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

• In Event: Uses & Effects of New Communication Technologies

Abstract

This study explores the effect of observing one’s own Facebook site compared to observing a stranger’s Facebook site on self-esteem. The theory of Objective Self-Awareness (OSA) and the Hyperpersonal Model are used to formulate contrasting hypotheses about the effect of Facebook on self-esteem. Results from an experimental test of the hypotheses indicate that a Hyperpersonal effect, presumably due to selective self-presentation on social network sites, enhances self-esteem.

Author

• Amy Gonzales, Cornell University