The Psychology of Social Media

Psychological theories are vital for the success of an online community in order to attract users and promote interactions among them. There must be a driving force that motivates people to go to the site, join, and then actively engage in it on a continual basis. Therefore, it is imperative to know and apply psychological, cognitive, and communication theories when creating an online community so you can not only attract users to your site, but keep them there by meeting their needs. Social Cognition Theory is a vital theory in an online community since users can observe the behaviors of other users, and then understand how to adequately address the topics and interact in the online environment (Kanhadilok & Watts, 2014).

However, from a personal standpoint, what causes us to want to participate is social media? Being acknowledged plays a big motivating factor for users to post on Facebook. However, what about if no one ‘likes’ your post, or acknowledges it with a comment? How does a user feel then? Do we post for our own memories’ sake, or do we post with the expectation that we will receive feedback or acknowledgements? Are we motivated by social acceptance, and if so what about when someone ‘unfriends’ you? How does that leave a user feeling?

This is where social media can cause disappointment or leave users feeling neglected or rejected by their friends. The reasons behind their rejection can be caused by a variety of reasons, including annoyance of the messages or posts, or their friend’s behavior in the offline world. The interesting aspect about these online interactions though is that those who were unfriended, suddenly find that they no longer want to associate with those friends in real life.(Gashi & Knautz, 2015). Thus, it would appear that social media is not only a reflection of our interactions in the real world, but our virtual interactions can carry over to our physical world and can impact relationships in negative ways.

On the other hand, social media can also support us in times of need where ‘friends’ come out of the wood work to donate money or provide words of encouragement during difficult times.  Facebook accounts can also be living photo albums of interactive memories with our loved ones and there can be many benefits associated with these interactions. It is not only a great way to stay in touch with others, but a good way to gain insight into those we love by the posts they make.

Social media has many benefits in this way, and it is wonderful that some of these interactions became real world interactions and support when we can need them the most. One study supported this theory by finding that people with large social networks may benefit from the support they receive by the sheer numbers of having many friends, even more so than if they had a smaller and closer network of friends (Manago, Taylor, & Greenfield, 2012). Therefore, it would appear that there is power in numbers, and when we receive an outpouring of support from friends, whether they be close or distant, it still means a lot.

However, what information are we providing to those around us by the posts that we make? Or the friends that we have? It would appear that who we are, and what we think of ourselves and others is no longer based solely in the physical world, but the virtual world which is rapidly shaping how we view ourselves, the world, and others around us.

References

Gashi, L., & Knautz, K. (2015). Somebody that I used to know - unfriending and becoming unfriended on facebook. Proceedings of the European Conference on E-Learning, , 583-590. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=108723196&site=eds-live&scope=site

Kanhadilok., P., & Watts, M. (2014). Adult play-learning: Observing informal family education at a science museum. Studies in the Education of Adults, 46(1), 23-41. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=101676059&site=eds-live&scope=site

Manago, A. M., Taylor, T., & Greenfield, P. M. (2012). Me and my 400 friends: The anatomy of college students' facebook networks, their communication patterns, and well-being. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 369-380. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ979957&site=eds-live&scope=site; http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0026338

 

Catheryn Reardon, M. Ed.
Adjunct Professor
Georgia Military College-Online Campus