ArticlePDF Available

Cross-Cultural Comparison of Adolescents' Online Self-Presentation Strategies:: Turkey and the United States

DOI:10.4018/IJCBPL.2016070101
Authors:
Nevfel Boz at Social Sciences University of Ankara
Nevfel Boz
Yalda T. Uhls at University of California, Los Angeles
Yalda T. Uhls
Patricia Greenfield at University of California, Los Angeles
Patricia Greenfield
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

Studying how social network site (SNS) users from different countries present themselves is crucial for inquiring into the dynamics of culture and youth. This study of 100 adolescents age 14-18 (Mage= 15.90, SD = .1.48) was designed to determine whether cultural differences between adolescents in the U.S. and Turkey would manifest themselves in their online self-presentation strategies on Facebook. Snowball sampling was used to reach U.S. and Turkish adolescents (50 participants from each country) who were using Facebook. The study provides novel insights into how adolescents from each country, in relation to its specific cultural framework, display certain kinds of self-presentation strategies. By coding Facebook profiles of adolescents, the authors found that the sharpest cross-cultural contrast was found in the frequency of the self-promotion strategy, which was more frequent in the United States. There was also a significant difference in use of exemplification strategy between the two countries; it was more widely used in Turkey. The high level of the ingratiation strategy in both countries may reflect the importance of "likes" in the Internet culture. There was also a significant cross-national difference in the ingratiation strategy, which U.S. teens used more. Finally, the authors also found a low level of use of the intimidation and supplication strategies in both countries. The study highlights the importance of self-exploration in constructing identities that conform to desirable cultural roles.
Content uploaded by Nevfel Boz
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Nevfel Boz on Mar 25, 2017
Content may be subject to copyright.
DOI: 10.4018/IJCBPL.2016070101
Copyright © 2016, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

Volume 6 • Issue 3 • July-September 2016

Studying how social network site (SNS) users from different countries present themselves is crucial
for inquiring into the dynamics of culture and youth. This study of 100 adolescents age 14-18 (Mage=
15.90, SD = .1.48) was designed to determine whether cultural differences between adolescents in the
U.S. and Turkey would manifest themselves in their online self-presentation strategies on Facebook.
Snowball sampling was used to reach U.S. and Turkish adolescents (50 participants from each country)
who were using Facebook. The study provides novel insights into how adolescents from each country,
in relation to its specific cultural framework, display certain kinds of self-presentation strategies. By
coding Facebook profiles of adolescents, the authors found that the sharpest cross-cultural contrast
was found in the frequency of the self-promotion strategy, which was more frequent in the United States.
There was also a significant difference in use of exemplification strategy between the two countries;
it was more widely used in Turkey. The high level of the ingratiation strategy in both countries may
reflect the importance of “likes” in the Internet culture. There was also a significant cross-national
difference in the ingratiation strategy, which U.S. teens used more. Finally, the authors also found a
low level of use of the intimidation and supplication strategies in both countries. The study highlights
the importance of self-exploration in constructing identities that conform to desirable cultural roles.

Adolescents, Cultural Differences, Self-Presentation Strategies, Social Networking Sites



Nevfel Boz, Children’s Digital Media Center @ Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, University of California Los
Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA & Department of Media and Communication, Social Science University of
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Yalda T. Uhls, Children’s Digital Media Center @ Los Angeles, Common Sense Media & Department of Psychology,
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
Patricia M. Greeneld, Children’s Digital Media Center @ Los Angeles & Department of Psychology, University of
California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA

The use of new media for information exchange, self-expression, and connection is highly prevalent
among youth around the world (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, et al., 2010; Pew Research Internet Project,
2014; Subrahmanyam & Smahel, 2010), with online social media sites continuing to grow in popularity
(Duggan & Smith, 2013; Lenhart et al., 2015). In the United States, the number one social network
for teens, ages 13-17, is Facebook, with 71 percent reporting its use. Alongside the United States,
Turkey ranks in the top five countries with the highest percentage of Facebook users (Gezgin, 2013).
1

Volume 6 • Issue 3 • July-September 2016
2
In the last four decades, Turkey transitioned from a primarily agricultural, collectivistic country to one
which is more industrialized; as such, valued identity markers may be shifting, both offline and on.
According to Erikson (1963), an important task of adolescence is to explore and develop
stable identities. Extant research has found that online spaces seem to be a new social context
where adolescents address developmental issues such as identity development and self-presentation
(Greenfield & Subrahmanyam, 2003; Subrahmanyam, Greenfield, & Tynes, 2004; Subrahmanyam
& Smahel, 2011; Uhls, 2015). In addition, cultural norms may emerge online and present themselves
on social media profiles, shaping adolescents’ use of self-presentation strategies. Understanding how
social network site (SNS) users from different countries present themselves is important for exploring
the dynamics of culture and youth.
This study was designed to determine whether cultural differences between adolescents in two
countries, the United States and Turkey, would manifest themselves in their online self-presentation
strategies on Facebook.

