SELF-PRESENTATION PROCESSES IN PERSONAL PROFILES IN A PRO-ANOREXIA GROUP

This paper presents the results of a content analysis of 1000 personal profiles posted on a pro-anorexia (pro-ana) group from the social networking site Xanga. Applying methods of computer-mediated communication discourse analysis, the visual and verbal strategies of self-presentation in pro-ana members’ profiles were examined. Competence, ingratiation, exemplification and supplication emerged as the main self-presentation strategies identified in the text-based profiles. In contrast to other online self-presentations (such as personal home pages and weblogs), new contents and meanings related to a pro-ana social identity were assigned to these strategies in the group. The analysis of the profile pictures revealed that pro-ana users of the site tended to remain visually anonymous, resorting to images of models and celebrities, and reproducing the thin ideal. Based on these findings, this study advances some conclusions about how the pro-ana identity is constructed in social networking sites.

Who owns a personal home page?

Research on personal home pages is still rare. Many studies to date are exploratory, and the problem of drawing a sample that reflects the variety of existing home pages has not yet been solved. The present paper discusses sampling strategies and suggests a strategy based on the results retrieved by a search engine. This approach is used to draw a sample of 229 personal home pages that portray private identities. Findings on age and sex of the owners and elements characterizing the sites are reported.

The Presentation of Self in Virtual Life: Characteristics of Personal Home Pages

This study focused on how individuals used personal home pages to present themselves online. Content analysis was used to examine, record, and analyze the characteristics of personal home pages. Data interpretation revealed popular tools for self-presentation, a desire for virtual homesteaders to affiliate with online homestead communities, and significant relationships among home page characteristics. Web page design was influenced, to a certain extent, by the tools Web page space providers supplied. Further studies should consider personality characteristics, design templates, and Web author input to determine factors that influence self-presentation through personal home pages.