Just like Ben Stiller's Derek Zoolander, Generation Y men want to keep hot online Source: Supplied

The study, which looked at how different age groups use and perceive online social media like Facebook and Twitter, found men were more image-conscious than women.

Nearly 25 per cent of Gen Y guys said they actively manage their cyber profiles to project their "best self" compared to 14 per cent of their female counterparts.

And unlike Generation Xers, the younger internet users see such sites as a tool to share more than just a snapshot.

One in five Generation Y respondents believe Facebook helps them to reveal their personality, compared to only one in 10 in the older age group.

The study, conducted in July for Carlton and United Breweries, surveyed 627 adults aged between 22 and 40 to try to unravel whether social media affects superficiality.

It revealed that one in 10 Generation Y internet users has a digitally enhanced image of themselves as their profile picture on Facebook, compared to one in 20 of Generation X.

The younger users were also four times more likely to `un-tag' themselves from unflattering snapshots, and twice as likely to pose for photos especially for their profile page.

Demographer Bernard Salt analysed the findings and says the superficial nature of online social networking is no different to what exists in other eras.

"What is different today is that these behaviours are documented, stored and showcased in social networks, on sites like Facebook, which can be accessed by all of your friends and family," he said.

"While it might be natural for people to show off, exaggerate their attributes and to preen and grandstand, these actions are now being captured online.

"I suspect that this is partly the reason why there is a balancing call for authenticity."

The research also found that the responses of the Generation Y respondents reflected a desire to be as real as possible, but they were caught in a paradox caused by access to a virtual life which enabled them to shape and manipulate their image.

"In a tribe you are who you are," Mr Salt said in a statement.

"In a cyber tribe you can present a photo-shopped image of yourself ... and your status can be strategically updated."