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The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the perceptions of self-disclosure on social media, specifically on Facebook, and the participants' self-esteem. It was an opportunity to assess the degree to which they feel comfortable with expressing themselves and also measure their sense of safety when disclosing personal information on social media. The study gauged their opinion on advantages of disclosing on Facebook versus in-person. Our version of the study assessed whether gender and the presence of the researcher in the vicinity of the assessment-taking participants affected their responses. **Student Researchers** Group 1 ("Velociraptors"): Alexis Renk, Rafal Wojtowicz, Zofie Mandeski, & Cynthia Chavez Group 2 (“Facelookers”): Sonia Kamdar, Jonathan Tacuri, Jacqueline Suriano, & Tasheica Lindsay **Project Supervision** Dr. Nicole Legate Sean Rafajko **Home Page Description** This page contains all the collected study materials and instructions from authors that we have compiled. We also include any comments from other contributors or follow up instructions that we have learned since the beginning of the project. Click "read more" below or choose the "Wiki" option above for further information. Contact Johanna Cohoon for help with technical problems. Contact either either Hans IJzerman (h.ijzerman@gmail.com) or Mark Brandt (m.j.brandt@tilburguniversity.edu) so that the materials can be made available on this website. **Procedure Overview** Two groups of researchers separately conducted this study and recruited a sample totalling 116 undergraduate college students. The study featured two sections. Section one, consisting of 74 students (n=74), completed the study online via the SONA system. Section two, consisting of 42 students (n=42), were also recruited through the SONA system, but completed the study in-person in the presence of a researcher. Participants may have choosen to be apart of section one or section two, but not both, on the SONA system. Both groups of researchers performed and compared the results of the online and in-person methods. Each of the participants in the sections read the information document and consent document. If the participants have agreed to continue with the study, they completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The participants then completed a 25-item assessment on a 7 point scale that measures their perceived safety of disclosure on Facebook, expressing themselves, connecting with other people on Facebook, and the perceived safety of disclosing themselves on Facebook in comparison to disclosing themselves in-person. **Original Study Abstract** The popular media have publicized the idea that social networking Web sites (e.g., Facebook) may enrich the interpersonal lives of people who struggle to make social connections. The opportunity that such sites provide for self-disclosure—a necessary component in the development of intimacy—could be especially beneficial for people with low self-esteem, who are normally hesitant to self-disclose and who have difficulty maintaining satisfying relationships. We suspected that posting on Facebook would reduce the perceived riskiness of self-disclosure, thus encouraging people with low self-esteem to express themselves more openly. In three studies, we examined whether such individuals see Facebook as a safe and appealing medium for self-disclosure, and whether their actual Facebook posts enabled them to reap social rewards. We found that although people with low self-esteem considered Facebook an appealing venue for self-disclosure, the low positivity and high negativity of their disclosures elicited undesirable responses from other people. **Materials** * The original paper is [here][1] (will require a library subscription). * Study 1 materials are in the paper or otherwise easily available through the OSF home study page. [1]: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/23/3/295
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