dominant aesthetic trends, and the relatively convergent and deeply ingrained aesthetic trends that prevail in contemporary societies.

Adolescent Athletes' Self-Presentations on Social Media and Their Self-Esteem as Moderated by Their Perceptions of Responsiveness by Others.

Social media has been an increasingly utilized communication tool, and it has gained popularity among adolescent athletes. Our aim here was to investigate whether a positive and honest self-presentation on social media increased adolescent athletes' self-esteem, and we examined the moderating effect of perceived responsiveness. After receiving informed consent of participants and their parents/legal guardians, we recruited 468 adolescent athletes/participants (244 males, 224 females; Mage = 15.39years, SD = 1.61) through purposive sampling and engaged them in completing face-to-face or online self-report measures of their: (a) self-presentation on social media, (b) perceived responsiveness of others, and (c) Rosenberg self-esteem scales. Given the continuous nature of our moderating variable (i.e., perceived responsiveness), we conducted regression analysis using Hayes's PROCESS macro in SPSS software. A positive self-presentation showed no significant relationship with self-esteem, except when the level of perceived responsiveness was high. Conversely, an honest self-presentation was positively related to higher self-esteem, and the relationship between honest self-presentation and self-esteem was moderated by perceived responsiveness. Our findings extend existing psychological theory into the online environment and have practical implications. These data highlight the link between social media self-presentation and self-esteem among adolescent athletes and illustrate the crucial role of perceived responsiveness in the social media context.

Pathway to authenticity? The influence of politicians’ gender and multimodal self-presentation in social media on perceived authenticity

The authenticity of political candidates has become a decisive factor in their evaluation by the public. In response, political candidates employ self-presentation techniques to appear genuine to constituents, and social media provides politicians with new tools to perform authenticity. Yet, we still know little about how politicians construct authentic images and how their gender and modes of self-presentation influence perceived authenticity. In this study, we examine how politicians’ gender (male vs female) and modes of self-presentation (text-only, image-only, and text–image combined) affect perceived political authenticity. Results from a 2 × 3 online survey experiment in Germany ( N = 1,485) show that gender alone does not explain differences in perceived political authenticity when self-presentation is held consistently. Furthermore, we do not find significant effects for different self-presentation modes in social media. Additional analyses reveal that physical attractiveness is the primary factor for higher authenticity ratings in our sample.

Authenticity and Performance: An Analysis of the Influence of Strong and Weak Relationships on Users' Self-Presentation in Social Media

The rise of online social media has led to a shift in peoples social interactions from offline to online platforms. Online social interaction has become an integral part of societal interactions. Platforms like WeChat Moments and Tik Tok offer distinctive social channels, providing a platform with a more diverse audience. As a result, individuals can present their performances to audiences with different levels of relationship strength. This paper aims to explore the differences in self-presentation motivations and strategies when facing audiences with different levels of relationship strength on WeChat Moments and Tik Tok. This paper analyzes the impact of relationship strength on self-presentation, exploring the influence of strong and weak relationships on college students self-presentation in social media. Based on the survey and interview results, the paper compares the differences and connections in self-presentation of college students on WeChat Moments and Tik Tok. The findings indicate that the images users present on social media are closely related to their relationship with the audience. Users adjust their self-presentation strategies based on the composition ratio of strong and weak relationships in the social platform. Furthermore, users perform different degrees of impression management, presenting different levels of authenticity. Users also assign different levels of importance to different audiences and adopt different image correction strategies based on the level of importance. Moreover, in response to the findings of the study, the paper highlights the problems that exist in social media interaction and makes targeted recommendations for the development of online social interaction.

Understanding the Role of Social Media Users’ Self-Presentation on Social Media Marketing and Brand Loyalty Relationship

The study examined users’ self-presentation in social media and its influence on social media marketing effectiveness. Data were obtained from 324 social media marketing customers of fashion brands aged between 18 and 25. Moderation analysis was conducted to establish the hypothesis regarding the effect of social media marketing on brand loyalty conditioned on users’ self-presentation characteristics. The result of the data analysis supported the effect of users’ self-presentation on social media marketing and brand loyalty relationship. The implication of this study will be in segmenting and targeting social media users based on their social media usage behaviour. This study will complement the information obtained through social media text mining and assist in predictive analytics. This article will help marketing organizations in developing their social media marketing strategy.

