tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/facebook-and-relationships-33720/articlesFacebook and relationships – The Conversation2021-10-06T12:31:19Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1692442021-10-06T12:31:19Z2021-10-06T12:31:19ZFacebook’s scandals and outage test users’ frenemy relationship<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424620/original/file-20211005-21-e6oftv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C11%2C7951%2C5261&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How do you feel about Facebook?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/relationship-difficulties-bad-news-royalty-free-image/1292581709">Enes Evren/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Facebook was <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-instagram-down-thousands-users-downdetectorcom-2021-10-04/">down for most of the day</a> on Oct. 4, 2021, did you miss it, were you relieved or some of both? Social scientists have compiled an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817695745">expansive body of research</a> that shows how people have come to develop a love-hate relationship with the social media giant with nearly 3 billion users.</p>
<p>Many users have felt their relationship with the platform devolve into a messy codependence, mired by ambiguity and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/trust-facebook-has-dropped-51-percent-cambridge-analytica-scandal-n867011">mistrust</a>. For others, reliance on the platform is taken for granted, if occasionally <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/us-social-media-usage">appreciated in moments of pandemic isolation</a>. </p>
<p>And then there are the revelations that the company has been lying about <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-files-xcheck-zuckerberg-elite-rules-11631541353">applying its rules differently to important people</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-has-known-for-a-year-and-a-half-that-instagram-is-bad-for-teens-despite-claiming-otherwise-here-are-the-harms-researchers-have-been-documenting-for-years-168043">knowingly harming teen girls</a> and having a big <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-vaccinated-11631880296">vaccine misinformation problem</a>. Adding insult to injury, Facebook <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/why-facebook-instagram-whatsapp-went-down-outage/">locked its keys in its car</a> and didn’t show up for over five hours. In short, Facebook is a hot mess.</p>
<p>All this leads to an extremely high-maintenance relationship, leaving users to wonder whether they should just move on with healthier friends. But it wasn’t always like this. </p>
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<h2>Friendly beginnings</h2>
<p>At its launch, Facebook was one of the most authentic social networking partners. Existing online networks, like MySpace, had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2009/1/myspace-yes-facebook-kills-our-traffic-but-at-least-we-make-money-nws">influential parent companies</a> that chaperoned their platforms, pestering users with ads and gimmicks. But Facebook promised something different: a genuine connection. It was an unexploited social space to live your best life – well before anyone <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hashbrag">hashbragged</a> it. </p>
<p>Still today, a friendship with Facebook comes with plenty of perks. Most importantly, it is the friend who brings everyone together. Participating in this community is shown to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x">strengthen relationships</a> between close friends and casual acquaintances. Individuals can bond over community causes, shared identities and amusing videos. Facebook has been credited for helping organize coalitions that <a href="https://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol8/iss1/art11/">took down dictators</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/28/health/the-ice-bucket-challenge-helped-scientists-discover-a-new-gene-tied-to-als.html">raised millions of dollars to fight disease</a>.</p>
<p>Adding to Facebook’s popularity, it lets users carefully curate a public image, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0411">emphasizing the best parts of their lives</a>. The site has become a central source not only for information about one another, but also the world. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2021/01/12/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-in-2020/">Over half of U.S. Facebook users report regularly consuming news on the platform</a>.</p>
<p>Academics friended Facebook, too. I led a study revealing that it is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817695745">the most researched subject</a> in the field of information and communication technology since 2005. This focus has led to advances in understanding <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.09.004">online interactions</a>, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0226">digital activism</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x">human psychology</a>. </p>
<h2>Undermining trust</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Facebook vacuums up users’ data.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/orangec-cartoon-vacuums-bits-isolated-on-80203072">Alexander Limbach/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>But Facebook’s stunning success has <a href="http://time.com/5505441/mark-zuckerberg-mentor-facebook-downfall/">come at the expense</a> of the privacy of its virtual friends. Its “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/04/10/transcript-of-mark-zuckerbergs-senate-hearing/">we sell ads</a>” business model <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facts-about-facebook-11548374613">may sound benign</a>, but the platform <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/mark-zuckerberg-wsj.html">collects more data and information</a> about users than they may consciously <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/17/how-to-find-out-what-facebook-knows-about-me.html">know about themselves</a>. </p>
<p>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-cambridge-analyticas-facebook-targeting-model-really-worked-according-to-the-person-who-built-it-94078">sharing users’ data</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/mark-zuckerberg-wsj.html">enabling disinformation campaigns</a> and election interference, Facebook has revealed its allegiances – and they don’t involve protecting users. Carelessness, or what increasingly looks like intentional abuse, of user data has made it <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-quit-facebook-but-dont-trust-it-either-93776">difficult to trust the platform</a> with people’s most intimate relationships.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the company continues to change what information people see on its platform, which has consequences. Research finds that users can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1320040111">emotionally manipulated</a> by changes to Facebook’s algorithm. This has made the public more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159641">politically polarized</a> and <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1077699016630255">less likely to share minority views</a> – implications that may derail democracy. </p>
<p>Algorithms that foster day-to-day social comparison have also taken a toll on mental health. Recent research convincingly shows that Facebook use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069841">dampens individuals’ happiness</a> – both immediately and over the long term. Using Facebook has been linked to depression and so many other negative psychological outcomes that it inspired a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.009">summary report</a> of 56 studies on the topic.</p>
<h2>Frenemies for now</h2>
