Are You Facebook Dependent? The Drive to Use This Social Media Network

Are you dependent on Facebook? Scientists have taken a closer look at what drives a person to use Facebook in order to understand how dependent a person is on the social media platform.

The more people use Facebook to fulfill their goals, the more dependent they become on it. However, this dependency isn't equivalent to addiction. Instead, the reason why people use Facebook determines the level of dependency they have on the social network.

In order to identify dependency factors, the researchers studied 301 Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 68 who posted on the site at least once a month. They found that people who perceive Facebook as helpful in gaining a better understanding of themselves go to the site to meet new people and to get attention from others. Also, people who use Facebook to gain a deeper understanding of themselves tended to have agreeable personalities but lower self-esteem than others.

"They might post that they went to the gym," said Amber Ferris, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Maybe they'll share a post expressing a certain political stance or personal challenge they're facing. They rely on feedback from Facebook friends to better understand themselves."

In the end, the researchers found that those who were most dependent were those who used Facebook to meet new people.

The findings reveal a bit more about what drives dependency of Facebook. Because this social media tool is such a prevalent part of people's lives, it's important to better understand how it impacts people on a daily basis.

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