۱- Introduction

۲- Background

۳- Current study

۴- Method

۵- Results

۶- Discussion

References

Abstract

The relationships between online social networking (OSN) behaviour and users’ self-esteem are as important as well as ambiguous: Both positive and negative self-esteem can encourage users to engage in OSNs. This work examined whether personality traits and attitudes toward traits can explain this controversy. Data from 830 users of Vk.com, a Russian OSN were analysed. I hypothesised that extraversion and attitudes toward extraversion eliminated correlations between positive self-esteem and users’ popularity (the number of friends and likes). In contrast, neuroticism and attitudes toward neuroticism failed to eliminate a negative correlation between self-esteem and an indicator of users’ self-validation (the number of impersonal avatars). This association also remained significant when conscientiousness as well as negative attitudes toward conscientiousness and agreeableness were controlled. However, self-esteem did not correlate with the two other self-validation indicators―the number of posts and portraits. This study casts doubt on the possibility of direct associations between positive self-esteem and users’ popularity beyond such factors as extraversion. Nevertheless, it lends partial support to the association between negative self-esteem and users’ self-validation such as the use of impersonal avatars even when other personality characteristics are considered.

Introduction

The problem of individual differences among the users of online social networks (OSN) has been attractive to researchers and practitioners over the last decade. On one hand, this is due the possibility of investigating various indicators of OSN behaviour―not only by using conventional self-reported data, but also by using objective behavioural markers (Gosling, Augustine, Vazire, Holtzman, & Gaddis, 2011; Wells & Link, 2014). On the other hand, this interest is because OSN behaviour is a vital and common feature of life to many people. Knowing why people differ between each other in their OSN behaviour is thus inherently nontrivial. Self-esteem is traditionally an important place among the factors that determine differences between individuals. In a number of recent studies, self-esteem has also been investigated in the context of OSN user behaviour. The existing literature on the topic has a contradictory message. Here, I address the relationship between self-esteem and OSN users’ behaviour, whether it is really important, and whether it masks other more substantial associations. A possible candidate for the latter might be personality traits and attitudes toward traits.