Date

4-2014

Department

Communication Studies

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Chair

Faith Mullen

Keywords

Facebook, Face Management, Goffman, Narcissism, Social Media, Ting-Toomey

Disciplines

Communication | Communication Technology and New Media | Social Media

Abstract

Since its creation in 2004, Facebook has experienced tremendous growth and success, allowing users to communicate and share their life with people all over the world. Facebook is used to share information with others and allows users to show their friends what is happening in their lives. Erving Goffman developed face management theory as a way to explain how and why people preserve and maintain their public self image. This study applies Goffmans theory of face management to develop an understanding of how Facebook is used and specifically whether Facebook use influences narcissistic tendencies in its users. The researcher surveyed 299 participants in order to answer four research questions pertaining to narcissism and facework. The researcher's observation suggests that narcissism may be present in Facebook posts; however, it is not often perceived by users. Additionally, this study shows that participants use corrective facework, not preventative, as a primary motivation for editing posts on Facebook. The study concludes by providing limitations and recommendation for future research.

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