<p>Despite widespread <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-deletefacebook-is-one-thing-left-and-right-agree-on-2021-7">calls to #DeleteFacebook</a>, most users have maintained their profiles and found themselves disrupted by its most recent outage. Why? Because abstaining from Facebook means giving up a network that has social currency and value. The site boasted <a href="https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2021/Facebook-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2020-Results/default.aspx">2.8 billion active users</a> at the end of 2020, more than a third of the global population. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/06/house-antitrust-committee-facebook-monopoly-buys-kills-competitors.html">As members of Congress have pointed out</a>, Facebook has few market competitors, meaning it serves as a primary, if not the only, way for large groups to connect. It holds users together (or sometimes hostage) by maintaining relationships with all their friends. </p>
<p>For those who prefer Instagram or WhatsApp, know that Facebook owns those too, and is working to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/technology/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-messenger.html">consolidate the technology behind them</a>. These platforms also went down yesterday. Even people with the willpower to de-friend Facebook will <a href="https://gizmodo.com/i-cut-facebook-out-of-my-life-surprisingly-i-missed-i-1830565456">still find their data swept up</a> in content that others add to the platform and its affiliates. It’s nearly impossible to escape Facebook’s orbit. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, recapturing the public’s trust will require significant changes. Options for unaltered news feeds, transparent advertising, and user control of data and metadata would be good places to start. But currently, it’s unclear whether Facebook will make these changes to salvage its billions of friendships. </p>
<p>In the meantime, most of Facebook’s friends are <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/05/americans-are-changing-their-relationship-with-facebook/">updating their privacy settings</a> and just trying to coexist.</p>
<p><em>This is an update of an <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-facebook-went-from-friend-to-frenemy-110130">article originally published on Jan. 30, 2019</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169244/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Stoycheff has received grant funding from WhatsApp, but it has not influenced the information in this article.</span></em></p>Facebook users no longer see the site as a confidant. They’re struggling with how to deal with a messy codependence – and whether to just break up and move on with healthier friends.Elizabeth Stoycheff, Associate Professor of Communication, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1306612020-02-07T19:38:20Z2020-02-07T19:38:20ZWhy people post ‘couple photos’ as their social media profile pictures<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314111/original/file-20200207-43095-1kj7lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C109%2C4331%2C3051&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Two people, one profile pic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-couple-pose-holiday-selfie-on-670636513">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As you scroll through your Facebook news feed, you see it: Your friend has posted a new profile picture. But instead of a picture of just your friend, it’s a couple photo – a picture of your friend and their romantic partner.</p>
<p>“Why would someone choose that as their profile picture?” you wonder.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IhivPfwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">We are social</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4LI2RO0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">psychology researchers</a> interested in understanding people’s behavior in close relationships and on social media. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219893998">Our research</a> and that of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214549944">other scholars</a> provides insight into why people use these types of “I’m part of a couple!” displays on social media. Choosing profile photos that include their romantic partner, posting their relationship status and mentioning their partner in their updates can all be signs of how people feel in their relationship – and may send an important message to potential rivals. </p>
<h2>Who does this?</h2>
<p>What we social psychologists call <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219893998">“dyadic displays” are relatively common</a>. </p>
<p>In a recent study that we conducted, 29% of romantically involved Facebook users had a “couple” photo as their current profile picture. Seventy percent had a dyadic relationship status posted – such as “In a relationship” or “Married.” And participants mentioned their romantic partner in 15% of their recent Facebook updates.</p>
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<p>Certain people are more likely to use these dyadic displays than others. People who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2011.0291">very satisfied with</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0060">committed to</a> their romantic relationship are more likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612460059">post couple profile photos</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219893998">represent their relationships on social media</a> in other ways. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00214">more in love a coupled-up person is, and the more jealousy they report</a>, the more likely they are to post their relationship status publicly on Facebook.</p>
<p>People who have an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.350">anxious attachment style</a> – who worry about their partner rejecting or abandoning them – are also more likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214549944">use a dyadic profile photo and post a dyadic relationship status on Facebook</a>. In contrast, people who have an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.350">avoidant attachment style</a> – who are uncomfortable depending on others and who prioritize maintaining their independence – are unlikely to showcase their couplehood in these ways.</p>
<p>Whether someone underscores their romantic status online can also change according to how a person is feeling at a given time. People are more likely to post relationship-relevant information on Facebook on days when they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214549944">feel more insecure</a> about their partner’s feelings for them than they typically do and on days when they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612460059">feel more satisfied</a> with their relationship.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314115/original/file-20200207-43108-sdzvga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Like two peas in a pod.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/couple-lying-on-floor-making-selfie-228305197">Dean Drobot/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<h2>Why display couplehood this way?</h2>
<p>One possible reason, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612460059">proposed by other scholars</a>, is that these displays accurately represent how many romantically involved people see themselves. </p>
<p>People in close relationships often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.63.4.596">include their partner in their self-concept</a> – they see their partner as part of themselves. People may display their couplehood on social media, then, because doing so accurately represents how they see themselves: as intertwined with their partner.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219893998">Our recent survey</a> of 236 romantically involved adult Facebook users supported this idea. We found that people – especially those who are very satisfied with their relationships – use dyadic displays partly because they see their partner as part of who they are.</p>
<p>We also found another, more strategic reason that people perform these displays: They’re motivated to protect their relationships from threats that exist on social media. Using Facebook, Twitter and all the rest exposes people to a variety of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0263">things that could potentially harm</a> their relationship, including ex-partners, alternative partners they could start a relationship with and romantic rivals who could attempt to steal their current sweethearts.</p>
