Provincial variations of self-expression within China and its ecological factors

Abstract

This study investigates the provincial variations in self-expression among millions of Sina Weibo users within China, alongside the influence of ecological factors. Online social networking (OSN) platforms enable individuals to express themselves publicly through the use of personal Bios sections. In order to explore regional differences in self-expression, we constructed a self-expression index, grounded in the percentage of users who provided self-descriptions. To do this, we analyzed the Bios information of over 13 million users, obtaining provincial self-expression scores. Our results demonstrated that the self-expression index has face, convergent, and discriminant validity. Moreover, we discovered that several ecological factors exhibited a considerable impact on self-expression among Chinese Sina Weibo users. This research offers valuable insights into the regional variations of self-expression in China and the role of ecological factors in shaping such tendencies.

Keywords

• Social media network
• Self-expression
• Ecology
• China