Social networking online and personality of self-worth: A meta-analysis

Social networking sites (SNSs) offer new avenues for interpersonal communication and self-presentation. We report a meta-analysis of 80 studies yielding 143 effect sizes on the effect of self-esteem, narcissism, and loneliness on SNS use. Total SNS use was higher among people low in self-esteem, high in narcissism, and high in loneliness. Further analyses revealed high narcissism to be linked to all SNS activities (status updates, posting photographs, interacting/commenting on others, and total friends). High self-esteem (not low) was linked to having more online friends but no other activities. Links were stronger in studies with lower proportions of females and participants from non-Western, non-individualistic countries. We speculate that effects are somewhat diluted among females and Western samples by multiple reasons for SNS use, and further that low self-esteem participants constitute the so-called “lurkers” (i.e., people who browse but do not reveal themselves).