Intention or Perception? Signaling Theory in the Online World

Backlash on social media in response to online behaviors is swift and often decisive with significant consequences. One possible reason for this is that online actions are perceived as reflective of a person’s true self. Signaling theory provides support for this argument and suggests that people intentionally display information about themselves to communicate their beliefs to others. While existing work suggests that social media posts are intentional, social media interactions such as likes, comments, and reposts might also function similarly (i.e., as a signal of beliefs). Two studies were conducted to explore whether interacting with online content is perceived as indicative of one’s beliefs, using the components of signaling theory. Study 1 tested this idea abstractly without connections to any social media platform, while Study 2 employed a within-subjects experimental design in which participants were exposed to various social media interactions on X (formerly known as Twitter) and rated their perceptions of the interactors. The results suggest people do view social media interactions (as opposed to simply viewing a social media post) as signals, or intentional expressions of beliefs. This may partially explain the harsh response to online missteps as all types of behaviors have the potential to be interpreted as purposeful, potentially justifying any concurrent backlash.