Longitudinal dynamics of self-presentation in face-to-face and messenger-based communication

People commonly use social media for self-presentation and for managing their appearance to others. We define self-presentation as the communication of self-related information intended to create a specific impression. Specifically, we compare the extent of self-presentation in face-to-face situations with mediated self-presentation via messaging apps. Drawing on the concept of reciprocity, we propose that users inclined to engage in self-presentation in face-to-face conversations might similarly use messaging services for this purpose, and vice versa. Furthermore, we assume a stepwise cross-lagged influence between self-presentation face-to-face and via messaging services over time. Assuming mutually reciprocal selfpresentation, we analyzed data (N = 723) from a representative longitudinal survey sample collected over the course of 4 years. Results show that people engaged in more self-presentation face-to-face than in mediated messenger-based communication. The extent of face-to-face self-presentation was positively related to subsequent messenger-based self-presentation; however, we found no support for a fully reciprocal model.