Study reveals social media activity reflects users’ self-esteem
A recent study has found that social media and Facebook activity reflects users' level of self esteem.
Researchers from Media Effects Research Laboratory have come up with a study, which reveals how users profiles on social media can hint at feelings of self-esteem and self-determination.
According to the study, people with lower self-esteem are more concerned with what others post about them on Facebook and continuously monitor their Facebook wall for updates and posts. The survey also found that people with high self-esteem add more information to their personal profiles on the social networking sites.
The study covers 225 students in a South Korean university, and is based on how the students filled in their Facebook profiles. The researchers also studied how the students edited material that friends linked to or posted on their walls. The survey found that people with both low and high self-esteem spend a lot of time to build their online profiles.
Researchers have found that individuals, who have higher self-esteem, spend more time adding information about their families, education, work ex etc, while those who have lower self-esteem continuously monitor their wall and delete unwanted posts from other users.
S Shyam Sundar, distinguished professor of communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn State stated, “The types of actions users take and the kinds of information they are adding to their Facebook walls and profiles are a refection of their identities. You are your Facebook, basically, and despite all its socialness, Facebook is a deeply personal medium.”
He added that this information can be useful to developers, who want to attract customers with more customisable walls and profile pages. He stated that users with both high self-esteem and low self-esteem see the social network as an extension of their self-identity and will be willing to pay for additional features on Facebook.
Source: HT