We turn to Goffman’s dramaturgy theory (1959) as the lens through which to examine online self-
presentation. Self-presentation can be defined as a process through which individuals transmit their
image to others (Jones & Pittman, 1982; Leary 1996; Leary & Kowalski, 1990). Goffman argues that
the primary motivation in self-presentation is to present an idealized image of self that conforms to
cultural expectations. Just as an actor’s desire for a standing ovation motivates him/her to perform
according to the audience’s feedback, ordinary individuals too, are eager to present a certain identity
and presentation based on the feedback they get from others in their society. This is why Goffman
argues that an individual’s most important desire is to successfully present the ideal role they think
is fit for them in their society (Goffman, 1959).
In order to create the desired impression for an audience, individuals need to strategically
control the information that they disclose (Leary 1996; Leary & Kowalski, 1990). In other words,
self-presentation provides a link between the self and others; it represents how they view themselves
and how they want to be viewed by others (Baumeister, 1982; Leary & Kowalski, 1990). In general,
people engage in self-presentation in order to obtain social and material benefits, such as identity
validation, power, friendship, or financial benefits (Jones & Pittman, 1982; Leary 1996; Leary &
Kowalski, 1990).

Social networking sites serve as opportunities for identity exploration and self-presentation through
the moderation of the information on users’ profiles (Stutzman, Capra, & Thompson, 2011; Tufekci,
2008). Notably, teens construct their public personas by formatting the information on their profiles
(Manago et al., 2008; Madden et al., 2013). Adolescents may use various Facebook affordances for
self-presentation in the process of identity development. For example, adolescents’ construction of
a Facebook profile (e.g., the type and amount of self-information they disclose about themselves)
and the changes they make to these profiles on a daily basis (e.g., edits, posting pictures, posting
comments) can be considered acts of self-presentation.
The offline context has implications for online experiences (Subrahmanyam & Smahel, 2011).
Teens can also use online social networking sites to gather cultural information and express real and
idealized selves within the context of their environment (Rainie, Lenhart & Smith, 2012; Manago,
Graham, Greenfield, et al., 2008; Michikyan, Dennis, & Subrahmanyam, 2014; Salimkhan, Manago,
& Greenfield, 2010; Subrahmanyam et al., 2006; Uhls, 2015). Cultural identity and audience
characteristics are two crucial factors that shape the presentation of idealized values (Hofstede, 1980;
Maltz & Borker, 1982).
14 more pages are available in the full version of this
document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart"
button on the product's webpage:
www.igi-global.com/article/cross-cultural-comparison-of-
adolescents-online-self-presentation-
strategies/160694?camid=4v1
This title is available in InfoSci-Journals, InfoSci-Journal
Disciplines Communications and Social Science.
Recommend this product to your librarian:
www.igi-global.com/e-resources/library-
recommendation/?id=2
Related Content
The International SOLETM of Finnish Higher Education: A Virtual Vanishing
Act
David M. Hoffman, Jussi Välimaa, Taina Saarinen, Minna Söderqvist, Mika Raunio
and Marjaana Korhonen (2011). International Journal of Cyber Ethics in Education
(pp. 25-39).
www.igi-global.com/article/international-soletm-finnish-higher-
education/56106?camid=4v1a
Improving CRM 2.0 through Collective Intelligence by Using CBIR Algorithms
Yuliana Perez-Gallardo, Giner Alor-Hernandez and Guillermo Cortes-Robles (2014).
Cyber Behavior: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 1482-1502).
www.igi-global.com/chapter/improving-crm-20-through-collective-intelligence-
by-using-cbir-algorithms/107798?camid=4v1a
The Significance of Network Ethics Education in Japanese Universities: A
Global Citizenship Education for Building a Moral Community in the
Globalized Network Society
Tetsu Ueno and Yasushi Maruyama (2013). Ethical Technology Use, Policy, and
Reactions in Educational Settings (pp. 133-141).
www.igi-global.com/chapter/significance-network-ethics-education-
japanese/67919?camid=4v1a
Chronotype and Smartphone Use among Japanese Medical Students
Masahiro Toda, Nobuhiro Nishio, Satoko Ezoe and Tatsuya Takeshita (2015).
International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning (pp. 75-80).
www.igi-global.com/article/chronotype-and-smartphone-use-among-
japanese-medical-students/135317?camid=4v1a
... People with different cultural background, age, and gender might have differences in social media platform usage on engagement factors. For example, Boz, Uhls & Greenfield (2016) found that Facebook usage of the U.S. and Turkish adolescents aged 14-18 is different. Self-promotion strategy is frequently used by adolescents in the U.S. compared to Turkish adolescents while exemplification strategy (using more examples and details to explain or convince others) is more frequently used in Turkey. ...
Cross Cultural Analysis of Facebook on Global Purchase
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2023
