Publication date: October 2019
Source: Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 82
Author(s): Christopher T. Barry, Katrina H. McDougall, Alexandra C. Anderson, Madison D. Perkins, Lauren M. Lee-Rowland, Imani Bender, Nora E. Charles
Abstract
This study considered the relation between self-image posts (i.e., selfies, posies) on Instagram and the personality and self-perception attributions made by unfamiliar perceivers based on those posts. Phase 1 involved 30 undergraduates who completed self-report inventories and whose Instagram posts were coded and then screenshot for the second phase. Phase 2 included 119 undergraduates from a different university. Phase 2 participants (perceivers) rated Phase 1 participants (targets) on 13 attributes (e.g., self-absorption, low self-esteem, extraversion, successfulness) based on these screenshots. Targets who posted more selfies were rated more negatively (e.g., more lonely, less successful). Although self-image posts on social media may not be clearly indicative of personality/self-perception, they may be cues for how the depicted person is perceived by others.