Online Language: The Role of Culture in Self-Expression and Self-Construal on Facebook

• Published in: Journal of language and social psychology Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 425 - 442
• Main Authors: DeAndrea, David C., Shaw, Allison S., Levine, Timothy R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-12-2010; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: African Americans; Argumentation; Asian cultural groups; Communication; Computer mediated communication; Construal; Cultural factors; Cultural influence; Culture; Ethnicity; Facebook; Internet; Language; Language culture relationship; Networking; Racial differentiation; Self expression; Self-evaluation; Selfconstrual; Social networking; Social Networks; U.S.A; Universities; White people; self-construal; Facebook; culture; self-presentation; self-expression; social network site
• ISSN: 0261-927X; 1552-6526
• DOI: 10.1177/0261927X10377989

This article investigated how culture influences self-construal and self-expression on Facebook, a popular social networking site. To examine actual self-description representative of self-construal, unaltered independently existing information was garnered from the Facebook pages of Caucasian Americans, African Americans, and ethnic Asians attending a Midwestern University. Findings indicated that culture plays a significant role in influencing the communication of psychological attributes, individuating information, and the quantity of self-descriptive expression. Furthermore, evidence and argumentation are provided for a greater inclusion of African Americans in self-construal research.