One of the major findings from the research indicates that “websites are extraordinarily good places to learn about people—perhaps the best of all places.”
Website findings were “at least as accurate” as what was learned from the physical locations and accurate “across a much broader array of personality variables” with websites proving useful for learning about all five OCEAN traits.
Interestingly, the judges’ impressions “converged more strongly” with the individual’s actual self-reports than with their ideal self-reports- “suggesting once again that people want to be seen as they are, not as they’d like to be.”
These findings are present “perhaps even more strongly” in network profile pages.
Further research on the accuracy of Facebook pages indicates that aside from extraversion levels, people typically have little understanding about the impressions their profiles convey.
Gosling asks, “If you have no idea about how you are seen, how can you construct a phony self-portrait?”
Next, Gosling turned to usernames and email monikers. They can give us “clues” about how people see themselves, especially their “sense of competence.”
Observers given only an email address and gender were “surprisingly accurate at judging the owner’s extraversion and, to a lesser extent, openness.”
The Implications
Gosling’s findings suggest that we are very much justified in our attempts to learn about our colleagues, clients and potential employees through digital resources.
An online presence presents an “infinitely complex and fine grained portrait” of a person which may prove more accurate than we often assume. This online content provides insight that resumes and cover letters are simply unable to convey.
Given that many fail to proactively sculpt their online presence, our e is a unique opportunity to elicit more meaningful engagement in work relations, demonstrate higher perceived value through technology, and differentiate by broadcasting character insights.