<p>Outside of social media, research has shown that committed people engage in a host of behaviors to defend their relationships against threats posed by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.01.011">alternative partners</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(88)90010-6">romantic rivals</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023647">Mentioning their partner or relationship</a> is one way people may try to ward off these potential troublemakers.</p>
<p>We found that people who were more motivated to protect their relationships from these kinds of threats were more likely to use dyadic displays. Wanting to keep the good thing they had going was one reason why highly satisfied and committed people were particularly likely to feature their partner on their social media profiles.</p>
<p>Other researchers have found that some people feature their partner and relationship in their social media profiles because having other people know that they are in a relationship <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214549944">gives them a self-esteem boost</a>. This motive to feel good about themselves is one reason why anxiously attached people want their Facebook friends to be able to tell that they are in a relationship – and why avoidantly attached people don’t.</p>
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">These coupled-up messages are interpreted in several ways by others.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/two-women-sharing-with-smart-phones-royalty-free-image/1089341070">Tim Robberts/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>How do others interpret these displays?</h2>
<p>Interestingly, viewers tend to form <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612442904">fairly accurate impressions</a> of others based on their social media profiles and posts. </p>
<p>In experiments, researchers have manipulated social media profiles to investigate the consequences of advertising your coupledom in these ways.</p>
<p>Posting couple photos and using other dyadic displays leads other people to perceive the profile owner as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12059">more likable and as more likely to be in a satisfying and committed relationship</a>.</p>
<p>These dyadic displays not only <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512468370">communicate commitment</a>, but also suggest that the profile owner is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219893998">unlikely to be receptive to romantic advances</a> from other people. This may discourage others from trying to get closer to the profile owner, perhaps protecting the relationship.</p>
<p>If you’ve never done it, it may seem surprising that people would choose a “couple photo” as their profile picture. But doing so has the potential to produce positive outcomes for that person and their relationship.</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re too busy to read everything. We get it. That’s why we’ve got a weekly newsletter.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybusy">Sign up for good Sunday reading.</a> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130661/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Social psychologists investigated why Facebook users post profile pics of themselves with a romantic partner and how those online displays are interpreted by others.Amanda L. Forest, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of PittsburghKori Krueger, Ph.D. Student in Psychology, University of PittsburghLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1287042020-01-08T23:17:22Z2020-01-08T23:17:22ZWinning at social media is probably simpler than you think<p>The world is starting to see <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-lost-15-million-us-users-in-the-past-two-years-report-says/">the gradual decline of Facebook</a>, with 15 million US users dropping off between 2017 and last year. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, Facebook remains <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/#:%7E:targetText=How%20many%20users%20does%20Facebook,network%20ever%20to%20do%20so.">the largest social network</a> in the world. As of late last year, almost 60% of <a href="https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-january-2019/">Australians</a> had a Facebook account, half of whom logged-on daily.</p>
<p>And while most of us intuitively understand what others find interesting, there’s a growing body of research on online engagement and the characteristics of viral content. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/facebook-and-conversation-analysis-9781350141612/">For my research</a>, I studied more than 1,200 posts from 266 Facebook users - everyday people aged 21-40 – to identify the common denominator among “successful” Facebook posts.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308973/original/file-20200108-107200-wbuun0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Successful posts tended to prompt further action from readers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Share if you agree</h2>
<p>For the study, I decided to create a distinction between “likes” and comments. I treated likes as a simpler form of acknowledgement, and comments as a more active mode of engagement – they require time, effort and a deeper understanding of the content. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/travelgram-live-tourist-snaps-have-turned-solo-adventures-into-social-occasions-124583">#travelgram: live tourist snaps have turned solo adventures into social occasions</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>I found posts which performed relatively well in terms of engagement (more than five comments), could be characterised by certain linguistic features. </p>
<p>Successful posts tended to prompt further action from readers, or used humour to engage. </p>
<p>Conversations on Facebook feeds generally start by “tellings”, meaning posts which contain narratives. For example, what a friend is doing, a video, or a selfie. </p>
<p>Among the content I studied, the more popular posts requested a response of some kind, usually through questions, or requests such as “click on this funny link”. </p>
<p>Simply adding “what do you think of this?” at the end of a post was likely to increase engagement - and this was true for posts with varying subject matters.</p>
<p>I also found posts that were simple to understand performed better, as opposed to those which were vague or confusing - sometimes referred to as <a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/imbecilic-art-vaguebooking/">vaguebooking</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1209191866731761664"}"></div></p>
<h2>Laughter is the best medicine</h2>
<p>Humour also increased engagement.</p>
<p>Research has shown conversations driven by jokes <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0378216694901171">encourage involvement and inclusion</a>. </p>
<p>I observed this too, with funny posts securing more responses. Similarly, posts that were not overtly funny were more likely to do well if they received funny comments.</p>
<p>Ongoing conversations also stimulate further engagement. Successful Facebook users didn’t just post content, they also responded to comments on their posts. </p>
<p>The take home message? </p>
<p>Although the success of Facebook content also relies on privacy settings, the number of friends a user has, how active the user is and how popular they are outside Facebook, strategically designed posts can give any user a quick upper hand. </p>
<p>And it’s likely you can use the same principles on other platforms such as Twitter or Instagram.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/before-you-hit-share-on-that-cute-animal-photo-consider-the-harm-it-can-cause-126182">Before you hit 'share' on that cute animal photo, consider the harm it can cause</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128704/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matteo Farina works for Flinders University and the University of Adelaide. He is also a member of the Research Centre for Languages and Cultures at the University of South Australia.
