Profile Pictures in the Digital World: Self-Photographs Predict Better Life Satisfaction

Kalai Hung, Naomi A. Lee, Kaiping Peng and Jie Sui
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Kalai Hung: Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Naomi A. Lee: School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Old Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
Kaiping Peng: Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Jie Sui: School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Old Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-10

Abstract: Profiles pictures as online identities represent an extension of the user’s self in the digital world. Changes in self-representation are responsible for reduced well-being in individuals in the offline world. However, whether profile picture selection predicts the well-being of internet users is unknown. To address this question, we tested the relationship between the type of profile picture (e.g., self-photographs or other pictures) used on social media and the life satisfaction of internet users, accounting for gender and personality traits that have been thought to relate to the selection of profile pictures. The results showed that individuals using self-photographs as profiles reported a higher level of life satisfaction compared to individuals using other pictures as profiles. This effect was influenced by gender, openness, and extraversion. Hierarchical regression and moderation analyses revealed that openness and profile type interacted to predict life satisfaction in women, while openness and profile picture independently predicted life satisfaction in men. Furthermore, extraversion directly predicted life satisfaction in both men and women. These results indicate that the consistency between one’s online and offline self-representation may characterize internet users’ well-being, with potential implications for digital wellness.

Keywords: profile picture; online-offline self-consistency; personality; gender; life satisfaction; self-representation; digital health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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