Options
Self-presentation on Instagram and friendship development among young adults: A moderated mediation model of media richness, perceived functionality, and openness
Author(s)
Date Issued
2020
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal
ISSN
1873-7692
0747-5632
Citation
Computers in Human Behavior, 2020, vol. 103, pp. 57-66.
Type
Peer Reviewed Journal Article
Abstract
The present study examined the underlying mechanism of self-presentation on emerging social networking sites (SNSs) where features facilitating simulation of real-life communication are plenty. Although previous scholars have examined self-presentation on social media, very few have investigated the combined influences of extrinsic media features and intrinsic personality trait in orchestrating self-presentation on Instagram, a platform that is highly popular among young adults. Specifically, based on the concepts from media richness theory and survey data collected from 671 young adults, our study showed that perceived media richness of Instagram was positively associated with the young adults’ self-presentation on the platform, which, in turn, enhanced their friendship development. Mediation analyses demonstrated that perceived functionality mediated the association between perceived media richness and self-presentation on Instagram. Additionally, tests of moderated mediation indicated that the indirect effect was stronger for young adults who were low on openness. Results underscore the importance of identifying the underlying processes that moderate the mediation between perceived media richness and self-presentation.
Loading...
Availability at HKSYU Library
