Gender differences in online self-promotion and self-esteem

Abstract

With the rise of social media, many individuals have fallen into the path of evaluating and comparing themselves to those around them with regards to what is posted online. This study focused on individual’s self-promotion and how this is related to one’s self-esteem. This study further explored these differences in relation to gender categories. Self-esteem was measured using Rosenberg’s (1965) Self-esteem Scale. Self-promotion was measured through statistics concerning individuals posting habits on their social media accounts. This study concluded that the male category tended to possess a higher self-esteem when compared to the female category. This study also revealed that females uploaded and participated in more self-promotion on their social media platforms than males. The study then moved on to discover if there was a correlation between ones self-promoting habits and their self-esteem. This study concluded that in the sample, no link was found between the two variables mentioned, even when it came to gender categories. The results are further discussed in this study and were linked to literature that was previously put forward in relation to the topic at hand. Previous studies found that males and females have a similar self-esteem, where in this study it was concluded that males possess a higher self-esteem than females. In line with other studies, this study found that females use their social media pages to self-promote more than males. Recommendations for future research are discussed such as gender expression on social media and how this could be portrayed. Also, self-esteem may be linked to external stressors which may be projected onto an individual’s posting habits.