Social Media Addiction Makes People Embarrass And Anger Others Online, Says Study

The Internet can come across as a gloomy place at times with negative content available on social networking sites.

As natural as it may seem, one might paint a very grim picture of humanity based on it. A new study points out that this is not the case.

Reuters

A research on the use of social networking sites reveals that negative behaviour on social networking sites is linked to those who use such platforms the most. The study relates such behaviour to the social rewards on such mediums, eventually pulling those users back on to them for repeated use.

On the whole, the research attempts to help clinicians treat patients addicted to such platforms by better understanding the social rewards that act as the driving factor for their repeated use.

Social media behaviour study

(Representative Image: Reuters)

Now published in ScienceDirect, the study by researchers from Michigan State University and California State University maps the effect of different social networking sites on user behaviour.

The study mapped the behaviour of 472 university students - 191 females and 281 males - while simultaneously tracking their usage on two platforms - Facebook and Snapchat. The candidates were 18-to-24-year olds.

The study highlights that such platforms use different functionality, which can affect user behaviours. These reinforcers are often in the form of social rewards which act as reinforcers, ¡°bringing people back to these sites repeatedly and for considerable periods of time,¡± says the study.

Results of social media behaviour study

Representative Image

During the research, the participants were estimated to spend 2.64 hours per day on Snapchat and 2.28 hours per day on Facebook.

An interesting analysis out of the research is that a problematic use of these platforms was directly linked with a greater preference for the social rewards offered on these platforms, corresponding to a greater use.

The ¡°problematic use¡± mentioned above included negative social potency. The study highlights that such potency is associated with the ¡°¡°dark triad¡± of Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.¡±

The problematic use of Snapchat and Facebook was found to be linked with ¡°admiration, negative social potency, and sociability¡± while Facebook was blamed for ¡°negative social potency.¡±

It is a vicious cycle for those caught in it. ¡°People high in trait negative social potency are more likely than others to engage in repeated, rewarding behaviors ¨C rewarding for them (but that may hurt others) ¨C that may eventually reinforce problematic use,¡± it says.