Why is some social media content interpreted as bragging?

People who post personal content on social networking sites such as Facebook and try to present themselves in a positive light may be perceived as bragging, and therefore be less attractive to others, according to a new study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

The article entitled "Bragging on Facebook: The Interaction of Content Source and Focus in Online Impression Formation," describes the study in which participants viewed the Facebook content of four different females. Study coauthors Graham Scott and Kirsty Ravenscroft, School of Culture, Media & Society, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, U.K. designed the posts to be authored either by the women themselves or by friends and to be either generally positive or personally positive. Based on reading this Facebook content, the participants described their impressions of the four females, rating them on attractiveness, confidence, modesty, and popularity.

"While humble bragging seems to be perceived as the least attractive form of bragging, it is important that we develop greater awareness of how our social networking posts may be perceived by our friends, co-workers, and acquaintances," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.