This study attempts to examine the impact of culture on social media by utilizing the social media factors: brand influencers, brand generated content, consumer generated content, and brand engagement. In doing so, these social media factors between Turkish and American Facebook users are compared. Two hundred nine people were surveyed using, an online platform. Three-way MANOVA and Post-hoc tests were performed. The results showed that females are more affected than males while different age groups did not have any impact. Culture in Turkey has been changing since females use social media actively and influencers who work with popular brands, support women rights in their posts. Furthermore, Turkish consumers are more sensitive to social media factors on global brand pages of Facebook when compared to American consumers. Overall, gender, age, and cultural differences were observed for social media factors. Findings have practical implications for marketing, especially for advertising products and services on Facebook.
View
... A departure from individualistic self-presentation norms of the USA has also been documented more recently in Turkey. Comparing Turkish and American adolescents' self-presentations on Facebook, researchers found adolescents in the USA were more likely to use promotion strategies in their self-representations, conforming to ideals for exalting the self, while those in Turkey tended to conform to Turkish ideals by presenting themselves through exemplification strategies that demonstrated their moral principles (Boz et al., 2016). ...
Culture and Digital Media in Adolescent Development
Chapter
Full-text available
  • Jul 2022
Digital media are integrated into the lives of adolescents in almost every corner of the globe, yet the extent of integration, how media are used, and the effects of media in development are anything but universal. In this chapter, we summarize studies that illustrate how cultural context matters for understanding digital media and adolescent psychological development. In keeping with our transactional view of culture and human development, we explore how cultural values, structures of community, and notions of selfhood shape, and are shaped by, digital media use. To balance the disproportionate representation of survey research with samples in North America and Western Europe, we draw from anthropological and ethnographic research, including our own fieldwork in northern Thailand and a Maya community in Mexico. We conclude by proposing future directions in the study of culture and digital media.
View
... Previous studies point out a cultural variation in terms of reflecting selfpresentational behaviors (Kim & Papacharissi, 2003, Zhao & Jiang, 2011. For instance, the comparison of 100 Turkish and U. S. adolescents' Facebook profiles indicated that Turkish adolescents use more exemplification strategies while U. S. adolescents use self-promotion strategies more frequently in their Facebook posts (Boz et al., 2016). Although the contribution of these studies is highly valuable, most of them depend on the qualitative analysis of participants' social media profiles. ...
PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE TURKISH VERSION OF THE SELF-PRESENTATION TACTICS SCALE
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2022
The current study aimed to adapt the Self-Presentation Tactics Scale (SPTS; Lee et al., 1999) into Turkish and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Accordingly, two studies were conducted. In the first one, the factor structure of SPTS was tested in a sample of 346 adults with exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which revealed a distinct structure explaining 58.14% of the variance from the 12-factor original scale. The findings showed that a nine-factor model including 50 items presented the best fit with the following factors: ingratiation, apology, exemplification, disclaimer, intimidation, excuse/justification, enhancement, self-handicapping, blasting/entitlement. In the second study, a sample of 653 college students completed SPTS and Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS). The second-order nine-factor solution was uncovered by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In addition, internal consistency and test-retest reliability analyses showed significant correlation coefficients. The criterion-related validity was also proved with significant correlations between SPTS and RSMS. These results verify that the SPTS is a valid and reliable measure to assess self-presentation tactics for the adult population in Turkey.
View
... An important element was the comparison between views of technology users coming from different cultures. Since the results of previous cross-cultural studies suggest considerable differences in the perceptions and usage behavior of modern technologies, like the openness to use medical technologies (e.g., Alagöz et al., 2011), using social media for seeking and sharing health information (Li et al., 2018) or considering online selfpresentation strategies (e.g., Boz et al., 2016), for the purposes of this research participants from Germany and Turkey were inquired. ...
Video Cameras for Lifelogging at Home: Preferred Visualization Modes, Acceptance, and Privacy Perceptions among German and Turkish Participants
Article
  • Feb 2021
