Emerging adults' social media self-presentation and identity development at college transition: Mindfulness as a moderator

Social Media and Self-Concept Among Postsecondary Students: A Scoping Review

The vast majority of college-aged students use social networking sites (SNS) to foster connectedness and enable networking. In addition, SNS allow individuals to control their online self-presentation. This may lead to incongruence between students' actual selves and their curated online selves, thereby damaging one's self-perception by increasing social comparison orientation. The goal of this article was to investigate the relationship between SNS use and self-concept that has not yet been explored in depth among the postsecondary population. Utilizing Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework, a scoping review of the published literature was conducted. A total of 41 articles were included in the review. Three overarching themes were extracted from the findings. The first theme found that consistent exposure to the thin ideal and fitspiration posts across various SNS were linked to increased body dissatisfaction. The second theme found that engaging in online academic or ability-based comparisons resulted in a worsened mental state among postsecondary students. The third theme found that one's SNS followers or the number of "likes" received have mixed effects on student self-concept. Through gaining an improved understanding of the SNS stressors that contribute to students' mental health from this review, postsecondary institutions can implement more targeted interventions to bolster student wellbeing.

Fitness self-presentations on social media and the impact of social support on physical activities

Social media serves as one of the primary outlets for self-presentation and receiving social support. Even when individuals portray themselves negatively, it might not necessarily be intended for social disapproval. Conversely, positive self-presentation doesn't always guarantee social support. This study examined the relationship between positive and negative fitness self-presentations on social media and the reception of supportive feedback. Additionally, it investigated how social support might influence individuals' self-efficacy, motivation, and participation in physical activities (PA). Participants were fitness app users recruited from a crowdsourcing internet marketplace who had shared their fitness experiences on social media. The results indicated that both types of self-presentation received social support: presenters receiving more social support showed higher self-efficacy for PA. Moreover, fitness posters with higher self-efficacy in PA showed greater motivation for PA. This research suggests that fitness self-presentation allows users to receive social support, fostering confidence and motivation for engaging in PA.

Adolescent Athletes' Self-Presentations on Social Media and Their Self-Esteem as Moderated by Their Perceptions of Responsiveness by Others

Social media has been an increasingly utilized communication tool, and it has gained popularity among adolescent athletes. Our aim here was to investigate whether a positive and honest self-presentation on social media increased adolescent athletes' self-esteem, and we examined the moderating effect of perceived responsiveness. After receiving informed consent of participants and their parents/legal guardians, we recruited 468 adolescent athletes/participants (244 males, 224 females; Mage = 15.39 years, SD = 1.61) through purposive sampling and engaged them in completing face-to-face or online self-report measures of their: (a) self-presentation on social media, (b) perceived responsiveness of others, and (c) Rosenberg self-esteem scales. Given the continuous nature of our moderating variable (i.e., perceived responsiveness), we conducted regression analysis using Hayes's PROCESS macro in SPSS software. A positive self-presentation showed no significant relationship with self-esteem, except when the level of perceived responsiveness was high. Conversely, an honest self-presentation was positively related to higher self-esteem, and the relationship between honest self-presentation and self-esteem was moderated by perceived responsiveness. Our findings extend existing psychological theory into the online environment and have practical implications. These data highlight the link between social media self-presentation and self-esteem among adolescent athletes and illustrate the crucial role of perceived responsiveness in the social media context.

The hidden costs of emotional labor on withdrawal behavior: the mediating role of emotional exhaustion, and the moderating effect of mindfulness

BACKGROUND

Employees' withdrawal behavior concerns organization leaders and policymakers in many countries. However, the specific mechanism which emotional labor affects withdrawal behavior has yet to be thoroughly discussed. There needs to be systematic research on how different emotional labor strategies affect work withdrawal, whether directly or through individual perception, and how to respond.

METHODS

A total of 286 hotel and catering service employees participated in our study. A series of hierarchical moderated regression analyses were performed to test the hypothesis.

RESULTS

The results indicated that surface acting positively affected withdrawal behavior, while deep acting had a negative effect. Emotional exhaustion mediated in this relationship of surface acting with withdrawal behavior and deep acting with withdrawal behavior. Mindfulness showed moderation effects between emotional exhaustion and withdrawal behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional labor and emotional exhaustion are significant in predicting employees' intentions to withdraw, given that emotional exhaustion partially mediates the effects of emotional labor on withdrawal behavior. Significantly, the relationship between emotional exhaustion and withdrawal behavior is weakened by mindfulness.