This research was funded by a scholarship received from the University of South Australia. </span></em></p>There are a few simple tricks anyone can use.Matteo Farina, Adjunct Lecturer, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1101302019-01-30T11:51:21Z2019-01-30T11:51:21ZHow Facebook went from friend to frenemy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255883/original/file-20190128-108334-1b56cil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2447%2C2205&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How do you feel about Facebook?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/minsk-belarus-february-9-2017-boy-578390869">AlesiaKan/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>An updated version of this article was published on Oct. 6, 2021. <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebooks-scandals-and-outage-test-users-frenemy-relationship-169244">Read it here</a>.</em></p>
<p>As Facebook celebrates 15 years of virtual friendship, social science has compiled an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817695745">expansive body of research</a> that documents the public’s love-hate relationship with its best frenemy. </p>
<p>What many once viewed as a confidant has devolved into a messy codependence, mired by ambiguity and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/trust-facebook-has-dropped-51-percent-cambridge-analytica-scandal-n867011">mistrust</a>. It’s a relationship that’s both taken for granted, yet extremely high-maintenance, leaving users to wonder whether they should just move on with healthier friends.</p>
<p>But it wasn’t always like this. </p>
<p><iframe id="Oq79e" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Oq79e/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Friendly beginnings</h2>
<p>At its launch, Facebook was one of the most authentic social networking partners. Existing online networks, like MySpace, had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2009/1/myspace-yes-facebook-kills-our-traffic-but-at-least-we-make-money-nws">influential parent companies</a> that chaperoned their platforms, pestering users with ads and gimmicks. But Facebook promised something different: a genuine connection. It was an unexploited social space to live your best life – well before anyone hashbragged it. </p>
<p>Still today, a friendship with Facebook comes with plenty of perks. Most importantly, it is the friend who brings everyone together. Participating in this community is shown to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x">strengthen relationships</a> between close friends and casual acquaintances. Individuals can bond over community causes, shared identities and amusing videos. Facebook has been credited for helping organize coalitions that <a href="https://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol8/iss1/art11/">took down dictators</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/28/health/the-ice-bucket-challenge-helped-scientists-discover-a-new-gene-tied-to-als.html">raised millions to fight disease</a>.</p>
<p>Adding to Facebook’s popularity, it lets users carefully curate a public image, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0411">emphasizing the best parts of their lives</a>. The site has become a central source not only for information about one another, but also the world. Social sharing is up, such that <a href="http://www.journalism.org/2018/09/10/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2018/">two-thirds of U.S. Facebook users report consuming news on the platform</a>.</p>
<p>Academics friended Facebook, too. I led a study revealing that it is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817695745">the most researched subject</a> in the field of information and communication technology since 2005. This focus has led to advances in understanding <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.09.004">online interactions</a>, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0226">digital activism</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x">human psychology</a>. </p>
<h2>Undermining trust</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255860/original/file-20190128-108370-nl4qrl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Facebook vacuums up users’ data.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/orangec-cartoon-vacuums-bits-isolated-on-80203072">Alexander Limbach/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But Facebook’s stunning success has now <a href="http://time.com/5505441/mark-zuckerberg-mentor-facebook-downfall/">come at the expense</a> of the privacy of its virtual friends. Its “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/04/10/transcript-of-mark-zuckerbergs-senate-hearing/">we sell ads</a>” business model <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facts-about-facebook-11548374613">may sound benign</a>, but the platform <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/mark-zuckerberg-wsj.html">collects more data and information</a> about users than they may consciously <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/17/how-to-find-out-what-facebook-knows-about-me.html">know about themselves</a>. </p>
<p>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-cambridge-analyticas-facebook-targeting-model-really-worked-according-to-the-person-who-built-it-94078">sharing users’ data</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/opinion/mark-zuckerberg-wsj.html">enabling disinformation campaigns</a> and election interference, Facebook has revealed its allegiances – and they don’t involve protecting users. Carelessness, or what increasingly looks like intentional abuse, of user data has made it <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-quit-facebook-but-dont-trust-it-either-93776">difficult to trust the platform</a> with people’s most intimate relationships.</p>
<p>These scandals have consequences. Research finds that users can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1320040111">emotionally manipulated</a> by changes to Facebook’s algorithm. This has made the public more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159641">politically polarized</a> and <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1077699016630255">less likely to share minority views</a> – implications that may derail democracy. </p>
<p>Algorithms that foster day-to-day social comparison have also taken a toll on mental health. Recent research convincingly shows that Facebook use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069841">dampens individuals’ happiness</a> – both immediately and over the long term. Using Facebook has been linked to depression and so many other negative psychological outcomes that it inspired a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.009">summary report</a> of 56 studies on the topic.</p>
<h2>Frenemies for now</h2>
<p>Despite widespread calls to #DeleteFacebook in 2018, most users have maintained their profiles. Why? Because abstaining from Facebook means giving up a network that has social currency and value. The site boasts <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/number-active-facebook-users-increased-scandals-180426073628185.html">2.2 billion users</a>, nearly 30 percent of the global population. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/04/10/transcript-of-mark-zuckerbergs-senate-hearing/">As members of Congress recently pointed out</a>, Facebook has few market competitors, meaning it serves as a primary, if not the only, way for large groups to connect. It holds users together (or sometimes hostage) by maintaining relationships with all their friends. </p>
