Self-Esteem Levels & Selfies
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Self-Esteem Levels & Selfies: The Relationship between Self-Esteem Levels and the Number of Selfies People Take and Post, and the Uses and Gratifications of Taking and Posting Selfies By Abdullah Alblooshi A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Mass Communication Middle Tennessee State University December 2015 Thesis Committee: Larry Burriss, Ph.D., Chair Tricia Farwell, Ph.D., Thesis Committee Sanjay Asthana, Ph.D., Thesis Committee ABSTRACT The research examines the relationship between self-esteem levels and the number of selfies people take and post, and the uses and gratifications of taking and posting selfies. For this purpose, 365 undergraduate students were surveyed using questionnaires provided through the online survey tool, Survey Monkey. Survey results indicated that the highest number of selfies is taken by the people with high self-esteem. The study revealed that the highest number of selfies is posted by the people with high self-esteem. Also, the people with low self-esteem levels take and post the lowest number of selfies. The study found a significant relationship between low self-esteem levels and posting selfies to boost self- confidence. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ………………………………………………………………………………. vi List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………………...vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ...................................................................... 2 Origin of Selfie..................................................................................................................... 2 Uses & Gratifications Theory ............................................................................................ 3 Looking-Glass Self Theory ................................................................................................. 4 Self-Verification Theory ..................................................................................................... 6 Effects of Selfies on Socio-Psychological Characteristics of People................................ 7 Self-Esteem Levels and Social Media ................................................................................ 9 Influence of Posting Selfies on Self-Esteem and its Relationship with the Age, Sex and Education of People ........................................................................................................... 11 Relationship between Self-Esteem Levels and People Who Take More Selfies .......... 13 Relationship between Self-Esteem Levels and People Who Post More Selfies ............ 14 Impact of Selfies on Self-Esteem Levels .......................................................................... 15 Selfies as Self-Confidence Boosters .................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 18 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................. 18 Research Questions and Hypotheses ............................................................................... 19 Research Methodology ...................................................................................................... 20 Data Collection Procedure ................................................................................................ 20 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………………………. 20 iii CHAPTER IV: RESULTS ................................................................................................... 22 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 22 Demographic Statistics of the Survey Participants ........................................................ 22 Gender Identity of the Participants................................................................................. 23 Age of the Current Survey Participants ......................................................................... 24 Ethnicity Origin of the Current Survey Participants .................................................... 26 School Year of the Current Survey Participants ........................................................... 26 Self-Esteem Level of the Participants ............................................................................. 27 Data Collection and Analysis ........................................................................................... 27 Relationship between People Who Take More Selfies and Their Self-Esteem Levels 28 Relationship between People Who Posts More Selfies and Their Self-Esteem Levels 29 Uses and Gratifications of Selfies .................................................................................... 30 H1: People with Lower Self-Esteem Levels Tend to Take More Selfies Than Those with Higher Self-Esteem Levels ...................................................................................... 31 H2: People with Low Self-Esteem Tend to Take or Post Selfies to Boost their Self- Confidence More Than Those with Higher Levels of Self-Esteem ............................... 32 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION......................................................... 33 Demographics of the Participants .................................................................................... 33 Gender of the Current Survey Participant. .................................................................... 33 Age of the Current Survey Participants ......................................................................... 34 Ethnicity Origin of the Current Survey Participants .................................................... 34 School Year of the Current Survey Participants……………………………………... 34 Self-Esteem Level of the Participants ............................................................................. 35 Relationship between People Who Take More Selfies and Their Self-Esteem Levels 35 Relationship between People Who Post More Selfies and Their Self-Esteem Levels . 36 Uses and Gratifications of Selfies ..................................................................................... 37 iv People With Lower Self-Esteem Levels Tend To Take More Selfies Than Those With Higher Self-Esteem Levels. ............................................................................................... 38 People With Low Self-Esteem Tend To Take Or Post Selfies To Boost Their Self- Confidence More Than Those With Higher Levels Of Self-Esteem ............................. 39 Conclusion, Limitations and Future Research ............................................................... 40 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 42 APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................... 53 APPENDIX A: INFORMED CONSENT FORM .......................................................... 54 APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................................ 55 APPENDIX C: OTHER RESPONSES FOR USES AND GRATIFICATIONS OF SELFIES ............................................................................................................................ 59 APPENDIX D: IRB APPROVAL ................................................................................... 64 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Average of Selfies Taken and Posted by Age…………………………25 Table 2 Reasons for Taking or Posting Selfies………………………...….…...31 Table 3 Reasons for Taking or Posting Selfies Pivot Table…..……………….32 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Gender Identity of the Current Survey Participants…………………..23 Figure 2 Age of the Current Survey Participants………………………………25 Figure 3 Ethnicity Origin of the Current Survey Participants…………………26 Figure 4 School Year of the Current Survey Participants……………………..27 Figure 5 Self-Esteem Levels and Number of Selfies Taken…………………...28 Figure 6 Number of Selfies Posted and Self-Esteem Levels…………………..29 vii 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Taking a picture of yourself without the help of others hasn’t been that big of a deal until selfies came into existence. In the past three years, a great number of individuals practiced the trend of taking and posting selfies. Selfies became a very interesting topic for researchers to study and examine because since 2012, the rate of usage of selfie reportedly increased by 17,000% (Bennett, 2014). The phenomenon of selfie was so widespread in 2013 that Oxford Dictionary selected the term as the "word of 2013" (Snooke, 2014). Keenan (2014) mentions that she had seen people taking selfies at parties, in class, while having food, working out at the gym, and almost everywhere and anywhere. According to Haggard (2014), people believe self-imaging as a way to validate and express themselves. However, other researchers are proposing that being highly involved in the trend can be related to low self-esteem or narcissism (Haggard, 2014). Researchers found that people with low self-esteem tend to be more involved with the trend of taking selfies, as well as the use of social media to mediate their interpersonal interaction in order to fulfil their self-esteem needs (Varnali, 2015). Hence, the present study aimed to study the relationship between self-esteem levels and