An exploratory study of selfie motivations and their relation to sociability and shyness among youth

Abstract

The study explored how motivations for taking and sharing selfies vary among youth, with reference to the personality traits based on the combination of shyness and sociability. In contrast with a predominantly pathological vision of the selfie, this study considered a wider range of motivations reported by young people when asked why they click and share selfies. Further to motivations that may be symptomatic of problems (e.g., exhibitionism, attention seeking), the study considered the selfie also as a possible positive experience (e.g., identity development, biographical memory-preserving). Based on a survey administered to a sample of 2,323 undergraduate students, the study evidenced that selfies tend to be a self-referential experience for shy and unsociable individuals (the Solitary Shy profile), as they showed a higher incidence of exhibitionism, attention-seeking and low self-esteem. A multifaceted selfie practice prevails among Shy-Sociable participants (the Uncomfortably Sociable profile), as they seem to exploit different functions of a selfie to cope with their own shyness and, at the same time, to follow their inclination towards face-to-face interactions. Unshy-Sociable participants (the Comfortably Sociable profile) stand out for a tendency to share selfies to nurture social relationships. The need to keep in touch with a limited social circle prevails among Unshy-Unsociable individuals (the Socially Selective profile).