Judging a Facebook User by Their Cover Photo

Abstract

Little research has investigated how a user’s cover photo portrays personal qualities of the user. The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of environmental cues (other types of photos) on the perception of a target photo. Participants were randomly assigned to groups that were exposed to one of three levels of the independent variable (type of photo display). One group was shown only a photo of a target individual. A second group was shown the same target photo surrounded by two photos of landscapes. A third group was shown the same target photo surrounded by pictures of people in groups. All groups were asked to rate the target individual on two dimensions: number of friends and relationship status. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and a One-way ANOVA (2x3). It was hypothesized that the presence of other types of photos along side the target photo would influence raters’ perceptions (e.g., number of friends, relationship status) of the target individual. Results are discussed in terms of how a Facebook user’s choice of cover photo influences others’ perceptions of that user.