Self-Expression on Social Media: Do Tweets Present Accurate and Positive Portraits of Impulsivity, Self-Esteem, and Attachment Style?

Self-expression values are at an all-time high, and people are increasingly relying upon social media platforms to express themselves positively and accurately. We examined whether self-expression on the social media platform Twitter elicits positive and accurate social perceptions. Eleven perceiver...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2017-01, Vol.43 (1), p.60-70
Main Authors: Orehek, Edward, Human, Lauren J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Female
Humans
Impulsive Behavior
Male
Object Attachment
Personality
Personality Inventory
Self Concept
Social Media
Social Perception
Young Adult
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Summary:Self-expression values are at an all-time high, and people are increasingly relying upon social media platforms to express themselves positively and accurately. We examined whether self-expression on the social media platform Twitter elicits positive and accurate social perceptions. Eleven perceivers rated 128 individuals (targets; total dyadic impressions = 1,408) on their impulsivity, self-esteem, and attachment style, based solely on the information provided in targets’ 10 most recent tweets. Targets were on average perceived normatively and with distinctive self-other agreement, indicating both positive and accurate social perceptions. There were also individual differences in how positively and accurately targets were perceived, which exploratory analyses indicated may be partially driven by differential word usage, such as the use of positive emotion words and self- versus other-focus. This study demonstrates that self-expression on social media can elicit both positive and accurate perceptions and begins to shed light on how to curate such perceptions.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167216675332