Online Language: The Role of Culture in Self-Expression and Self-Construal on Facebook

Abstract

This article investigated how culture influences self-construal and self-expression on Facebook, a popular social networking site. To examine actual self-description representative of self-construal, unaltered independently existing information was garnered from the Facebook pages of Caucasian Americans, African Americans, and ethnic Asians attending a Midwestern University. Findings indicated that culture plays a significant role in influencing the communication of psychological attributes, individuating information, and the quantity of self-descriptive expression. Furthermore, evidence and argumentation are provided for a greater inclusion of African Americans in self-construal research.