<p><iframe id="QXA7K" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/QXA7K/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>For those who prefer Instagram or WhatsApp, know that Facebook owns those too, and is working to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/technology/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-messenger.html">consolidate the technology behind them</a>. Even people with the willpower to de-friend Facebook will <a href="https://gizmodo.com/i-cut-facebook-out-of-my-life-surprisingly-i-missed-i-1830565456">still find their data swept up</a> in content that others add to the platform and its affiliates. It’s nearly impossible to escape Facebook’s orbit. </p>
<p>In advance of its anniversary this month, Facebook attempted to restore fond memories by encouraging users to reminisce with the <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-10-year-meme-challenge/">#10YearChallenge</a>. The award for biggest transformation goes to Facebook itself – from altruistic friend to cagey frenemy. </p>
<p>Recapturing the public’s trust will require significant changes. Options for unaltered news feeds, transparent advertising, and user control of data and metadata would be good places to start. But currently, it’s unclear whether Facebook will make these changes to salvage its billions of friendships. </p>
<p>In the meantime, most of Facebook’s friends are <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/05/americans-are-changing-their-relationship-with-facebook/">updating their privacy settings</a> and just trying to coexist.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110130/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Stoycheff has received grant funding from WhatsApp, an affiliate of Facebook. </span></em></p>Facebook users no longer see the site as a confidant. They’re struggling with how to deal with a messy codependence – and whether to just break up and move on with healthier friends.Elizabeth Stoycheff, Associate Professor of Communication, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/964342018-08-03T10:40:18Z2018-08-03T10:40:18ZMapping Brazil’s political polarization online<p>People increasingly use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as their primary source for news and information. Studying social media habits, therefore, can offer <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebooks-problem-is-more-complicated-than-fake-news-68886">rich insight</a> into the political opinions of a nation.</p>
<p>Our team of <a href="https://scholar.google.com.br/citations?user=lRPVwlkAAAAJ">computer scientists</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VSqMg3kAAAAJ">social scientists</a> from Brazil’s University of São Paulo began analyzing individuals’ Facebook behavior in 2015. </p>
<p>We started in our home country, where Facebook is a favored social media network: <a href="http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2018/brazil-2018/">52 percent of urban Brazilians consume their daily news on the site</a>. Approximately 12 million Brazilian Facebook users interact with political pages on the platform. </p>
<p>By plotting those users’ interactions with such pages – those belonging to a government official, social movement or advocacy organization, for example – we developed a nationwide map of how Brazilian political opinion has changed over the past three years. </p>
<p>The visual that emerged was a shocking portrait of political polarization in action. We are now expanding our research to focus on other polarized nations, including Argentina and the United States. </p>
<h2>Brazil before 2013</h2>
<p>We tracked which pages these 12 million Brazilians had liked over the course of a month, noting when groups of users liked different pages on similar topics.</p>
<p>In 2013, our research found that Brazilian Facebook users with political interests could be categorized into six “user communities” based on the types of pages they visited: (1) conservative politicians and parties; (2) left-wing politicians and parties; (3) hard-line anti-crime groups; (4) anti-corruption campaigns; (5) progressive social movements; and (6) human rights and environmentalism. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229313/original/file-20180725-194137-1pnwzkx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A weighted graph of Brazilian Facebook users before June 2013. Each node represents a Facebook page. Larger nodes are more popular pages. Two nodes are linked and grouped when users like a post from both pages, so a cluster of nodes represents a community of users interested in similar topics. The horizontal axis indicates political ideology from right to left. The vertical axis distinguishes civil society organizations from politicians and political parties.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pablo Ortellado and Marcio Moretto Ribeiro</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 2013, these six discrete Facebook user communities fell neatly along two axes, from the political left to right and from followers of political groups to participants in civil society organizations.</p>
<p>Though there was a clear difference between the online behavior of people who followed left-wing and right-wing politicians in Brazil in 2013, the distance between leftist and rightist social movements was not so vast. </p>
<p>In fact, there was enough overlap between two user clusters – Brazilians interested in progressive social movements and Brazilians interested in the anti-corruption movement – that these “communities” nearly formed a continuum. Many Brazilian LGBTQ supporters also affiliated with the anti-corruption movement back in 2013, and some anti-corruption crusaders were interested in environmentalism, too. </p>
<h2>March 2014</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229316/original/file-20180725-194128-1x484et.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">After the June 2013 protests, groups start to divide more sharply between the left and the right, while the other categories fall apart.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pablo Ortellado and Marcio Moretto Ribeiro</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That changed after a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/21/brazil-police-crowds-rio-protest">series of spontaneous, massive protests erupted in Brazil in June 2013</a>, fracturing Brazilian society. </p>
<p>Protests began when some residents of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro took to the streets to protest a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/world/americas/bus-fare-protests-hit-brazils-two-biggest-cities.html">steep hike in the city bus and subway fares</a>. After 15 days of continuous protest, both cities reduced their fares. </p>
<p>Rather than quieting down, the unrest expanded to focus on a different demands. </p>
<p>In response to Brazil’s hefty investment <a href="http://fortune.com/2014/06/12/brazil-world-cup-anger/">in the World Cup and the Olympics</a>, many Brazilians demanded government funding for public services such as transportation, education and health services. </p>
<p>Another camp, fed up with a <a href="https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/11/economist-explains-14">nationwide bribery scandal called “mensalão”</a> – which had implicated numerous high-ranking Brazilian government officials – demanded a government clean-up. </p>
<p>That month, about 12 percent of the entire population – 200 million people – marched. </p>
<p>By late 2013, citizens on the political right had coalesced around the issue of corruption. Those on the political left had honed in on social programs and public services. As political parties began putting these issues front and center of their platforms, left and right pulled apart, both politically and socially. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the separation between politics and civil society in Brazil was also collapsing. </p>
<p>As we tracked people’s social media behavior, we found that people who liked progressive social movements on Facebook began liking the Facebook posts of leftist politicians more regularly. Supporters of the anti-corruption movement and hard-line anti-crime groups were likewise liking the pages of right-wing politicians more often. </p>
