Conversely, when they publicly admit their mistakes through Facebook posts, they show an awareness that they've digressed from what is good, normal and ethical behavior.

In doing so, users share their own reflections as well as inviting feedback from their friends and connections, the study said.

"However, this is not necessarily a conscious practice: it is a by-product of using Facebook regularly. While public self-writing was previously limited to an intellectual elite, social media technology now makes it accessible for everyone," Sauter said.

Sauter said posting more could encourage people to reflect more frequently on their own behaviour, even though they were unaware of it.

"Throughout their day, when people think about how they can portray an event on Facebook or Twitter, they are reflecting on what they have done and how that aligns with what is expected of them," she said.

"So writing on social networking sites is more than an outlet for narcissistic bravado or a way to express oneself and communicate with others.

"People can use these sites to work on themselves. It doesn't mean they create new personalities on Facebook, but rather that they understand and keep reshaping their own identity through self-writing," Sauter said. The study was published in the journal New Media & Society.

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