Trait mindfulness weakens the relationship between Snapchat use and alcohol-related outcomes

Objective:Previous studies identified Snapchat as the most likely social media platform for depictions of excessive drinking and consequences. We sought to further examine this relationship and the possible protective impact of trait mindfulness.Method:A sample of 838 college students completed a survey assessing self-reported alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, trait mindfulness, and individual and peer alcohol-related Snapchat posts.Results:Viewing more peer's Snapchats was associated with increased alcohol-related consequences, except at high levels of trait mindfulness. When controlling for the individual's Snapchat posts, the significant relationship between peer's Snapchats and consequences remained at low levels of trait mindfulness but not for moderate levels. The protective effect of high levels of trait mindfulness endured.Conclusion:Increasing trait mindfulness may help buffer the negative influence of viewing peer's alcohol-related Snapchats on alcohol-related consequences. Further examining how trait mindfulness interacts with peer norms offers important avenues for future research.

A mixed method approach to evaluating eating-related psychopathologies in collegiate student-athletes

OBJECTIVE

To examine the presence of body image concerns, drive for muscularity, and disordered eating behaviors in collegiate student-athletes.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred and one NCAA Division I student-athletes participated in Phase I; 15 of these also participated in Phase II.

METHODS

This study employed a mixed method, sequential explanatory design. Participants first completed survey measures assessing body image concern, drive for muscularity, and eating behaviors. These results influenced open-ended, semi-structured interviews, which were thematically analyzed.

RESULTS

Body image and disordered eating behaviors were of greater concern than drive for muscularity. Student-athletes reported engaging in eating behaviors as opposed to not eating, yet these eating behaviors trended toward disordered behaviors such as obsessive "healthy eating" or orthorexia.

CONCLUSIONS

This study took a novel methodological approach to examining student-athlete body image and eating behaviors. Results emphasize the need for further support and education for student-athletes around body image and eating behaviors.

The Transition to Adulthood in Children of Depressed Parents: Long-Term Follow-Up Data from the Family Talk Preventive Intervention Project

Little is known about the effects of parental depression on offspring as they transition to adulthood-a challenging time developmentally, when late adolescents must separate from home, achieve intimate relationships, and develop a sense of identity. We present long-term quantitative and qualitative data from early adolescents with a depressed parent who were randomized to one of two family-based preventive interventions and followed over time, across the transition to young adulthood. Specifically, we present clinical measures of psychopathology and Likert-scale questionnaire data from young adults and their parents regarding the transition to adulthood and perceptions of the interventions. We also report in-depth qualitative interview data from young adults about the effects of parental depression on their transition to adulthood. Findings suggest that leaving home, establishing relationships, and coping with stressors may be challenging for emerging adults. Furthermore, the interviews highlight the importance of siblings, the burden of parental depression, and the development of self-understanding and empathy in young adults who grew up with a depressed parent. Data suggest that clinicians, policy makers, educators, and employers must address the preventive and clinical needs of young people and their families as they transition to young adulthood after growing up with depressed parents.

The Impact of Social Network Site Use on Young Adult Development: Extending the Research Beyond Time Use and Considering the Role of Self-Disclosure Motivations

Young adults spend a good deal of time using social network sites (SNSs), and the consequences of this activity have come under considerable scrutiny in research. There is some evidence that SNSs offer a context for young adults to engage in self-disclosure, and that such behavior may contribute to their development. In the current study, self-disclosure motivations were explored as a moderator of the relationship between SNS time use and indicators of adjustment. It was hypothesized that the relationships between SNS time use and three indicators of young adult adjustment (belonging, self-concept clarity, and flourishing) would be moderated by self-disclosure motivations. Data were collected using a cross-sectional survey of 524 young adults aged 17-25 years (Mean age = 19.75; SD = 2.16) who used at least one social network site daily (Mean hours of daily use = 3.25; SD = 1.67). The relationships between SNS time use and both belonging and flourishing were moderated by self-disclosure motivations. Specifically, when participants were low or moderately motivated to self-disclose (for relationship maintenance or self-presentation purposes) SNS time use was negatively related to belonging and flourishing. Whereas when participants were highly motivated to self-disclose there was no significant relationship between SNS time use and belonging and SNS time use and flourishing. Additionally, there was no significant moderation of the relationship between SNS time use and self-concept clarity. Based on these findings, we recommend that in order for young adults to reap potential benefits of spending time online they should endeavor to use SNSs for purposes that promote positive self and relational development.

