Digital Behaviour and Mental Health: Exploring Online Identity, Disinhibition, and Self-presentation among College Students

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19484053

Samridhi Thukral (Department of Psychology, St. Andrew’s College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai, Maharashtra)

With the growing usage of social media in day-to-day life, it has become necessary to investigate the manner in which young individuals present themselves on social media platforms. The current study investigates the relationship between mental health, online disinhibition, and online identity and self-presentation among college-going youth aged 18-25 years. The participants for the study were chosen using convenience sampling, and the sample included 20 students (12 females, 6 males, & 2 others). A correlational research design was employed. The study used self-constructed scales designed by the researcher, namely the Mental Health Scale (2025), Online Disinhibition Scale (2025), and Online Identity and Self-Presentation Scale (2025). The questionnaire was conducted using Google Forms. Pearson’s product-moment correlation was utilized to investigate the relationships between the variables. A strong positive correlation was found between mental health and online identity and self-presentation, indicating that students who present themselves more genuinely online tend to have better mental health. However, no significant correlation was found between mental health and online disinhibition, or between online disinhibition and online identity and self-presentation. The results should be considered in light of the small sample size and self-report nature of the data. Future studies could consider using larger and more varied samples, and mixed-method designs to further explore the relationship between digital patterns of behavior and mental health.