Increasing numbers of older individuals in the societies pose great challenges for countries affected by the demographic change. The rapid development in the technological sector, on the other hand, enables various applications to make everyday life easier for older and disabled people and to maintain their autonomy for longer. This study examines the acceptance and privacy perceptions of a video-based technology for lifelogging in home environments among German and Turkish users, using a multi-method empirical research approach. Results expose an overall differing acceptance of using lifelogging cameras between German and Turkish participants and suggest that the consideration of the varying culture-bound demands is necessary. The findings of this study support the understanding of requirements for a successful implementation of a video-based assistive technology in private environments to optimally address the needs of the future users, drawing attention to the important cultural influences that affect its acceptance.
View
... Our cross-cultural approach to the study of children's digital skills across 19 European countries is informed by previous research suggesting that, if, on the one hand, media use seems to have spread across countries yielding similar effects with respect to changes in individual development, cultural values and learning environments (Greenfield, 2019), on the other hand, the way people use and make sense of media appears to be culture-specific (Boz et al., 2016). In fact, digital media can be understood as Vygotskyian cultural tools (Vygotsky, 1980), where people's confidence of use may vary not only according to their cognitive development, but also depending on the sociocultural milieu they are part of. ...
Digital skills, risks and wellbeing among European children
Technical Report
Full-text available
  • Nov 2020
This report is based on further analysis of the EU Kids Online data collected across 19 European countries in 2017–19 (Smahel et al., 2020), and aims to identify the antecedents and consequences of digital skills among children. More specifically, in Section 3, "The antecedents of digital skills", we tested the relationship between individual characteristics (age and gender), social characteristics (socioeconomic status [SES] and parental mediation), country characteristics, information and communications technology (ICT) use and skills. In Section 4, "The consequences of digital skills", we examined the relations between skills, risks and opportunities. The report is aimed at outlining gaps in the evidence base and in our current knowledge of digital skills acquisition, in order to inform future research in this area.
View
... While the importance of self-presentation is a universal attribute of the social networking culture, pre-existing differences in cultural values play a role in how individualistically the self is presented. For example, in a comparison of adolescent Facebook users in Turkey and the United States, self-promoting presentations were significantly more frequent in the United States than in Turkey (Boz, Uhls, & Greenfield, 2016). This difference reflects the more individualistic value system of the United States, compared with Turkey. ...
Multilevel theory of emerging technologies: Implications of historical transformation for human development
Article
  • Oct 2020
Integrating a theory of social change, culture, and human development with earlier theoretical work on media effects, this article explores developmental implications—social, cognitive, and neural—of the march of media through historical time and across geographical space. It draws on studies employing a variety of methods—content analysis, focus group, survey, field, lab, and fMRI experiments. While before‐after comparisons are valuable but rare, there are a number of other research designs that allow us to infer effects of the historical introduction and expansion of a particular communication technology. In this theoretical article, I first present an overview of the theory and then use it to analyze and discuss the effects of three examples of emerging technologies: mobile phones, social networking, and multimedia.
View
... Health programmes and policy-making therefore rely on scientific studies on the effect of social factors such as gender on health for designing corrective measures for promoting health for all. Scientific studies on youth health lifestyle therefore need to consider the dynamics of gender and different culture spaces in a glocalising world (Boz et al., 2016). ...
Youth health, gender, and social media: Mauritius as a glocal place Youth health, gender, and social media: Mauritius as a glocal place
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2020
The aim of this study was to investigate associations between social media use, self-reported health, dietary behaviours, and gender among young people living in Mauritius. For this cross-sectional study, questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 492 individuals (of which 64% were females) aged 14–29 year. A linear regression analysis investigating the associations between health problems and social media use, a number of dietary choices and behaviours, and gender was found to explain 49.9% of the variance in the prevalence of health problems, with social media use making the largest unique contribution (beta = 0.48). A MANOVA analysis found that there were significant gender differences in social media use, unhealthy food consumption, and self-reported health problems. This article concludes that the clash between gender, fast technological developments, and the influx of unhealthy foods in a glocal place has effects on young people through social media, and need to be monitored closely by youth and health policy-makers and researchers.
View
