Effects of Online Christian Self-Disclosure on Impression Formation

Abstract

Increased reliance on social media to initiate and maintain relationships warrants research that investigates how religion affects Internet-based impressions. Evidence suggests that some Christians avoid identifying religiously online to prevent unfavorable evaluations by those with whom they interact on the Internet. This experiment examined the effects of online Christian disclosure. Respondents (N = 233) viewed a fictional social networking profile containing one of three levels of Christian disclosure frequency: none, nominal, and extensive. There was conflicting evidence for a direct association between Christian disclosure and impressions. Regardless of disclosure level, however, religious respondents rated profile owners as more likeable and with less negative stereotypes, than less religious respondents. Most notably, respondent religiosity moderated impressions. The least religious respondents tended to rate the extensively disclosing Christian as least romantically desirable and as most representative of negative stereotypes. The most religious respondents rated this individual as most likeable and as most romantically desirable. Effects of nominal disclosure showed little association with respondent religiosity, suggesting that nominal disclosure may constitute a socially acceptable level of online Christian disclosure. Respondents made few distinctions between nondisclosure and nominal disclosure, and Christian identity tended to be assumed when not disclosed, which also illustrated the low relevance of Christian nominal disclosure as an identity marker.