Strategic self-presentation online: A cross-cultural study

• Published in: Computers in human behavior 2013-01, Vol.29 (1), p.110-118
• Main Authors: Rui, Jian, Stefanone, Michael A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Audience; Audiences; Biological and medical sciences; Crosscultural Differences; Cultural Identity; Culture; Females; Friendship; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Image management; Internet; Management; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; On-line systems; Online; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Self-presentation; Singaporean; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social network site; Social Networks; Social psychology; Walls
• ISSN: 0747-5632; 1873-7692
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2012.07.022

► We compared online self-presentation strategies between American and Singaporeans. ► Audience diversity is positively related to managing other-provided information. ► Females share more photos and actively manage unwanted photo tagging. ► Cultural identity and promiscuous friending interact on managing wall posts. Contemporary social networking sites (SNSs) make idealized self-presentation and image maintenance difficult because users’ audiences are becoming more diverse and individual users must negotiate often unanticipated other-provided information in the form of text posts and digital images on their profile pages. This cross-cultural study examines how audience-related variables affect a range of strategic self-presentation and image management behaviors online. Results from samples of Singaporean and American SNS users (N=411) show that while Americans update their profiles with text-based wall posts more frequently, Singaporeans share significantly more photos. Audience diversity is positively associated with active management of other-provided information, and females share more photos and actively manage unwanted photo tagging. Cultural identity and the tendency to ‘friend’ unknown others interact on managing other-provided wall posts; individualistic cultural identity exhibited positive relationships with these reactions for those less likely to friend unknown others but negative ones for those more likely to friend unknown others. Implications for the theoretical understanding of and practical suggestions about self-presentation online are discussed.