<h2>March 2016</h2>
<p>Between 2014 and 2016, political differences hardened into polarization. </p>
<p>We saw users who once comprised six visibly distinct communities of interest separate into just two groups with very little overlap: progressives and conservatives. </p>
<p>And the separation between politics and society in Brazil had disappeared by March 2016 – online, at least.</p>
<p>The online behavior of Brazilians interested in anti-corruption activism and fighting crime became indistinguishable from that of people interested in right-wing politicians and parties. Meanwhile, Brazilians affiliated with progressive social movements and human rights groups merged with those who associate with left-wing politicians and parties.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=221&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229319/original/file-20180725-194134-186ah9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">By 2016, Brazilian Facebook users had become strongly polarized. Users who once comprised six visibly distinct communities of interest had separated into just two groups with very little overlap: progressives and conservatives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pablo Ortellado and Marcio Moretto Ribeiro</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In August 2016, President Dilma Rousseff was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/31/dilma-rousseff-impeached-president-brazilian-senate-michel-temer">impeached</a> in a congressional vote that split down party lines. Since then, polling shows that Brazilians have <a href="https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/pablo-ortellado/2017/11/1936897-a-polarizacao-nao-esta-nos-deixando-pensar.shtml">only grown more polarized</a>.</p>
<h2>Polarization worldwide</h2>
<p>Brazil is not the only country to have <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-11/from-brexit-to-trump-polarization-poses-global-risk-wef-says">splintered along ideological lines</a> in recent years. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230282/original/file-20180801-136655-1p7x6qn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One year after the bitterly divisive election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, American Facebook users on the political right shared virtually no interests with those on the political left.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pablo Ortellado and Marcio Moretto Ribeiro</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 2017, we began to map the online behavior of Facebook users in other severely polarized countries using the same methodology. So far, we have completed charts for <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-soaring-levels-of-income-inequality-making-us-a-more-polarized-nation-63418">the U.S.</a> and <a href="http://harvardpolitics.com/world/from-polarization-to-persecution-lessons-from-argentinas-media-war/">Argentina</a>. </p>
<p>Both countries look similar to Brazil these days. Right-wing and left-wing Facebook users exist in wholly different universes, not just in terms of the politicians they support but also in their social interests. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230283/original/file-20180801-136670-oezou3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Argentine society has been extremely divided since a 2001 financial crisis that impoverished the country and saw four governments removed in three years. By 2017, Argentine Facebook users who supported conservative President Mauricio Macri, in office since 2015, could find no common ground with compatriots who like his predecessor, two-term leftist President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pablo Ortellado and Marcio Moretto Ribeiro</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/96434/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pablo Ortellado receives funding from the Ford Foundation and Fapesp.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Márcio Moretto Ribeiro receives funding from Ford Foundation and Fapesp. </span></em></p>Data scientists mapped the online behavior of Facebook users in Brazil, the US and Argentina. The result is a startling visual portrayal of just how deeply polarized these nations have become.Pablo Ortellado, Professor of Public Policy, Universidade de São Paulo (USP)Márcio Moretto Ribeiro, Professor of Information Systems, Universidade de São Paulo (USP)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/929762018-03-28T10:39:05Z2018-03-28T10:39:05ZWhy it’s so hard to #DeleteFacebook: Constant psychological boosts keep you hooked<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212304/original/file-20180327-109199-1f071dx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=521%2C8%2C4842%2C3463&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Your finger may hover, but it's hard get rid of it once and for all.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/adelaide-australia-october-3-2012-deleting-269010830">ymgerman/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Here we go again: another Facebook controversy, yet again violating our sense of privacy by letting others harvest our personal information. This flareup is a big one to be sure, leading some people to consider leaving Facebook altogether, but the company and most of its <a href="https://qz.com/1236564/facebook-is-too-big-to-fail/">over 2 billion users</a> will reconcile. The vast majority will return to Facebook, just like they did <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/inside-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-2-years-of-hell/">the last time</a> and the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/timeline-facebook-s-privacy-issues-its-responses-n859651">many times before that</a>. As in all abusive relationships, users have a psychological dependence that keeps them hooked despite knowing that, at some level, it’s not good for them.</p>
<p>Decades of research has shown that our relationship with all media, whether movies, television or radio, is symbiotic: People like them because of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/268109">gratifications they get from consuming them</a> – benefits like escapism, relaxation and companionship. The more people use them, the more gratifications they seek and obtain.</p>
<p>With online media, however, a consumer’s use provides data to media companies so they can serve up <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2013.845827">exactly what would gratify her most</a>, as they mine her behavior patterns to tailor her online experiences and appeal to her individual psychological needs. </p>
<p>Aside from providing content for our consumption, Facebook, Twitter, Google – indeed all interactive media – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118426456.ch3">provide us with new possibilities for interaction on the platform</a> that can satisfy some of our innate human cravings.</p>
<p>Interactive tools in Facebook provide simplified ways to engage your curiosity, broadcast your thoughts, promote your image, maintain relationships and fulfill the yearning for external validation. Social media take advantage of common psychological traits and tendencies to keep you clicking – and revealing more of yourself. Here’s why it’s so hard, as a social network user, to pull the plug once and for all.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=315&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=315&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212309/original/file-20180327-109182-75ia6v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=315&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People get a lot of pleasure from their social media interactions – and that’s by design.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-girl-friends-watching-internet-social-743137216">guruXOX/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Buoying your ‘friend'ships</h2>
