Who Puts the Best Face Forward on Facebook?: Positive Self-Presentation in Online Social Networking and the Role of Self-Consciousness, Actual-to-Total Friends Ratio, and Culture

Abstract

This study investigated the roles of self-consciousness, actual-to-total Friends ratio, and culture on positive self-presentation on Facebook. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with Facebook users in the U.S. (n = 183) and South Korea (n = 137). The results showed that U.S. participants, compared with South Koreans, engaged in positive self-presentation to a greater extent. The data further demonstrated that culture significantly moderated the effects of public self-consciousness and actual-to-total Friends ratio on positive self-presentation.