Baring Their Souls in Online Profiles or Not? Religious Self-Disclosure in Social Media

Bibliographic Data

ID2271568
AuthorsPiotr S Bobkowski (0000-0002-5480-2522, University of Kansas, corresponding author), Lisa D Pearce (0000-0001-6210-863X, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Year2011
Volume50
Issue4
Pages744-762
Publication date2011-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-8294 • E-ISSN: 1468-5906
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01597.x
OpenAlexW2147745715
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited46

This study measured the prevalence of religious self-disclosure in public MySpace profiles that belonged to a subsample of National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) wave 3 respondents (N = 560). Personal attributes associated with religious identification as well as the overall quantity of religious self-disclosures are examined. A majority (62 percent) of profile owners identified their religious affiliations online, although relatively few profile owners (30 percent) said anything about religion outside the religion-designated field. Most affiliation reports (80 percent) were consistent with the profile owner's reported affiliation on the survey. Religious profile owners disclosed more about religion when they also believed that religion is a public matter or if they evaluated organized religion positively. Evangelical Protestants said more about religion than other respondents. Religiosity, believing that religion is a public matter, and the religiosity of profile owners’ friendship group were all positively associated with religious identification and self-disclosure

Friendship · Identification (biology) · Religiosity · Religious identity · Sociology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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