Self-Disclosure Through Weblogs and Perceptions of Online and Real-lif

Introduction The way people choose to portray themselves on an online social networking site or a dating site is does not always stand true to real life. There are many stipulations that one has to go through in order to be comfortable not only receiving, but distributing their personal information. This paper will explore different ways that online presentations in mediated communication through dating and social networking sites are represented and the issues that coincide. Social networking sites have distinctive cues that create various levels of importance to those browsing them. Almost everyone today has some form of a social networking account, and there are plenty to choose from. People may be facetious when revealing about who they truly are, even when looking for a mate. The self-competence that exists in people is very well presented online and it is curious to see what is true and what is not. Forming impressions The idea of forming impressions while in an online environment comes into play rather frequently. Since there is no technical face-to-face meeting, a person is left with their own assumptions of what their supposed partner is truly like. It is common for a person to be skeptical of what the other is saying because it is simple to alter the truth in a computer-mediated relationship. Whether it be choosing a new partner, or making a new friend impressions are formed beforehand especially in an online world. In the article â€Å"The Effects of Verbal versus Photographic Self-Presentation on Impression Formation on Facebook† by Brandon Van Der Heide et al, the idea of textual and visual primacy on Facebook is explored. The proposal of â€Å"impression formation in the context of social networking Web sites rasing new q... ...9.07.005. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563209001216) Palmieri, C., Prestano, K., Gandley, R., Overton, E., & Qin, Z. (2012). The Facebook Phenomenon: Online Self-Disclosure and Uncertainty Reduction. China Media Research, 8(1), 48-53. Toma, C.L., Hancock J.T., Ellison N.B.Separating fact from fiction: An examination of deceptive self-presentation in online dating profiles (2008) Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34 (8), pp.1023-1036 Van Der Heide, B., D'Angelo, J. D., & Schumaker, E. M. (2012). The Effects of Verbal Versus Photographic Self-Presentation on Impression Formation in Facebook. Journal Of Communication, 62(1), 98-116. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01617.x Zhao, S. (2005), The Digital Self: Through the Looking Glass of Telecopresent Others. Symbolic Interaction, 28: 387–405. doi: 10.1525/si.2005.28.3.387