Who's Posting Facebook <i>Faux Pas</i>? A Cross‐Cultural Examination of Personality Differences

TLDR

The study investigates how culture and personality traits influence students’ reported likelihood of posting different content on Facebook. Students high in conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability were less likely to report posting problematic content, whereas those with high compulsive internet use were more likely, and U.S.

Abstract

This study examines culture and personality differences in student reports of the likelihood that they would post various types of information on their Facebook profiles. As predicted those high on conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability proved significantly less likely to report posting problematic content (e.g., substance abuse, sexual content) on their profile. Those who scored high on Compulsive Internet Use indicated a greater likelihood to post such profile information. Consistent with our expectations, our cross‐cultural analysis revealed that US students were more inclined than German students to post problematic information to their Facebook site. Implications of these results and recommendations for future research are discussed.