An Exploratory Study on Chinese Females' Social Media Self-Presentation: A Case Study of WeChat

An Exploratory Study on Chinese Females' Social Media Self-Presentation: A Case Study of WeChat

Rebel or Relent: Matching Female Entrepreneurs’ Self-Presentation to Recipients’ Perceptions

Entrepreneurs have the ability to actively manage stakeholders’ perceptions of them, influencing whether they are seen as successful or not (Nagy, Pollack, Rutherford, & Lohrke, 2012; Davis, Hmieleski, Webb, & Coombs, 2017). For female entrepreneurs this is a crucial aspect in building their businesses, as they need to more strongly communicate their legitimacy to overcome inherent gender biases especially on social media that can negatively influence their businesses (Alsos & Ljunggren, 2017). Thus, it is vital to better understand how female entrepreneurs develop successful communication strategies and how these (mis-)match with the perceptions of key stakeholders, furthering our understanding of successful female-owned businesses. Drawing on role congruity theory and choosing a theory-building approach to data analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), we conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with female entrepreneurs as well as their key stakeholders (data collection ongoing). Results show two main strategies that female entrepreneurs choose for their social media self-presentation: to rebel or to relent. A comparison of sender intentions and receiver perceptions revealed strong (mis-)matches. We expand role congruity theory (Eagly & Karau, 2002) by developing a holistic model of female entrepreneurs’ communication strategies on social media to cope with perceived incongruity.

#Selfies With a Mask On: Comparing Self-Presentation of Athletes From the U.S. and China in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The purpose of this study is to explore Chinese and U.S. athlete self-presentation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. By examining 1200 photographs posted by Olympians on social media, this study finds that (a) male athletes feature themselves in more revealing clothes than female athletes, (b) Chinese athletes actively show more nationalistic notions compared to their U.S. counterparts, and (c) U.S. female athletes are involved in more subordinating behaviors than Chinese female athletes. This study underlines how the intersection of gender, nationalism, and culture influences athlete social media self-presentation in the global pandemic context. Possible explanations and implications are discussed.

Space for self-expression: communication of Czech female athletes on social media and fansʼ reactions

Social media platforms allow athletes to share information with the public. This opportunity is arguably more important for female athletes who traditionally receive less space in the mainstream media than their male counterparts. This article focuses on the social media self-presentation of six successful, internationally recognized, professional Czech female athletes and their fans’ reactions. By using qualitative and quantitative content analyses, it was revealed that throughout the season, the selected athletes presented themselves as powerful professionals, while their off-season posting tended to be more personal and, for the most part, more feminine. Contrary to previous research, fans did not frequently respond with explicitly sexual or negative comments. Moreover, they supported and admired the athletes, and in most cases, reacted positively. A higher sensitivity was indicated in relation to the sportswomen’s personal relationships and opinions. This leads us to the conclusion that social media enables professional female athletes to present themselves more freely than traditional media and be positively received by the public.

Through the Looking Glass of Social Media. Focus on Self-Presentation and Association with Mental Health and Quality of Life. A Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study.

Social media (SOME) use among adolescents has been linked to mental health and well-being. SOME self-presentation has been highlighted as an important factor to better understand the potential links. The aims of this study were to investigate the association between focus on SOME self-presentation and mental health and quality of life among adolescents. We used a cross-sectional survey, with n = 513 (56%; mean age 17.1 years; 58% boys) students from a senior high school in Norway. Associations between focus on SOME self-presentation and symptoms of anxiety and depression and quality of life were investigated using blobbograms, standardized mean difference (SMD), and gender-specific linear regression models. A high focus on SOME self-presentation was associated with more mental health problems and reduced quality of life. The strength of the associations with symptoms of depression (0.75SMD) and anxiety (0.71SMD) was large, while it was medium-large for quality of life (−0.58SMD). The association was similar across gender in relation to symptoms of anxiety. For symptoms of depression and quality of life, the association was stronger for girls compared to boys. Our findings yield preliminary evidence of a potential relationship between focus on SOME self-presentation and mental health.

