Authenticity in Context: Examining Folk Theories of Online and Offline Authenticity through Computerized Text Analysis

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: This study examined folk notions of authenticity through a computerized text analysis of participant responses, and connected them to conceptual pillars in the philosophical literature on authenticity. Participants (N=178) were asked to describe an experience in which they felt authentic or inauthentic, and either prompted to recall an experience on social media or offline (no specific prompt for social media). Their responses were analyzed using LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count) 2015, and the results were examined through Kernis and Goldman’s four-part framework for authenticity (2006). Recall of authentic events involved more unbiased processing and confidence, while recall of inauthentic events revealed higher self-awareness. Social media responses were negatively linked with family-words, weakly positively-linked with friend words, and more pro-social in drives. These findings affirm Kernis and Goldman’s framework, and offer insight into current folk notions of authenticity in an era of social media.

Type of resource	text
Date created	June 2017

Author	Ong, Shu Chen
Primary advisor	Hancock, Jeffrey T.
Degree granting institution	Stanford University, Department of Communication

Subject	authenticity
Subject	folk psychology
Subject	folk notions
Subject	LIWC
Subject	social media
Subject	analytical thinking
Subject	cognitive complexity
Subject	confidence
Subject	social concern
Subject	Department of Communication
Subject	School of Humanities and Sciences
Genre	Thesis

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/gy638qg7305

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC-ND).

Preferred Citation: Ong, Shu Chen. (2017). Authenticity in Context: Examining Folk Theories of Online and Offline Authenticity through Computerized Text Analysis. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/gy638qg7305

Masters Theses in Media Studies, Department of Communication, Stanford University

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