... While the importance of self-presentation is a universal attribute of the social networking culture, pre-existing differences in cultural values play a role in how individualistically the self is presented. For example, in a comparison of adolescent Facebook users in Turkey and the United States, self-promoting presentations were signifi cantly more frequent in the United States than in Turkey (Boz, Uhls, & Greenfi eld, 2016 ). This difference refl ects the more individualistic value system of the United States, compared with Turkey. ...
View
... By posting pictures and seeing the reaction of others, adolescents practice impression management and selfpresentation. 28 An interesting distinction can be found between identity development, a key task of adolescence, and impression management, which involves managing how others perceive one's identity. Social media offers opportunities for identity development, but it can be argued that this is usually through the lens of impression management in that adolescents have to make decisions about what information about themselves to share online. ...
Applying an affordances approach and a developmental lens to approach adolescent social media use
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2019
Social media use among adolescents is nearly ubiquitous. Researchers, educators and parents may find the ever-shifting landscape of social media challenging to understand. In this Educational Piece, we describe an affordances approach. Applying an affordances approach to social media can advance our understanding of social media as a set of functions rather than brand name platforms. We present an affordances approach alongside the critical developmental tasks of adolescence. Our goal is to advance our thinking and standards in communicating about social media and adolescents to inform better research and program design.
View
... Cross-cultural studies showed that compared with the collectivistic culture, the frequency of self-promotion and ingratiation strategies on Facebook were more frequent among American youths. 53 The most used social networking service (SNS) in the US such as Facebook and Instagram offers more visibility to any individual to see other's live updates and informs each other about the social activities. Those who did not follow or respond to the social events might be socially rejected or ostracised. ...
Relative risks of Internet-related addictions and mood disturbances among college students: a 7-country/region comparison
Article
Full-text available
Abstract OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the relative risks of addiction to the Internet, online gaming and online social networking of college students in six Asian countries/regions (Singapore, Hong Kong [HK]/Macau, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan) compared with students in the United States (US). It also explored the relative risks of depression and anxiety symptoms among students with Internet-related addictions from these countries/regions. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A convenience sample of 8067 college students aged between 18 and 30 years was recruited from seven countries/regions. Students completed a survey about their use of the Internet, online gaming and online social networking as well as the presence of depression and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: For all students, the overall prevalence rates were 8.9% for Internet use addiction, 19.0% for online gaming addiction and 33.1% for online social networking addiction. Compared with the US students, Asian students showed higher risks of online social networking addiction but displayed lower risks of online gaming addiction (with the exception of students from HK/Macau). Chinese and Japanese students also showed higher risks of Internet addiction compared with the US students. In general, addicted Asian students were at higher risks of depression than the addicted US students, especially among Asian students who were addicted to online gaming. Addicted Asian students were at lower risks of anxiety than the addicted US students, especially among Asian students who were addicted to online social networking, and addicted students from HK/Macau and Japan were more likely to have higher relative risks of depression. CONCLUSIONS: There are country/regional differences in the risks of Internet-related addictions and psychiatric symptoms. It is suggested that country/region-specific health education programmes regarding Internet-related addictions are warranted to maximise the efficiency of prevention and intervention. These programmes should attempt to tackle not only problematic Internet-related behaviours but also mood disturbances among college students.
View
igi-global.com/article/chronotype-and-smartphone-use-amongjapanese-medical-students
  • 4-5
  • Www
www.igi-global.com/article/chronotype-and-smartphone-use-amongjapanese-medical-students/135317?camid=4v1a
Ethical Technology Use, Policy, and Reactions in Educational Settings
  • Jan 2013
  • 133-141
  • Tetsu Ueno
  • Yasushi Maruyama
Tetsu Ueno and Yasushi Maruyama (2013). Ethical Technology Use, Policy, and Reactions in Educational Settings (pp. 133-141).
  • Jan 2011
  • 25-39
  • David M Hoffman
  • Jussi Välimaa
  • Taina Saarinen
  • Minna Söderqvist
  • Mika Raunio
  • Marjaana Korhonen
David M. Hoffman, Jussi Välimaa, Taina Saarinen, Minna Söderqvist, Mika Raunio and Marjaana Korhonen (2011). International Journal of Cyber Ethics in Education (pp. 25-39).