The effect of mindfulness on online self-presentation, pressure, and addiction on social media

As social media has become more imperative in daily life, people pay more attention to self-presentation and impression management on social media, and some have even become psychologically dependent. There is a large group of socially addicted users who continuously strive to improve their online self-presentation. Due to stress and burnout arising from social media addiction, people change their social media behavior. The influence of mindfulness on social behavior cannot be ignored. This study aims to explore coping behaviors and the role of mindfulness for people under social media pressure and social media addiction in China's special political environment. We found significant differences in self-presentation, social media pressure, and social media addiction among different circles in the Chinese context. Experiments have shown that people's socially addictive behaviors and abilities to withstand social media pressure are affected by their mindfulness. In addition, the more social media pressure people perceive on social media, the more likely they are to stop using social media and shift to offline interpersonal interactions. However, when there are more offline interpersonal interactions, people's willingness to return to social media platforms increases.

The Influence of Multi-Variation In-Trust Web Feature Behavior Performance on the Information Dissemination Mechanism in Virtual Community

With the flourishing development of the virtual community (VC), trust not only provides a guarantee and foundation for the VC operation, but is critical in activating individual trust-related behavior in a virtual setting. However, based on a review of prior literature on trust and the VC, those studies failed to pay enough attention to trust’s multidimensional nature. Specifically, the relation among multidimensional components (conditions) in the research trust model is usually less discussed. This research focuses on a set of multidimensional conditions (components) that could activate trust in the context of the VC. The research framework also focuses on the factors of the virtual community scene and individual online behavior (based on intrinsic trustworthiness properties). Based on the classic trust framework, the operation and maintaining mechanism of the VC is analyzed, as well as the relationship between the trustworthy qualities of online users and their online behavior, which helps survey scale design, and then the multidimensions of trust’s construct of the VC is successfully isolated. The concept of Multi-Variation In-Trust Web Feature Behavior Performance as the set of multidimensional conditions supporting trust is proposed in the paper, and the relation among four dimensional components (conditions) is verified. Finally, the connection and operation mechanism between the four dimensional conditions (components) of trust and information dissemination in the VC are explored.

The Mindful Self: Exploring Mindfulness in Relation with Self-esteem and Self-efficacy in Indian Population

The aim of the current study was to evaluate and compare the relationship of mindfulness with self-efficacy and self-esteem. The study has also investigated the difference in mindfulness levels across five dimensions: observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging of inner experiences and non-reactivity to inner experience between males and females and between young adults and middle-aged adults who belong to the Indian population. There was a total of 146 participants (F = 80, M = 66), 84 in the young adult group (20–40 years) and 62 participants in the middle adult group (41–65 years). Pearson correlation showed statistically significant (p < 0.01) moderate positive correlation between all the five dimensions of mindfulness and self-esteem; while self-efficacy had significant (p < 0.01) moderate positive correlation with all the dimensions of mindfulness except for non-judging of inner experiences. Multiple linear regression (MLR) with self-esteem as outcome variable showed model fitness of 51% (p < 0.01) with acting with awareness, non-reactivity to inner experience, non-judging of inner experiences and describing as predictive variables. With self-efficacy as outcome variable, MLR showed model fitness of 40% (p < 0.01) with non-reactivity to inner experiences, acting with awareness, observing and describing as predicting variables. Females were found to be significantly higher in acting with awareness and observing dimensions of mindfulness compared to males. Middle adults were found to be significantly higher only in the non-judging of inner experiences dimension as compared to early adults. Importance of mindfulness in improving self-concept has been established in western world. The present study, by exploring the relationship between mindfulness and self-variables in Indian population, highlights the probable positive outcomes of mindfulness enhancing techniques on self-esteem and self-efficacy of individuals, and therefore on the quality of life.

Platform riders' occupational stigma consciousness and workplace deviant behavior: the mediating role of self-depletion

Purpose

The study aims to analyze how occupational stigma consciousness affects workplace deviant behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a time-lagged research design. Data from 354 riders working on the platform were gathered, and multiple regression and bootstrapping were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Based on the ego depletion theory and resource perspective, the study explores the relationship between the occupational stigma consciousness and workplace deviant behavior of platform riders in China. Occupational stigma consciousness promotes workplace deviant behavior; self-depletion mediates the positive relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and workplace deviant behavior and workplace mindfulness exerts a negative moderating effect on the relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and self-depletion.

Originality/value

The study provides a resource perspective to understand how occupational stigma consciousness is related to workplace deviant behavior and how workplace mindfulness alleviates resource depletion caused by occupational stigma consciousness. The research results provide practical information for managers to reduce deviant behavior, which helps to promote riders' performance on the platform.

