A national survey conducted by the Girl Scouts of the USA of over 1,000 teen girls shows that when it comes to their online persona, they tend to downplay their intelligence and act meaner.
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“Girls say they come across as more well-rounded in person than they do online,”senior researcher at the Girl Scout Research Institute Kimberlee Salmond said in the press release. “One of the hypotheses is that perhaps those other qualities aren’t necessarily the online currency that gets traction. The things they think will get approved are the fun, funny aspects. It might just not be the right forum to display every aspect of their personality.”
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About three fourths of the girls surveyed say that their friends and classmates who use Facebook and other social networks act cooler on their online profiles than they actually are. Thirty-three percent of girls who were identified with low self esteem admitted that there was a huge difference between how they were in real life. Out of those girls, they were more likely to describe their online persona as sexy and crazier than they actually were. The survey also found out that teen girls fear that their actions online can translate to real world rejection such as a future employer, college admissions board or parent finding out about something negative they posted, as well as a majority of girls reported facing some sort of cyber bullying online.
More on TIME.com:
Facebook’s New Messaging Service: Please Don’t Call It E-Mail!
MySpace No Longer Competing With Facebook, CEO Says
Every Gmail User Sues Google Over Buzz, Google Settles for $8.5 Million
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