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Cited by 193Impact of Technology on AdolescentsMedia and Digital CommunicationPrivacy, Security, and Data Protection

Self-Presentation in Social Media: Review and Research Opportunities

Open access
Erin E., Hollenbaugh, Kent State University, USA·2021·Review of Communication Research
DOI 10.12840/issn.2255-4165.027
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Abstract

This paper reviews existing research on self-presentation in social media in order to inform future research. Social media offer seemingly limitless opportunities for strategic self-presentation. Informed by existing self-presentation theories, a review of research on self-presentation in social media revealed three significant context and audience variables that were conceptualized in a model. First, three affordances of social media – anonymity, persistence, and visibility – were discussed, as research has revealed the moderating effects of these affordances between self-presentation goal and the self-presentational content shared in social media. For example, one might expect that social media users are more likely to present their actual selves under conditions of less anonymity, more persistence, and more visibility. On the other hand, the freedom associated with more anonymous, less persistent, and less visibility social media may lead to idealized self-presentation. The second finding revealed the impact of other-generated content in the form of likes, comments, tags, and shares on social media users’ self-presentation content, mediated by how they choose to manage such content.The third theme concerned the moderating effect of context collapse on the relationship between goals and self-presentation content. The composition of an impression manager’s audience from one platform to the next varies across social media platforms, impacting and often complicating the attainment of self-presentation goals in the midst of merging networks of people. Social media users have adopted varying ways to navigate the complexities of context collapse in their pursuit of self-presentation. Although we have learned much from this body of literature, a more comprehensive theory of self-presentation in the hypermedia age is needed to further advance this area of research.

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  • On Instagram and Snapchat, adolescents observe the self-presentation practices of not only their close friends but also more distant peers and present themselves to these differing subaudiences accordingly.

    “However, on Instagram and Snapchat, adolescents observe the self-presentation practices of not only their close friends but also more distant peers and present themselves to these differing subaudiences accordingly (Hollenbaugh, 2021; Stsiampkouskaya et al., 2021).”

    From The Impact of Social Norms on Adolescents’ Self-Presentation Practices on Social Media (2024) · cites this paper as Hollenbaugh, 2021

  • Adolescents striving to convey a particular impression of themselves must also manage the content and actions of others, such as their photographs and videos, their likes, and their comments.

    “Adolescents striving to convey a particular impression of themselves must also manage the content and actions of others, such as their photographs and videos, their likes, and their comments (Hollenbaugh, 2021).”

    From The Impact of Social Norms on Adolescents’ Self-Presentation Practices on Social Media (2024) · cites this paper as Hollenbaugh, 2021

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Authors
Erin E., H., & Kent State University, U.
Venue
Review of Communication Research
Publisher
UK Zhende Publishing Limited Company
Published
2021
Volume
9
Pages
80-98
ISSN
2255-4165 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.12840/issn.2255-4165.027
OpenAlex
W3138399093
Cited by
193
References
94
Citations by year
2026: 40 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 1
FWCI
33.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
Review of Communication Research (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Media and Digital Communication
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Privacy, Security, and Data Protection
Keywords
self-presentation, social media, impression management, anonymity, persistence, visibility, context collapse, audience, audience management, social media affordances, hypermedia

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