AUTHENTIC SELF-EXPRESSION ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING

Social media presents a dichotomy: users can choose between presenting an idealized or an authentic version of themselves. This study investigates how this choice impacts well-being. The prevalent “self-deprivation perspective” suggests that social media profiles often showcase idealized, unrealistic self-representations. Users act as curators, staging and editing content. Conversely, the “authentic self-expression perspective” posits that social media extends offline identities, with users presenting relatively authentic selves. The accountability inherent in platforms like Facebook, where online connections often mirror offline relationships, might limit stark misrepresentations. The desire for authentic self-expression is not mutually exclusive with self-idealization; individuals juggle multiple psychological needs, each with associated costs. Self-idealization can boost self-view and create positive impressions, while authentic self-expression provides a sense of belonging. However, self-idealization can lead to internal discord and emotional strain. The interplay between these desires is further complicated by the social desirability of certain personality traits. This study explores this tension, focusing on personality as a core component of self, examining the correlation between authentic personality expression and life satisfaction. The study also explores whether this relationship is moderated by individual personality characteristics, hypothesizing that individuals with socially desirable traits might benefit more from authentic self-expression due to reduced conflict between self-idealization and authenticity.

Existing research on authentic self-expression primarily relies on self-reported measures of authenticity, which are susceptible to biases like valence and social desirability. This study overcomes this limitation by introducing a novel measure: "Quantified Authenticity." This measure quantifies authenticity as the proximity between self-reported personality and personality judgments derived from observable Facebook behavior (likes and status updates). The assumption is that any deviation from self-view on social media reflects self-idealization. While deviations could theoretically occur in either direction, it's presumed users are unlikely to present themselves in ways that worsen their self-perception. However, the study acknowledges that the desirability of certain behaviors might be idiosyncratic and context-dependent (influenced by social networks).

Study 1 analyzed data from 10,560 Facebook users who completed personality assessments and reported life satisfaction via the myPersonality application. Quantified Authenticity was calculated as the inverse Euclidean distance between self-reported and computer-predicted personality traits (based on Facebook Likes and status updates). Linear regression analysis examined the relationship between Quantified Authenticity and life satisfaction, controlling for self-reported personality traits and personality extremeness. Further analyses distinguished between normative self-enhancement and self-deprecation to explore the mechanisms of Quantified Authenticity. Study 2 involved a pre-registered, longitudinal experiment with 90 university students. Participants were randomly assigned to post authentically or self-idealistically for a week, then switched conditions. Subjective well-being (life satisfaction, mood, positive and negative affect) was measured at baseline and after each week. Independent and dependent t-tests compared well-being across conditions and within individuals. Study 1 used various methods to measure Quantified Authenticity: Manhattan distance, Euclidean distance, correlation similarity, and cosine similarity. Both studies used linear regression to analyze the data, with Study 1 including models with and without control variables (e.g., personality traits, extremeness of personality profiles). Study 2 employed a within-subjects design, comparing well-being changes within the same individuals across different posting conditions.

Study 1 revealed a positive correlation between Quantified Authenticity and life satisfaction. This correlation remained significant even after controlling for personality traits and extremeness. Normative self-enhancement negatively impacted well-being, while self-deprecation showed no significant effect, suggesting that self-enhancement, rather than overall self-discrepancy, is crucial. Study 2 demonstrated a causal relationship between authentic posting and increased positive affect and mood, and reduced negative affect. While the between-subjects analysis showed no significant differences in the first week, the within-subjects analysis revealed significantly higher well-being after the week of authentic posting compared to self-idealized posting. Life satisfaction did not show significant differences across conditions, potentially due to its broader and less immediately responsive nature compared to mood and affect. In Study 1 the association between authenticity and life satisfaction was significant in 11 out of 16 models (using different distance metrics and with/without controls). The effect size of Quantified Authenticity on Life Satisfaction was small in Study 1 (max(δ) = 0.11) but substantially larger in Study 2 (max(δ) = 0.45) where it was measured with more traditional methods.

The findings confirm the link between authentic self-expression on social media and enhanced well-being. The consistent positive correlation across different methods (Study 1) and the causal evidence from the experiment (Study 2) strongly support this. The study reconciles conflicting research on social media’s impact on well-being by highlighting the crucial role of how individuals use the platform. Active, authentic engagement, rather than passive consumption or self-idealization, appears to be beneficial. The lack of significant interactions between personality traits and the effect of authentic self-expression suggests that the benefits extend across personality types.

This research demonstrates that authentic self-expression on social media is associated with increased subjective well-being, particularly positive affect and mood. The results highlight the importance of mindful social media use, emphasizing authenticity over self-idealization. Future research should investigate the reasons behind variations in authenticity levels and explore whether authentic social media use is superior to abstaining from social media altogether.

The study focuses solely on the effects of authentic social media use on well-being and doesn't compare it to no social media use at all. The reasons behind variations in authenticity levels (e.g., self-awareness, intentional misrepresentation) remain unexplored. Finally, the observed effects, while robust, are relatively small compared to other predictors of well-being.