For millions of Facebook users, choosing which photo to use for an online profile is an important decision. According to a study by researchers at the UT Dallas Center, the photos we select may reflect individual preferences, but they also appear to reflect more deeply rooted, unconscious cultural differences. Previous research has shown that culture can affect not only language and custom, but also how we experience the world and process information. Western cultures, for example, condition people to think of themselves as highly independent entities (实体), whereas East Asian cultures stress collectivism and interdependence.
Dr. Denise Park, co-director of the Center at UT Dallas, and former graduate student Dr. Chih-Mao Huang of the University of Illinois, were curious about whether these patterns of cultural influence extend to cyberspace. In a paper published in the International Journal of Psychology, they examined the profile photographs of more than 500 active Facebook users from the United States and East Asia. Overall, they found that profile photos of Americans are more likely to focus on the individual’s face, while the profiles of East Asians tend to less emphasize the face and include more background features. Americans also show greater smile intensity compared to East Asian Facebook users.
The findings show marked cultural differences in the focus of attention among East Asian and American Facebook users. Moreover, they echo previous research on cultural influences on visual sense, attention, and reasoning in the offline world.
“We believe these findings relate to a cultural difference to be more individualistic and independent in the US and more communal and interdependent in Asia,” said Park.
The research also found that cultural influences over our self-presentation online can shift over time and from place to place. In one of the study samples, Americans studying in Japan and Japanese studying in the United States both showed a tendency to adjust their profile photos to the general preferences of their host country.
“Facebook constitutes an extended social context in which personal profiles mirror various individual characteristics, private thoughts, and social behaviors,” noted Huang. “As such, the study presents a new approach to investigate cognition and behaviors across cultures by using Facebook as a data collection platform.”
【小题1】What may an online profile photo reflect?【小题2】According to the research, how are American and East Asian Facebook users different in choosing their profile photos?
【小题3】Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
In one of the study samples, Americans studying in Japan showed a tendency to adjust their profile photos to the general preferences of America.
【小题4】Apart from cultural differences, what other factors might influence one’s choice of profile photo on social media? And give some examples. (In about 40 words)
