Mirror, Mirror on my Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem

TLDR

The study tested contrasting hypotheses about how Facebook exposure affects self‑esteem. The authors applied Objective Self‑Awareness theory and the Hyperpersonal Model to predict that Facebook exposure could either lower or raise self‑esteem. Viewing and updating one’s own Facebook profile increased self‑esteem, supporting the Hyperpersonal Model and suggesting that selective self‑presentation in digital media strengthens self‑impressions, contrary to predictions from Objective Self‑Awareness theory.

Abstract

Contrasting hypotheses were posed to test the effect of Facebook exposure on self-esteem. Objective Self-Awareness (OSA) from social psychology and the Hyperpersonal Model from computer-mediated communication were used to argue that Facebook would either diminish or enhance self-esteem respectively. The results revealed that, in contrast to previous work on OSA, becoming self-aware by viewing one's own Facebook profile enhances self-esteem rather than diminishes it. Participants that updated their profiles and viewed their own profiles during the experiment also reported greater self-esteem, which lends additional support to the Hyperpersonal Model. These findings suggest that selective self-presentation in digital media, which leads to intensified relationship formation, also influences impressions of the self.