Culture of Honor and Self-Presentation on MySpace Profiles

Self-presentation through mediated communication is a novel phenomenon that has not been researched in depth. There is a Culture of Honor that is alleged to exist in southern regions of the United States. Research has shown southern males to be more violent and aggressive than their northern counterparts on numerous variables. The current study analyzed whether the Culture of Honor would transfer onto an individual‟s online self-presentation through the social networking site MySpace.com. Participants were white males between the ages of eighteen and twenty five. It was hypothesized that southern males would present themselves more aggressively than northern males. A content analysis of 320 MySpace profiles revealed that southern and northern males present themselves similarly in terms of aggression. This may be due to the fact that a majority of the Culture of Honor research is related to direct aggression. Self-presentation through mediated communication would be considered indirect aggression and may have led to similar styles of presenting one‟s self. Culture of Honor & Self-Presentation 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Thomas Holtgraves for his participation as my advisor in the current study. His ideas and advice aided me very much throughout this endeavor. I would also like to thank Dr. David Perkins and the Psychology Departmental Honors students for their contribution to the project as well. Culture of Honor & Self-Presentation 4 Culture of Honor and Self-Presentation on MySpace Profiles Self-Presentation through mediated communication has become an amplified concern for our society in recent years. With over 700 million social networking users presenting themselves through online profiles (Back et al., 2010), it has evolved into an essential medium for social interaction. Little research has been conducted to test how individuals present themselves online, and the research that addresses this topic has yielded mixed results. In the ever increasing age of technological advances and expanded forms of communication, it is vital to understand how individuals are presenting themselves through this form of media. A topic that has not been well explored is whether one‟s culture transfers onto these mediated self-presentations. Certainly there are differences between the styles cultures use to present themselves, but what about cultures within a culture? Are there differences in the ways subcultures present themselves? Within the United States, a Culture of Honor has been alleged to exist within southern regions of the country (Gastil, 1971). Southern males are thought to be more aggressive and violent than their northern counterparts. This research explored whether the Culture of Honor transfers into mediated communication through the popular social networking site MySpace.com. Online Self-Presentation The internet has altered the way in which we present our identities (Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin, 2008). These online presentations are a large part of an individual‟s overall identity. Identities appear to be social products and not reliant on innate characteristics. An important part of one‟s self-concept lies in their identity. Self-concept is explained as the thoughts and feelings one has about themselves. An identity is the part of the self through which we are known to others by. Individuals vary in how important their identities are to them (Felson, 1982). The process of constructing an identity, involves two separate parts. Zhao, Grasmuck, and Martin Culture of Honor & Self-Presentation 5 (2008) define these two parts as “identity announcement” and “identity placement. ” The identity announcement is made by the individual claiming the identity, and the identity placement is made by others endorsing the identity. The identity is established when both the announcement and the placement coincide. An important difference to understand is the difference between online and face-to-face communication. This new technology alters communication, social roles, and identity portrayals (Magnuson & Dundes, 2008); allows for very flexible communication styles (Raacke & BondsRaacke, 2008); allows for new ways to relate to others and communicate anonymously to provide minimal social risk (Sheldon, 2008); and the relationships on these sites may involve lower interdependence, commitment, and permanence than offline (Katz & Rice, 2002) . Online communication is not all the same though. The continuum from nonymous to anonymous is vast. There are completely anonymous online environments, such as chatrooms, where an individual can present themselves however they wish. Then there are more nonymous online communication tools, such as Facebook and MySpace, where an individual does not have the enormous freedom that completely anonymous environments allow. MySpace appears to be more anonymous than Facebook, but less anonymous than chatrooms. Individuals appear to act and display themselves differently in less anonymous environments (Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin, 2008). Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin (2008) explain that face-to-face interactions prevent individuals from claiming identities that are inconsistent with physical characteristics. In contrast, less anonymous online environments can prevent individuals from pretending to be something they are not if their social background and personality are known to the audience. Completely anonymous environments allow an individual to pretend to be someone else or act Culture of Honor & Self-Presentation 6 out negative impulses. The freedom one has in an online environment is enormous when compared to face-to-face physical interactions. Even when audio and visual tools are available through the internet, one is still able to maintain this anonymity by not revealing information about their personal background, provided the audience does not already know this information. This “disembodied and anonymous online environment makes it possible to reinvent themselves through the production of new identities” (Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin, 2008, pp. 1818). When in nonymous environments, it is much more difficult to make false identity claims. There are three different types of the self that Zhao, Grasmuck, and Martin (2008) explain. The first type involves face-to-face interactions. Individuals tend to wear masks to conform to social norms and these identities become “real. ” The second involves anonymous online environments. This environment allows these masks to be taken off and the “true” self to be revealed. The third and final type involves more nonymous online environments. This is where individuals are able to display their “hoped-for-possible selves. ” The hoped-for-possible selves are socially desirable identities that would like to be established, and the individual believes they can be established under the right conditions. These online environments seem to reduce the difference between “actual” and “ideal” selves. For example, online dating sites allow individuals to “stretch the truth” about themselves and could also enable a shy person to hide their social anxieties. Online identities allow for a public display of “hoped-for-possible selves” that are otherwise unknown offline. Nonymous online environments encourage realistic and honest self-presentations, but enable truth stretching in an attempt to display a socially desirable identity. Through this media, individuals are able to produce a socially desirable self that is not produced in the offline context (Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin, 2008). Users spent more time on Culture of Honor & Self-Presentation 7 these sites displaying cultural aspects of their identities over individual aspects. The users appeared to be attempting to display a group-oriented identity. Kramer and Winter (2008) point out that individuals are addressing a broad audience through these sites and are unable to tailor their presentations to individual viewers. This may be what causes this group-oriented cultural display. They go on to explain that these sites turn ordinary media consumers into “producers of mass communication content” (pp. 106). This new form of communication blurs the traditional boundaries between interpersonal and mass communication (Sheldon, 2008). Mallen, Day, and Green (2003) discuss how this communication style has the potential to lead to conflict. “The lack of verbal and nonverbal cues in CMC leads to more conflict between individuals” (pp. 161). It is much easier to argue when you are not face-to-face with the individual with whom you are arguing. This conflict may result from the freedom to disagree since the two parties are not in direct contact with each other, or because it may be difficult to understand the meaning behind the message without certain cues. Although it appears to be untrue that online environments are filled with deviant behavior caused by the anonymity (Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin, 2008), these environments do allow for much more control over one‟s selfpresentation (Kramer & Winter, 2008). Individuals are able to present themselves in a way that differs from their “real life” identities (Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin, 2008). It allows for the expression of “hidden selves,” but these presentations tend to conform to established social norms. These identity presentations tend to be realistic and honest, but attempt to present a socially desirable self. The users are presenting themselves to an audience beyond known friends, but also to individuals who know the user personally. The online self-presentation involves two identity statements, explicit and implicit. Explicit identity statements involve a self-description, such as an “About Me” section. Implicit Culture of Honor & Self-Presentation 8 identity statements are the impressions given off by the user, such as interests and hobbies. Zhao, Grasmuch, and Martin (2008) conducted a study which involved a combination of focus groups, interviews, and a content analysis of 63 Fac