Online self-presentation and identity development: The moderating effect of neuroticism

Using social media, which provides ways to socialize and present oneself, has become normal for young people. Although previous research shows that self-presentation via social media is associated with a sense of identity, little attention has been given to the association with identity-development processes. Therefore, the present study examined these associations while controlling for offline self-presentation and tested the potential moderating effect of neuroticism. A sample of 647 Japanese young adults (401 women; Mean _age  = 22.70; SD _age  = 3.25) were recruited to complete an online questionnaire, including measures of identity-development processes, online and offline self-presentation, and neuroticism. A correlation analysis revealed that identity-development processes were associated with online surface-level self-presentation (SSP) but not online inner-level self-presentation (ISP). Further, a moderated regression analysis indicated that the negative associations between online ISP and identity processes were only found among those high in neuroticism. The results of this study suggest that neuroticism may produce variations in young people's identity development.

Social Media and Psychological Well-Being Among Youth: The Multidimensional Model of Social Media Use

Social media use is almost ubiquitous among adolescents and emerging adults. Although much has been studied about the psychological implications of social media use, there is currently no integrative model in which multiple dimensions of social media are considered. The goal of this theoretical article is to introduce the Multidimensional Model of Social Media Use (MMSMU), which aims to provide a useful framework for researchers and practitioners to study and understand young people's social media use in relation to their psychological well-being. The model attends to three major dimensions: activities performed on social media, motives for social media use, and communication partners connected through social media. We present empirical evidence showing whether each dimension is associated with better or poorer well-being and identify or propose mechanisms explaining the associations. Before concluding the article, we discuss clinical implications and possible ways to further expand the proposed model.

Why Do People Browse and Post on WeChat Moments? Relationships among Fear of Missing Out, Strategic Self-Presentation, and Online Social Anxiety

This study examined the mediating and moderating roles of positive and honest self-presentations in the relationship between fear of missing out (FoMO) and online social anxiety (OSA). A total of 796 social media users were recruited online. These participants completed a questionnaire package, which included a section on demographic information, the Positive Self-Presentation and Honest Self-Presentation Scales, the FoMO Scale, and the Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users. Both positive and honest self-presentations partially mediated the relationship between FoMO and OSA, with the former acting as an accelerative mediating factor. Honest self-presentation had a buffering moderating role between FoMO and OSA. Positive self-presentation showed marginal gender differences on the moderating effect. Positive and honest self-presentations clarified the "double-edged sword" effects on the relationship between FoMO and OSA. Honest self-presentation, rather than positive self-presentation, buffered OSA. Results can be used as reference to develop interventions on self-presentation strategies to relieve OSA.

Self-disclosure and social media: motivations, mechanisms and psychological well-being

Self-disclosure is pervasive on social media and has significant implications for psychological well-being. In this review we synthesize recent research on the motivations, mechanisms and effects of self-disclosure on well-being and then propose a framework that highlights the bidirectional relationship between self-disclosure and well-being. The framework details the mechanisms by which self-disclosure on social media can influence well-being and how self-disclosure fulfills particular needs of individuals with different well-being characteristics. We call for future research to examine the proposed bi-directional relationship, especially studies designed to tease out causal effects.

Depression symptoms and negative online disclosure among young adults in college: a mixed-methods approach

Background: Social media may be novel and promising avenues to identify youth at risk for depression. Missing from prior research on youth social media use in the service of mental health is our understanding of the kinds of negative experiences young people disclose online and their associations with depression symptoms.Aims: Using a mixed-methods approach, this study: (1) examined the association between depression symptoms and online disclosure of negative emotions; (2) explored the kinds of negative experiences young adults, in their own words, disclosed online; and (3) investigated the associations between depression symptoms and the online disclosure of negative experiences.Methods: Young adults in college (N = 261; 66 males, 195 females M_age 22) completed quantitative as well as qualitative questionnaires about their Facebook content and use and about their mental health (e.g. depression symptoms). Responses were analyzed using a thematic analysis, and a series of binary logistic regression analyses, controlling for age, gender, Facebook use and self-esteem.Results: An inductive thematic analysis of 121 qualitative responses reflecting negative emotional states revealed fours themes of negative experiences: life hassles, relationships, academics and work. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that youth who reported higher depression symptoms were two times more likely to disclose negative emotions online and were three times more likely to disclose various hassles online than their peers who reported lower symptoms. Active Facebook users were almost two times more likely than less active users to disclose negative academic experiences.Conclusions: Online disclosure of negative emotions and experiences are linked with depression symptoms. Further, online disclosure of negative experiences may also reflect normative, age-related instabilities. In sum, social media may be promising avenues to detect mental health concerns (e.g., depression) in early adulthood.