Self-Presentation in Social Media: Review and Research Opportunities

This paper reviews existing research on self-presentation in social media in order to inform future research. Social media offer seemingly limitless opportunities for strategic self-presentation. Informed by existing self-presentation theories, a review of research on self-presentation in social media revealed three significant context and audience variables that were conceptualized in a model. First, three affordances of social media – anonymity, persistence, and visibility – were discussed, as research has revealed the moderating effects of these affordances between self-presentation goal and the self-presentational content shared in social media. For example, one might expect that social media users are more likely to present their actual selves under conditions of less anonymity, more persistence, and more visibility. On the other hand, the freedom associated with more anonymous, less persistent, and less visibility social media may lead to idealized self-presentation. The second finding revealed the impact of other-generated content in the form of likes, comments, tags, and shares on social media users’ self-presentation content, mediated by how they choose to manage such content.The third theme concerned the moderating effect of context collapse on the relationship between goals and self-presentation content. The composition of an impression manager’s audience from one platform to the next varies across social media platforms, impacting and often complicating the attainment of self-presentation goals in the midst of merging networks of people. Social media users have adopted varying ways to navigate the complexities of context collapse in their pursuit of self-presentation. Although we have learned much from this body of literature, a more comprehensive theory of self-presentation in the hypermedia age is needed to further advance this area of research.

Associations between the Dark Triad and online communication behavior: A brief report of preliminary findings

ABSTRACT The recent and rapid growth of user engagement on online and social media platforms has attracted increasing attention from communication scholars. Troublingly, little is known about the relationship between “dark” personalities and online communication behavior. There is a distinct need for communication scholars to investigate the impact of anti-social personality traits on computer- mediated communication behavior. To address this, we conducted a survey (N = 147) among undergraduate students living in the US to identify the association between the three Dark Triad personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) and six computer-mediated communication outcomes (e.g., compulsive Internet behavior, opinion leadership, perceived anonymity, media trust, social media self-presentation, and psychological reactance). We also examine gender as a potential moderator. These findings show a distinct relationship between Dark Triad personality traits and computer-mediated communication outcomes, highlighting the importance of considering these psychological individual differences in future research in this area.

Self-presentation and interactivity: luxury branding on social media

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influence of different self-presentation strategies (cultural, personal and informational posts) and interactivity on luxury brands’ social media advertising. Design/methodology/approach Three pre-tests and a main experiment collected responses from 459 Chinese participants in total. Findings Cultural posts significantly influenced brand attitudes, interest and purchase intention, and the effects were mediated by perceived reinforcement of the brand’s social media account. Informational posts added to perceived informativeness of the brand’s social media account, but were more likely to trigger a perception that the brand was conservative and distancing itself from consumers. Interactivity increased perceived closeness and reduced perceived inactiveness and conservativeness of the brand’s social media account and subsequently improved brand attitudes. Perception of brand’s social media accountfully mediated the effects of self-presentation strategies and interactivity on brand attitudes, interest and purchase intention. Research limitations/implications Self-presentation transfers desirable brand associations to luxury brands, reinforces brand image, and subsequently influences responses to luxury brands. Interactivity largely influences relational perceptions and brand attitudes. Practical implications Curating content about brand heritage and culture creates a social media self-presentation that is effective and influential on consumers. Brand and product information satisfies informational needs. Interactivity maintains customer relationship. Originality/value A theoretical model of luxury brands’ advertising was generated from the findings.

