Do Instagram Profiles Accurately Portray Religious Faith?
Have you ever judged someone on social media without knowing them? With billions of users worldwide, social media can be a powerful tool to selectively present oneself to the world and build perceptions of others without a personal relationship. Previous studies have examined the accuracy of personality depiction on social media, however, little research has looked into the role of religious views and social media depiction. Can you tell if someone is religious based on their social media? To tackle this question, this study examined the relationship between the strength of one’s religious faith and the way they present themselves online through a mixed-methods approach. With use of The Santa Clara Religious Faith Questionnaire, the researcher examined whether or not people can accurately judge one’s faith based on their Instagram posts. Additionally, the researcher investigated which aspects of a person’s online profile indicates faith or lack thereof. Qualitative results indicated themes of partying and vanity were predictors of being judged low in faith while photos with community and modesty were predictors of stronger faith. Profiles which lacked any indication of faith scored low in faith. Results showed that people cannot accurately judge one’s faith based on their Instagram profiles however the content posted will influence observers judgements.
COMM 499, Senior Capstone
Doyle Srader
L204
10 – 10:30 AM