Does Your Social Media Profile Reflect Your Personality

The majority of people from across the world have a profile account in one of the many social media platforms available today. Social media platforms provide you with a way to portray yourself in the online world, to stay in touch with your friends, families and even strangers. Many people assume that the online personality is often a false personality, but is that true? No matter how idealized one presents itself on social media platforms, a reflection of the true personality can always almost be found in their social media accounts. The selfies, faces and layout of the social media platform can work as personality predictors for many of us. It is important to note that both online and offline behaviour is real behavior. Whenever doubt creeps in, one can rely on consistency to check if the behavioral pattern is real or not.

Social Media Behavior Is Reflected On Personality

According to a report by NPR’s Angus Chen, plenty of black and white images on social media platforms indicate depression in individuals. Depressed people, more often upload pictures in the shades of blue, grey and other dark colours. A colourful Whatsapp Dp might indicate healthy mental health whereas a black and white display picture might indicate a sad soul. Another indicator of a depressed person can be unfiltered images which might make the actual image more colourful and brighter which in reality, does not match with their vibe.

According to research, personalities in social media can be categorized into five personality traits: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Openness to experience and Neuroticism. The personalities can be identified by what an individual posts about social activities, intellectual themes, achievement, physical health, religious beliefs, opinions about diverse topics on their posts or WhatsApp Status. Surprisingly, one can also study online behavior to guess the age of the user. For instance, the users who delete their posts if they do not receive enough likes indicates that the individual is perhaps a teen who is generally super conscious about online validation. Further, teenagers post images depending upon their mood whereas adult users prefer to post about diverse topics.

In addition to how much you enhance your selfies through editing speaks a lot about your personality. Heavily edited selfies indicate that the user has low self-esteem and they suffer from body dissatisfaction and go through higher dietary restraint. Similarly, posting selfies after selfies indicates narcissistic behavior and antisocial traits. Narcissistic behavior is also available in the form of frequent posts about personal achievement, healthy meals and physical health.

Lack Of Interaction Indicates Loneliness

Instagram broadcasting refers to uploading images and posts without tagging anyone which is not directed to any specific users. A higher frequency of Instagram broadcasting indicates the loneliness of the users. On the other hand, using a social media account to interact and socialize with other people indicates a lower level of loneliness. Therefore, to lead a less lonely life, it is important to remain open to comments and messages.

The extrovert personality of a user is visible in how they are interacting with other users. For instance, extrovert personalities have more friends in their friend list or followers and the following section. They are also more likely to like images of other users more frequently. Opposite to extrovert personality, lies the neurotic individuals. Just like extroverts, they also prefer to use social media platforms actively. However, their posts mostly reflect negative emotions which are visible in the language that they use. In addition to that, these individuals also present an idealized version of themselves online.

Social Media Profiles Act Like An Open Book

Even though it is suggested not to judge a book by its cover, one can predict the personality of the user through their social media platforms. Many users use social media platforms to either portray their desired self-presentation or for extending their offline personality in the online platform. It is important to realize that both online and offline behaviours are real and none of these behaviours is more authentic than the other. Both the presentation of self is a true reflection of different shades of the same person. In fact, one might experience more freedom online and present their opinions and views and in turn, their true personality in a comprehensive manner.