ИЗМЕРЕНИЕ СУБЪЕКТИВНОГО БЛАГОПОЛУЧИЯ НА ОСНОВЕ ТЕКСТОВ СОЦИАЛЬНЫХ МЕДИА: ОБЗОР СОВРЕМЕННЫХ ПРАКТИК

Along with numerous studies of subjective well-being through sociological methods (first of all, surveys), attempts are being made to use Big Data, “digital footprints” (social media texts, social network profile information, search query statistics, personal electronic device data) as an additional source of information. Based on a review of foreign literature, the author reveals major practices of the social media texts analysis to measure subjective well-being. Including the experience of constructing the Gross National Happiness index for Facebook and the Hedonometer for Twitter based on the analysis of emotive vocabulary and the tone of publications of network users. Possibilities of searching for “digital traces” of life satisfaction in the social media texts are revealed. Methodological difficulties and limitations in that area of research, which have not yet been overcome, are highlighted: the issue of the obtained conclusions generalization and the validity of the constructed indices of “happiness” in their correlation with the “real” subjective well-being measured through surveys. Difficulties in measuring subjective well-being are associated with the effects of self-presentation in social media, varying degrees and strategies of users’ publication activity, imperfection of the analysis algorithms that are still inferior to “manual coding”.

Самопрезентация подростков в социальных сетях

The article analyses the results of a study investigating self-presentation in social media among adolescents. The results suggest that not all teenagers are familiar with optimal ways of online self-presentation.

‘Know your role’: Dwayne Johnson & the performance of contemporary stardom

ABSTRACTContemporary film stardom is an intensely intertextual phenomenon, articulated not only through the range of social media platforms available to celebrities and their marketing teams, but also through the increasingly synergistic bodies of work of the modern Hollywood star. More than this, the modern star image is a performance, one which is in constant process of construction and negotiation. In this article, I explore how these factors intersect in the star persona of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Drawing on a framework of literature dealing with celebrity, social media and professional wrestling, I contend that not only is Johnson’s remarkable crossover success in the film industry connected to his mastery of social media self-presentation, but also that this must be examined in the context of his background in the unique performative environment of professional wrestling. Using examples from Johnson’s wrestling career and instructive exemplars of his employment of social media, I argue that Johnson’s grounding in the unique wrestling practice of kayfabe has informed his engagement with the malleable public-private terrain of social media.

Использование профессиональных фотографий для самопрезентации в социальных медиа как показатель личностного перфекционизма

The article presents the results of the study of personal characteristics of people who use professional photos for self-presentation in social media. Particular attention is paid to the study of the respondent’s inclination to perfectionism as a personal characteristic. Perfectionism is considered in the study as a trait that has destructive and adaptive forms, expressed in high personal standards, experiencing the disparity between the real and the ideal “I”, a high level of organization. The study involved 100 respondents, aged 22 to 39 years, using professional photographs for self-presentation in social media. The respondents were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of people who use exclusively professional photos for self-presentation in social media. The second group included people, in whose personal profiles professional images make up no more than 15% of the total. To study the personal characteristics of the respondents the perfectionist self-presentation scale (A. Zolotareva adaptation), the narcissistic personality traits questionnaire (O. Shamshikova, N. Klepikova adaptation), the interpersonal personality diagnosis test by T. Leary, the Big Five personality questionnaire by R. McCrae, P. Costa (A. Khromov adaptation), the Dark Triad short questionnaire were used (M. Egorova, M. Sitnikova, O. Parshikova adaptation). The study showed that people using professional photos for self-presentation in social media are characterized by an increased level of perfectionist self-presentation, authoritarianism, aggression, suspicion, subordination, extraversion, control, narcissism, machiavellianism, psychopathy. As a result of factor analysis, six personal factors of perfectionism were identified, which were named: “Lies for Admiration”, “Polarity in Interpersonal Interaction”, “Rigid Demonstration of Superiority”, “Need for Attention”, “Narcissism”, “Submission for Acceptance”. It is shown that the perfectionism of the respondents is associated only with those narcissistic characteristics that describe the inability to objectively perceive themselves and build constructive relationships with other people.