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Friday 10 January 2014

Tweet a lot? Then you're probably SELF-OBSESSED: Narcissists use Twitter the most because they crave approval -

Tweet a lot? Then you're probably SELF-OBSESSED: Narcissists use Twitter the most because they crave approval - 



We all know someone who tweets about the minute details of their life every 10 minutes and now new research suggests that are displaying narcissistic tendencies.
U.S. researchers claim narcissists tweet more often than others and crave followers on Twitter to meet their need for approval.
They also found that narcissists update their Facebook status more regularly and vain adults prefer to post content on Facebook, rather than Twitter.

Shaun Davenport of High Point University, North Carolina, told Pacific Standard: ‘Narcissism does appear to be a primary driver for the desire for (Twitter) followers, which in turn drives tweets.’
He found that students with narcissistic tendencies tend to prefer to tweet to attract attention and consequently like to have as many followers as possible.

However, adult narcissists prefer to post their news on Facebook, suggesting a generational divide, according to the study in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.
The research found Millennials (people born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s) post Facebook statuses more regularly and are less likely to reflect narcissistic motives.

FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FUEL NARCISSISM IN DIFFERENT WAYS
A study by the University of Michigan that was published in June, found that middle-aged narcissists are more likely to frequently update their Facebook status, while their younger counterparts take to Twitter to satisfy their vanity.
According to Elliot Panek, middle-aged people use Facebook as a way of gaining approval of their image from their peers, while college students prefer Twitter because they over-value their own opinions.
He said: 'Middle-aged adults usually have already formed their social selves, and they use social media to gain approval from those who are already in their social circles.'
According to the study, Twitter acts as a megaphone for younger web users.
Mr Panek said: 'Through Twitter they're trying to broaden their social circles and broadcast their views about a wide range of topics and issues.'

Together with his colleagues, he conducted an online survey of 515 college students and 669 adults, all of whom embraced social media.
They filled out a survey rating their narcissistic tendencies and said how many times they tweeted and updated their Facebook status on a typical day.
Narcissism was found to be ‘a stronger predictor of Twitter active usage than Facebook active usage,’ according to the study.

‘We found no significant direct or indirect relationship with active usage on Facebook for the college students,’ the researchers said.
However, they did find that narcissism was linked to Facebook activity among adults, suggesting that narcissists on the social network are more likely to be of Generation X or baby boomers than Millennials.
They believe this could be because Millennials partly grew up using Facebook to communicate with others, just as previous generations used a phone.
However, older people who have gained access to the tool need more reason to post a status update and narcissism is one of the reasons to do so.

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