Effects of Network Connections on Deception and Halo Effects in Linkedin

Abstract

On social networking websites (SNS) there is a general goal to convey desirable self-presentations, which can be achieved in many ways, from lying about qualifications in one’s Linkedin profile to posting flattering Facebook profile photos. In this chapter we use two experiments to explore the pervasive influence that our social relationships have on how we construct our self-presentations and how others form perceptions of our self-presentations in SNS. In the first experiment, participants’ deception was compared across three self-presentational resume settings: a traditional resume, private Linkedin profile, or publicly available Linkedin profile. Findings suggest that the public nature of Linkedin resume claims affected the kinds of deception used, such that public Linkedin resumes were less deceptive about the kinds of information that count most to employers, namely an applicant’s prior work experience and responsibilities, but were more deceptive about interests and hobbies. In a second experiment, we explore how halo effects, defined as global impressions about an individual formed using a single characteristic (e.g., physical attractiveness), can extend beyond the individual and become “extended halo effects” (EHEs). In SNS, EHE predicts that tie strength and status will affect global impression formation of the individual. Participants in a second study evaluated online Linkedin profiles, which manipulated the strength and status of a tie to a recommender. Impressions were positively biased in the presence of strong, high-status ties, despite actual job experience, supporting EHE. Many of the decisions that we make everyday are driven by the desire to convey positive impressions to others. We carefully consider our wardrobe choices or choose to eat at a trendy restaurant to impress a date. We choose to wear a suit and practice a presentation to appear competent to our supervisor and work colleagues. The desire to convey positive impressions is a major force driving human behavior (Goffman, 1959) and is often referred to as a self-presentational goal. In online contexts, selfpresentational goals range as widely as they do face-to-face, from wanting to appear qualified for a job on Linkedin, to wanting to appear romantically desirable on Match. com, and typically involve the desire to elicit a positive impression (Curtis, 1992; Donath, 1999; Roberts & Parks, 1999). Opportunities for self-presentation online are abundant and understanding impression formation via studies of self-presentation has long been a focus of computer-mediated communication research. In computer-mediated spaces we can share a wide variety of information that reflects who we are to a number of different audiences. In a short period of time personal profiles for SNSs have become common. SNS profiles link individuals’ profiles to the profiles of friends, acquaintances and colleagues. SNS include friendship-oriented profiles, such as profiles on Facebook, and more professionally-oriented profiles, such those seen on Linkedin, in which people upload online versions of their resume and form connections with former and current colleagues, supervisors and friends. SNS link our self-presentations with known and unknown others, providing the opportunity to widely disseminate selfpresentations. While the self-presentations that we craft, both online and face-to-face, are largely our own, the information that we share about ourselves and indeed the way this information is perceived by others is heavily influenced by our social networks. In the chapter that follows, we examine the ways in which our social relationships influence how people construct self-presentations and how others form perceptions of these self-presentations in SNS. We demonstrate these relationships with two experiments. The first explores how social relationships influence deceptive behavior on the professional SNS Linkedin. The second investigates the influence that information about social network connections (e.g., characteristics of and relationships with ties) has on others’ perceptions of online self-presentations on Linkedin.