The Importance of Adolescents' Sexually Outgoing Self-Concept: Differential Roles of Self- and Other-Generated Sexy Self-Presentations in Social Media

Johanna M F van Oosten; Dian A de Vries; Jochen Peter

doi:10.1089/cyber.2016.0671

The Importance of Adolescents' Sexually Outgoing Self-Concept: Differential Roles of Self- and Other-Generated Sexy Self-Presentations in Social Media

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2018 Jan;21(1):5-10. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2016.0671. Epub 2017 Oct 20.

Authors

Johanna M F van Oosten¹, Dian A de Vries², Jochen Peter¹

Affiliations

¹ 1 Department of Communication Science, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam, The Netherlands .
² 2 Department of Youth and Family, Utrecht University , Utrecht, The Netherlands .

PMID: 29053372
DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2016.0671

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationships between (exposure to) sexy self-presentations on social network sites (SNSs) and adolescents' sexual self-concept over time. Results from a three-wave panel study among 1,288 Dutch adolescents (aged 13-17 years) showed that more frequent engagement in sexy self-presentation, rather than exposure to sexy self-presentations of others, on SNSs positively predicted the importance of being sexually outgoing (e.g., sexy, seductive, and wild) in adolescents' self-concept 6 months later.

Keywords: adolescents; self-perception; sexual self-concept; sexy self-presentation; social media.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
Female
Humans
Male
Self Concept*
Sexual Behavior / psychology*
Social Media*