Another infographic has come through my inbox that is definitely worth sharing. The folks at PsychologyDegree.net have gathered some interesting studies regarding the psychology of spending time on social networking sites. The basic assertion is that users of social networking sites are essentially narcissistic in nature. Though I would disagree it is that black and white, the infographic below does point to some interesting stats and findings.
It may be hard to argue with a finding that 80 percent of social media posts are about the poster. However, I might argue the validity of such a broad finding. It would be interesting to see how various social media platforms vary in this area. Twitter, it would seem, would yield more posts about topics of the user’s interests, but not necessarily about the poster him/herself. If you were to take into account social bookmarking sites, posts about the actual user would be almost non existent. My guess is the study was done with Facebook as the primary subject. Maybe I’m being too critical.
The last section of the infographic states that “half of all users compare themselves to others when they view photos or status updates.” That’s just human nature I suppose. What do you think? Are we obsessed with social media or are we obsessed with ourselves?
Top image via http://451heat.com.
Wheeler Blogs. 
This is just human nature. I have friends who don’t use Facebook because they say everyone is pretending to be someone they’re not. As if they don’t do the same thing at dinner parties, networking events, and any other social setting. (If I were always being “myself,” I would be in sweat pants and a tee-shirt all day…is it narcissistic of me to want to make an impression on others with something a little more formal?)
We usually have filters on. Of course we’re not going to take them off just because we’re typing instead of talking. As for posting photos/updates and comparing to others….isn’t that why people buy BMW’s? Same principle. #HumanNature
LikeLike
Your thoughts are well versed, Ryan. Thanks for sharing your opinion. You definitely make a good point in that it’s just human nature and most people are out to impress others regardless of whether they are hiding behind a computer screen or are actually out in public.
LikeLike