There are a few key psychological factors that drive people's use of social media platforms:
- Social interaction - Social media allows people to connect with others, share experiences, and feel like they are part of a community. This satisfies basic human needs for belonging and relationships.
- Self-presentation - Social media provides a platform for people to carefully curate an online persona and image. This allows them to present an idealised version of themselves.
- Feedback and validation - Likes, comments, shares etc. provide forms of positive feedback that make people feel validated and recognised nized. This can be rewarding and addictive.
- FOMO (fear of missing out) - Seeing updates from friends and family creates a fear of being left out of experiences and events. This motivates ongoing social media use.
- Curiosity and information - Social media provides a constant stream of new information and content, which appeals to people's curiosity. Staying updated becomes addictive.
- Entertainment - People enjoy the fun and humorous aspects of social media. It provides amusement during downtime.
- Comparison - Viewing highly curated content from others facilitates social comparison, both upward and downward, which shapes self-perceptions.
In summary, major psychological drivers include fulfilling social needs, seeking self-presentation and validation, entertainment, curiosity, as well as social comparison and competition for status. But excessive use can negatively impact wellbeing. Moderation is key.
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