Is Facebook part of your morning routine? Do you perform one last check on the platform before you go to bed each night? Is it your main source of news and social updates? And more importantly, do you use Facebook to meet new people?
According to a new American study, the reason why you keep coming back to Facebook – whether it is to read the news, check the comments on your photos or play games – is the determining your level of dependency on it. Right from the bat, users who meet new people on Facebook are the most dependent.
However, if any of the scenarios presented earlier apply to you (you might even take your iPhone in the bathroom with you to check Facebook), this new study has got you pegged: dependent, to one degree or another.
According to Amber Ferris, an assistant professor of communication at The University of Akron, the bigger a role Facebook plays in the achievement of our goals, the bigger our dependency it is to the platform.
In order to determine the most common reasons driving users’ Facebook dependency, the researchers analyzed 301 users aged from between 18 to 68; all of the participants posted – pictures, statuses or comments – on Facebook at least once a month.
It turns out that people who use Facebook as a tool for better understanding themselves access the platform to meet new people and get attention. In spite of having agreeable personalities, these people have lower self-esteem than their peers, so they rely on Facebook feedback for their appreciation of themselves.
Researchers also found a connection between the need to search for entertainment or information – think of ideas for leisure activities or places for going out – and developing an increased dependence on the website.
The study also noted that people with high self-esteem have a tendency of posting more positive updates, which is used as way of staying connected with people they already know.
Ferris added this conclusion is pretty logical: if you’re content with your life, the chances are higher you will want to share that with your Facebook friends.
She also said that users who visit Facebook for meeting new people are mostly extraverts – people who find it easy to communicate personal information on the web. However, these also tend to be less honest regarding the information they disclose.
Image Source: The Week
