Do age and gender differences exist in selfie-related behaviours?

Abstract

Recently scholars have started examining selfie-related behaviour, with an emphasis on young women. However, little is known about age and gender differences in selfie-taking and posting patterns. To address this gap, an online survey of a sample of 3763 Norwegian social media users was carried out. This study provides the first empirical evidence on how adolescents (aged 12 to 19), young adults (20-30) and adults (31-50) differ in terms of selfie behaviour. Females were more likely to take personal and group selfies, post personal selfies, crop photos and use photographic filters compared to males. Adolescents were found to be more likely than young adults to take own and group selfies, post own selfies, and use photographic filters. Similarly, young adults were more likely to take own and group selfies, post and edit photos than older adults. The predictive effect of age was stronger among women than among men regarding selfie taking, posting and editing behaviour. The interpretations and implications of the study findings are discussed in the light of previous literature.