<p>The more you click, the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/2160-4134.1.S.2">stronger your online relationships</a>. Hitting the 'Like’ button, commenting on photos of friends, sending birthday wishes and tagging others are just some of the ways in which Facebook allows you to engage in “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00394.x">social grooming</a>.” All these tiny, fleeting contacts help users maintain relationships with large numbers of people with relative ease.</p>
<h2>Molding the image you want to project</h2>
<p>The more you reveal, the greater your chances of successful self-presentation. Studies have shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.10.033">strategic self-presentation is a key feature of Facebook use</a>. Users shape their online identity by revealing which concert they went to and with whom, which causes they support, which rallies they attend and so on. In this way, you can curate your online self and manage others’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.02.012">impressions of you</a>, something that would be impossible to do in real life with such regularity and precision. Online, you get to project the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118426456.ch1">ideal version of yourself</a> all the time.</p>
<h2>Snooping through an open window</h2>
<p>The more you click, the more you can keep an eye on others. This kind of social searching and surveillance are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/1357054.1357213">among the most important gratifications obtained from Facebook</a>. Most people take pleasure in looking up others on social media, often surreptitiously. The psychological need to monitor your environment is deep-rooted and drives you to keep up with news of the day – and fall victim to <a href="http://www.projectinfolit.org/shyam-sundar-smart-talk.html">FOMO, the fear of missing out</a>. Even privacy-minded senior citizens, loathe to reveal too much about themselves, are known to use Facebook to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.04.015">snoop on others</a>.</p>
<h2>Enhancing your social resources</h2>
<p>The more you reveal, the greater your social net worth. Being more forthcoming <a href="https://doi.org/10.2753/MER1052-8008240102">can get you a job via LinkedIn</a>. It can also help an old classmate find you and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/1240624.1240695">reconnect</a>. Studies have shown that active use of Facebook can enhance your <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12078">social capital</a>, whether you’re a college student or a senior citizen wanting to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.080">bond with family members or rekindle ties</a> with long-lost friends. Being active on social media is associated with increases in <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cpb.2006.9.584">self-esteem and subjective well-being</a>.</p>
<h2>Enlarging your tribe</h2>
<p>The more you click, the bigger and better the bandwagon. When you click to share a news story on social media or express approval of a product or service, you’re contributing to the creation of a bandwagon of support. Metrics conveying strong bandwagon support, just like five stars for a product on Amazon, are <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1358873">quite persuasive</a>, in part because they represent a consensus among many opinions. In this way, you get to be a part of online communities that form around ideas, events, movements, stories and products – which can ultimately enhance your <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/088394179290028H">sense of belonging</a>.</p>
<h2>Expressing yourself and being validated</h2>
<p>The more you reveal, the greater your agency. Whether it’s a tweet, a status update or a detailed blog post, you get to <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2207731">express yourself</a> and help shape the discourse on social media. This self-expression by itself can be quite empowering. And metrics indicating bandwagon support for your posts – all those “likes” and smiley faces – can profoundly enhance your sense of self worth by appealing to your ingrained psychological need for <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/17/4/369/4067663">external validation</a>.</p>
<p>In all these ways, social media’s features provide us too many important gratifications to forego easily. If you think most users will give all this up in the off chance that illegally obtained data from their Facebook profiles and activities may be used to influence their votes, think again. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212310/original/file-20180327-109169-1n16k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Social media train us to crave the feedback and respond to the nudges.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/falling-on-top-chips-like-heart-595210961">SPF/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Algorithms that never let you go</h2>
<p>While most people may be squeamish about algorithms mining their personal information, there’s an implicit understanding that sharing personal data is a necessary evil that helps <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10799-005-5879-y">enhance their experience</a>. The algorithms that collect your information are also the algorithms that nudge you to be social, based on your interests, behaviors and networks of friends. Without Facebook egging you on, you probably wouldn’t be quite as social. Facebook is a major social lubricant of our time, often recommending friends to add to your circle and notifying you when a friend has said or done something potentially of interest.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=84&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=84&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=84&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=105&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=105&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212000/original/file-20180326-159078-h0ieb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=105&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Facebook ‘nudge’ can push you to attend a local event.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Facebook screenshot</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Consider how many notifications Facebook sends about events alone. When presented with a nudge about an event, you may at least consider going, probably even visit the event page, maybe indicate that you’re “Interested” and even decide to attend the event. None of these decisions would be possible without first receiving the nudge.</p>
<p>What if Facebook never nudged you? What if algorithms never gave you recommendations or suggestions? Would you still perform those actions? According to <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300122237/nudge">nudge theory</a>, you’d be far less likely to take action if you’re not encouraged to do so. If Facebook never nudged you to attend events, add friends, view others’ posts or wish friends Happy Birthday, it’s unlikely you would do it, thereby diminishing your social life and social circles.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=940&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=940&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212001/original/file-20180326-159060-fk85gr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=940&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Are you willing to say goodbye?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Facebook screenshot</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Facebook knows this very well. Just try deleting your Facebook account and you will be made to realize what a massive repository it is of your private and public memory. When one of us tried deactivating her account, she was told how huge the loss would be – profile disabled, all the memories evaporating, losing touch with over 500 friends. On the top of the page were profile photos of five friends, including the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=KP-DwH0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">lead author</a> of this article, with the line “S. Shyam will miss you.”</p>
