4 Things People Do More On Social Networks

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are almost like shiny red presents on christmas morning for the psychologists and sociologists of the world–teeming with real-time data on how people behave in an infinite number of ways. While virtually everything about social networks is interesting to the people-watchers among us, here are four peculiarities that have them interested the most, because they’re far more likely to happen on Facebook than anywhere else:

1. Stalk

Facebook facilitates an environment in which it’s incredibly easy to stalk other people. In fact, if someone’s privacy settings will let you, it’s entirely possible to know as much or more about that person as his or her closest friends do. In the physical world, stalking is creepy and often frowned upon. But, on Facebook, it’s almost a norm. It isn’t weird to look at someone you only sort of know’s pictures from the night before or to check someone’s status updates. In fact, it would be weird not to.

2. Lie

Have you ever said ‘yes’ to a Facebook event with no intention of going? I have. Most people do. It’s not out of the ordinary to see several hundred people signed up to attend an event online only to find ten or twenty people in the room when you actually arrive. Likewise, it’s easier to lie on a wall than it is in person. The why has yet to be scientifically proven, but I have a hunch that it’s because it’s easier to type something than it is to say it. The paradox, however, is that when you say something it probably isn’t recorded. Everything you do online sticks and may never disappear.

3. Embellish (Overboard)

Even the most amazing people I know look and sound more amazing than they really are on their Facebook profiles. It’s hard to quantify how much better people try to make themselves online, but it’s not a stretch to say that that’s exactly what they do. When you look at someone’s Facebook profile, don’t think of it as who that person really is, but rather who they would really like to be. Creating an identity online is a chance to start fresh and let you define yourself without other people doing it for you–and it’s no surprise that most people take their chance and do just that.

4. Come Out Of A Shell Or Break In To One

Facebook is an intriguing environment because it possesses some mysterious magical quality that lets introverts become extroverts overnight–at least online. Conversely, it’s also entirely possible for extroverts to hide and observe rather than engage. Of course, neither of these will always happen but, unlike the real world, it’s a place where they can. It’s quite difficult to make someone who likes to sit in the corner and read get up on stage and share his opinions with the world, but on Facebook you’re just as likely to see it happen as you are to get invited to install this week’s newest vampire application.

• By Patrick Widen

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About The Author

Patrick Widen

Patrick began his career in design at the age of twelve, later starting his design firm, Foozoo Design, while still a senior in high school. In the rebellious years of his youth, he virtually ignored his high school curriculum in favor of pursuing his own academic career in marketing, psychology, and design. 400 books, three companies, and a cocktail of interesting experiences later he opened the doors of Blend to help companies dive into design and create products, services, and experiences that make people smile. When he's not working, Patrick is also student at Vanderbilt where he is exploring the connections between neuroscience, design, marketing, and economics. It is his hope that through these connections he will soon begin to find the answers to the questions that he believes will change the world for the better and make each and every inch of it a better place for the people that live there.