The
Psychology of Twitter, Facebook, and Other Social Networking Devices
The
Real Life Example
The history of social networking is probably quite a bit
older than most people realize. The
internet has made it possible for humans to remain connected in ways that
probably would have blown your father’s mind when he was a kid. In fact, when I was young I use to ponder how
neat it would be to go to my 10 year high school reunion. By the time I got to high school however,
instant messaging, email, myspace and (by the time i was in college) facebook
made the prospects of attending any high school reunion seem unnecessary. I already know what Tom has been doing for
the last five years and I’m in constant contact with the friends I wish to
remain in contact with.
In fact, I know more about people I don’t care about than
I ever thought I would. Just the other day I announced to the world that I had
intended on “unfriending” 75% of the 357 facebook “friends” I have because I
didn’t know or care about their lives. I
haven’t gotten around to that, and I’m not sure I will. Humans value the networks they are a part
of. Those 357 “friends” are sort of a
resource, I realized. I may not care about Mary’s colonoscopy that she told the
world about last night, but you never know when she’s going to post about a job
opening at her company.
I mention a colonoscopy on facebook as a joke, only…it’s
not a joke. I’ve seen that come across my “news feed”. The amount of personal information shared on
the likes of twitter, myspace, facebook, message boards, or whatever the
social-networking-flavor-of-the-month is, is somewhat mind blowing. It’s obvious that the information we share on
these sites is put out there for a reason. It’s as if we are reaching out to
the world, trying to quench that ever-present thirst for attention and sense of
importance.
It seems likely that our desire to scream to the world
about our every moment and–if you chose, our colonoscopies–is driven
psychologically. In fact, a new website
called TweetPsych allows you to check the psychological breakdown of your
tweets. It says of tweeting extraordinaire Shaquille O’Neil that, “Many of your
Tweets reference various social behaviors.” As interesting and fun as
TweetPsych is, research into the psychology behind social networking is in fact
under way.
Who
Are They
Researchers Young, Dutta, and Dommety of Stanford
University’s Psychology Department
What
They Did
Young, Dutta, and Dommety formed a simple research
experiment that sought to identify a relationship between the things people put
on their facebook profile about themselves in connection to their intentions,
specifically whether or not they were using facebook as a tool to find a
romantic relationship. The team utilized 150 facebook profiles representing a
random mix of individuals.
What
They Found
As they predicted, the research found a statically
significant pattern between certain information listed on their profile in
correlation to their relationship status.
Specifically, they found that individuals who listed their religion on
their profile also tended to list the fact that they were single.
What
This Means
The researchers recognize the simplicity of their study
but also point out that, to their knowledge, this is the first study of its
kind (often, entire branches of study stem from small, seemingly insignificant
studies such as this). They conclude from this that it is likely that
individuals are using social networking sites, like facebook, to paint a
picture of themselves to potential partners.
The premise is that if an individual is not seeking a
partner, there is no need to share with the world very individual and personal
moral views. Only does this matter if
you are quietly informing people who may be interested in you. In a sense,
facebook becomes a filter for the individual to weed out incompatible mates.
In
Another Study
The truth is that for every 5 friends I have that are on
facebook, I can probably think of one who isn’t. The fact is that not everyone has a desire to
share themselves to the world like others might. Certainly, the internet did not create
narcissism, but many would argue that social networking websites aid in it.
Furthermore, it seems a safe conclusion that narcissistic individuals are more
prone to utilizing social networking tools.
Recent research seems to confirm this conclusion.
Who
Are They
Buffardi and Campbell of the University of Georgia’s
Department of Psychology
What
They Did
Buffardi and Campbell collected self-reports detecting
narcissistic tendencies of users of social networking sites. The profiles of
these individuals web pages were then coded to detect the levels of subjective
and objective content. Lastly, strangers viewed these profile’s and rated them
on three areas: agentic traits (the level at which an individual is a product
of their society), communal traits, and narcissism.
What
They Found
It turns out that an individuals level of activity on
their social networking website is strongly correlated to their level of
narcissism. In short, people who like
themselves tend to show more to the world about themselves.
Why
Is Social Networking So Prevalent?
Narcissism is generally not a celebrated trait. Why then
is social networking so widely accepted if it is so related to narcissistic
tendencies? Is it possible that the
internet merely allows an all-to-easy outlet for these tendencies to surface
from people who may otherwise not possess them? According to one study, this
seems to be the case.
Some people are far more shy than others but to a certain
extent we all possess a little of this–even the “kings of narcissism”. Being shy is a defensive measure that allows
an individual to protect themselves from ridicule, or worse. The internet has allowed individuals an
uncanny intimacy while maintaining a
near-infinite level of physical separation.
What effect might this have on shy individuals?
Who
Are They
Orr, Sisic, Ross, Simmering, Arseneault, and Orr of The University of Windsor’s Psychology
Department
What
They Did
Orr, Sisic, Ross, Simmering, Arseneault, and Orr set out to study correlations of shyness to
various aspects of social networking websites.
What
They Found
By coding individuals level of shyness based on self
reports and then analyzing their usage of facebook, Orr, Sisic, Ross,
Simmering, Arseneault, and Orr, discovered that individuals who were more shy
spent far more time on facebook. What
they also unexpectedly found, was that despite the fact that shyer individuals
spent more time on facebook, they had a significantly lower amount of friends
associated with their profiles.
What
Does All This Mean?
Although social networking is reaching, arguably, the end
of its 3rd generation, psychological research on the matter is still very
young. However, recent studies seem to indicate what logic would surmise. Social networking is, at its heart, fueled by
long-existing psychological tendencies. The desire to be loved and be important
to the world. Certainly there is nothing
abnormal about this. However, the ease at which information can be placed on
the internet, the furious nature with which that information spreads, and the
permanence of that information, is cause for concern.
Individuals who have problems finding friends or romantic
partners by “normal means” may go to the internet and unleash the narcissism
within themselves in an attempt to grab the worlds attention. Unfortunately, it seems reasonable that shy
individuals who can’t meet people by “normal means” (perhaps at a concert,
diner, or bar, for example) do not have the filter of shyness that prevents
them from sharing more than they may want to with the world. The results may have the reverse effect that
they are seeking.
In any case, it is interesting!
Source: http://www.laymanpsych.com/the-psychology-of-twitter-facebook-and-other-social-networking-devices/
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1207154
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