31st Annual Student Research Conference
How Social Media Post Type Affects the Likelihood of Following, and Perceived Happiness of, the Poster
William T. Leach*, Brianna Cermak, and Allison R. Rice
Dr. Karen Vittengl, Faculty Mentor
Social media's influence in our lives grows, but what posts draw our attention and the future investment of our time is not well understood. Users may respond differently based on the type of happiness that the social media post embodies, whether meaning, engagement, and pleasure. Participants were shown sixteen simulated media posts and rated how likely they were to follow the poster and how happy they thought the poster is. As hypothesized, participants were most likely to follow an account that posted pictures associated with 'meaning' (65.8%), and found those 'meaning' picture posters the happiest (46%). Following accounts posting 'meaning' pictures was also found to correlate with being happy after using social media (r (158)=0.245, p < 0.01). These results may help build a better understanding of how individuals decide what to follow and behave online, as well as what usages of social media promote happiness.
Keywords: Social, Media, Happiness, Posting, Online, Behavior
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 7-4
Location: GEO - SUB
Time: 3:30