<p>This is like asking if you would like to purposely and permanently cut off ties with all your friends. Now, who would want to do that?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92976/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>S. Shyam Sundar receives funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bingjie Liu, Carlina DiRusso, and Michael Krieger do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Social media provide shortcuts to things we yearn for, like connection and validation. Media effects scholars explain the psychological benefits we get from Facebook that make it so hard to quit.S. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor of Communication & Co-Director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn StateBingjie Liu, Ph.D. Candidate in Mass Communications, Penn StateCarlina DiRusso, Ph.D. Student in Mass Communications, Penn StateMichael Krieger, Ph.D. Student, Department of Sociology, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/693112016-11-29T18:06:14Z2016-11-29T18:06:14ZFacebook use and risky sex in Swaziland: unpacking the relationship<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147937/original/image-20161129-10969-18h5v45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There is a link between online social networking technologies and increased risky sexual behaviour.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Young Swazi adults who spend a significant amount of time on Facebook and have previously had sex with someone they met on the popular social networking site are likely to have several partners, according to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/16085906.2016.1171790">a study</a> we conducted in Swaziland. </p>
<p>The backdrop to the survey was that Swaziland has identified multiple sexual partners as a major risk factor in the transmission of HIV. Swaziland has the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/swaziland/">highest HIV infection rate</a> in the world. In 2015 about <a href="http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/swaziland">28% of people</a> between the ages of 15 and 49 were HIV positive in Swaziland. The country has a population of 1.3 million people. </p>
<p>As a key strategy to manage the pandemic Swaziland’s Ministry of Health has <a href="http://www.infocenter.nercha.org.sz/sites/default/files/PreventionPolicy.PDF">prioritised policies</a> to try and reduce the number of people who have multiple sexual partners – and particularly concurrent multiple partners. This has been identified as a <a href="http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTHIVAIDS/Resources/375798-1103037153392/SwazilandMOT22March09Final.pdf">key risk factor</a> in the spread of HIV, particularly because <a href="http://www.k4health.org/sites/default/files/Swaziland_MoT_Country_Synthesis_Report_22Mar09.pdf">studies</a> show that heterosexual sex is responsible for 94% of new infections in the country. </p>
<p>We chose to focus on Facebook users because the uptake of social media has increased dramatically in the country with the arrival of <a href="http://www.impactoftheinternet.com">low-cost mobile telephones</a>. <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062271">Studies</a> conducted in the developed world have shown that online social networking technologies have been linked to increased risky sexual behaviour.</p>
<p>Our study looked at what kind of risky sexual behaviour is displayed by people who use social network sites. The hope is that the findings could inform policy. </p>
<h2>Finding the right people</h2>
<p>Fifty four million of Facebook’s <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/">more than 1.7 billion active users</a> live in Africa. </p>
<p>When we conducted our study an estimated <a href="https://www.socialbakers.com/statistics/facebook/pages/total/swaziland/">63 720 people in Swaziland</a> were using Facebook. This accounted for about 8.3% of the population aged 15 years and older.</p>
<p>To evaluate the trends in a statistically significant study we needed a sample size of 2,000 people. We randomly selected 2,000 participants whom we contacted through the social media site. Only Swazi citizens who were Facebook users, 18 years or older and had displayed their full surnames publicly on the social networking site were considered. </p>
<p>To develop a culturally sound questionnaire we conducted focus group interviews on a range of topics. These included HIV and AIDS, people’s activities on Facebook, opinions and experiences of finding sexual partners on Facebook and general sexual behaviour. </p>
<p>This questionnaire included:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>the number of sexual partners participants had had in the 12 months leading up to the study, </p></li>
<li><p>whether they had used a condom the last time they’d had sex, </p></li>
<li><p>whether they thought their steady partner had other sexual partners,</p></li>
<li><p>how much time they spent on Facebook each day, </p></li>
<li><p>their sexual experience with people they met on Facebook, and </p></li>
<li><p>whether they would use a health information Facebook page.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Study findings</h2>
<p>Responses to the questionnaires showed that just over 80% of the men and women in the survey were sexually active. Over two thirds were between 20 and 29 years old and were not married. </p>
<p>Many of the participants said they found it easier to initiate a romantic conversation on Facebook than face-to-face. As a result they spent more time on Facebook. </p>
<p>A significant proportion of our study population admitted that they’d had sex with someone they had met on Facebook – and that they had had several partners at the same time.</p>
<p>For the purposes of the study we defined “someone met on Facebook” as someone participants had spoken to on Facebook for the first time. This included people they knew as well as strangers. <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.700.1797&rep=rep1&type=pdf">Studies</a> have shown that up to a quarter of Facebook users accept friend requests from strangers.</p>
<p>Although we were able to identify important factors associated with multiple sexual partners, our study did not delve into how people used Facebook to transform relationships into sexual ones.</p>
<h2>Changing the landscape</h2>
<p>Our study also showed that Facebook has the potential to be used as a channel for health communication. Most of the participants with multiple sexual partners were willing to use a health communication Facebook page if it became available. </p>
<p>This suggests that policies to reduce the number of multiple sexual partners in the country could include these kinds of promotions. </p>
<p>As Facebook use among young people continues to expand people’s sexual networks are likely to increase. This potentially places young people at a high risk of HIV infection. HIV prevention programmes should therefore be designed with deliberate social media strategies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69311/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bhekumusa Lukhele does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Online social networking technologies have been linked with increased risky sexual behaviour – and Swaziland is no different.Bhekumusa Lukhele, PhD candidate and teaching assistant, Kyoto UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.