The Internet is a vastly growing network that allows individuals from around the world to connect and learn from each other. Social Media in particular is one of the main avenues of such connection and with 1.65 Billion users per month of Facebook alone (Facebook, 2016), not including the multitudes of other social media sites, it is clear to see that this new phenomenon is one that necessitates study. Social media and Facebook in particular allows for the creation of an online identity that may be controlled and catered for through the application of status updates and photos. On the other hand, one’s personality is thought to be constructed of five traits or scales under the Big Five Factor Model that includes openness, conscientiousness,
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(2010), specifically the permanence of the competing hypotheses of idealized virtual-identity hypothesis and the extended real-life hypothesis. It was demonstrated that in particular individuals that were more extraverted would greater employ Facebook as a means for expressing and communicating real personality. It therefore determined that individuals use social media as an extension of their social lives rather than as a means of establishing a new online identity. However in contrast to this, Ross et al. (2009) was the first to have looked at the relationship between Facebook and personality traits and that found there were few significant results for personality variables. What they were able to gather were that extraverted individuals would be involved in greater numbers of groups, introverted individuals would be more likely to use the wall and individuals high in openness had a positive correlation with online sociability. This gives only a slight indication that individuals reflect their natural personalities online due to the lack of significant findings. But the limitations of this study must also be considered, including the small sample size, the constrained sample retrieval location and the relative maturity of the study as Facebook has evolved in the communicative tools it …show more content…
It followed previous research in exhibiting the positive correlation between extraversion and frequency of Facebook use but also showed the association of neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion with prevalence of self-presentation using social media. In particular, the motivations of neurotic individuals was examined as high neuroticism was one of the best predictors for online expression, aligning itself with Correa, Hinsley and de Zuniga (2010), stating that due to the fact they often experience social difficulty, Facebook was an avenue of meeting their needs for belonging and self-presentation not available offline. This coincided with the extended real-life hypothesis as demonstrated by Back at al. (2010). The limitations of this study included that of the subjective nature of the self report method as well as the dependent measures employed in this study as they were created specifically for the study and were not well-established in their reliability and
(2010), specifically the permanence of the competing hypotheses of idealized virtual-identity hypothesis and the extended real-life hypothesis. It was demonstrated that in particular individuals that were more extraverted would greater employ Facebook as a means for expressing and communicating real personality. It therefore determined that individuals use social media as an extension of their social lives rather than as a means of establishing a new online identity. However in contrast to this, Ross et al. (2009) was the first to have looked at the relationship between Facebook and personality traits and that found there were few significant results for personality variables. What they were able to gather were that extraverted individuals would be involved in greater numbers of groups, introverted individuals would be more likely to use the wall and individuals high in openness had a positive correlation with online sociability. This gives only a slight indication that individuals reflect their natural personalities online due to the lack of significant findings. But the limitations of this study must also be considered, including the small sample size, the constrained sample retrieval location and the relative maturity of the study as Facebook has evolved in the communicative tools it …show more content…
It followed previous research in exhibiting the positive correlation between extraversion and frequency of Facebook use but also showed the association of neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion with prevalence of self-presentation using social media. In particular, the motivations of neurotic individuals was examined as high neuroticism was one of the best predictors for online expression, aligning itself with Correa, Hinsley and de Zuniga (2010), stating that due to the fact they often experience social difficulty, Facebook was an avenue of meeting their needs for belonging and self-presentation not available offline. This coincided with the extended real-life hypothesis as demonstrated by Back at al. (2010). The limitations of this study included that of the subjective nature of the self report method as well as the dependent measures employed in this study as they were created specifically for the study and were not well-established in their reliability and