Resume
summary of Psychology of Social Media
- Établissement
- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven)
summary of all 6 classes and powerpoints, at the end example exam questions are included
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Les 1: Intro + key conceptsSM is kind of communication that is studied in marketing, sociology, psychology, neurology
TOWARD CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION
Inconsistent conceptualizations threatens validity and conversation in scholars
Lasswell’s (1948) communication model
23 definitions (El Quirdi et al.)
research artikels abt SM and cameto 23 defi but none of them covered ‘everything’ (audience and effect of SM)
• Who, what, Channel:
o Who: Individual users, communities of people, organizations and industries
o Says What: info and digital user-generated content in several formats: words, static, moving images,
audio (no info on message/content)
o In Which Channel : web-based technology vs. platform
• They id another component the ‘why’:
o Why people post on sm: create, cocreate, exchange, share, discuss, modify, consume, communicate
and disseminate user-generated content; forming communities that engage in social interaction
• In other papers no one mentioned the ‘to whom’ and ‘with what effect’ (but they don’t)
o Whom: This isn’t strange bc on SM the line btwn communicator & receiver bc you can take on both
roles (from passive to active user)
o Effect: would be considered in different research and not included in the conceptualization bc effect is
to brought and can be too different to put into a single definition
• they created cube to categorize different media platforms taxonomy of Sm (to categorize) but doesn’t give
conceptual defi of what sm is
Who/ to whom: 3 levels:
- micro: individual users
- meso: small communities (lgbtq)
- macro: corporation/
organizations
Content format: images, video,…
Function: networking, sharing,…
Carr & hays, 2015
• “Social media are Internet-based channels that allow users to opportunistically interact and selectively self-
present, either in real-time or asynchronously, with both broad and narrow audiences who derive value from
user-generated content and the perception of interaction with others”
• Aka sm seen as tools to form self-presentation of yourself which are highly curated (bc you only post what you
want people to see positivity bias)
,• Characteristics (some are affordances)
o Internet-Based
o Disenstraint (asynchronously) / Persistent (always available) Channel
It allows asynchronously (real-time) commu (you can wait to respond, choose what you will
say)
o Perceived Interactivity
Eg parasocial rela
o User-generated value
value of content based on likes & comments (how valuable you find this is person
dependent)
o Masspersonal communication
Eg one to many commu, to broad and narrow audiences
• Prbm with prior defi:
o SNS are typically social media, but not all social media are SNS
o Too technic definitions (based on site features or technical affordances), not enough attention to
communication function
• following defi e-mail/skype/netflix isn’t SM (bc user generated content is not there) but fb, tinder is
• BUT rapid developments in SM (defi is from back in 2015) but themes still relevant
o Changes in Infrastructure
Web based portal (rarely used)
New: Algorithms (and transparancy)
AI (snapchat chatbot, …..)
Accessing your own content history
….
o Changes in Interactions towards Constant Massive, Masspersonal Interactions
Influence scholarship – Opinion leaders
Illusion of intimacy – parasocial interaction literature
Authenticity labels for accounts of influencers
o Blurring lines between informal and formal communication
e.g., universities in social media posts, ryanair jokes, .…
o Changing Organizing the unorganizable
New ways of organizing planned and unplanned interaction
E.g., social movements (social media profile protest actions); indicating your safe when a
sudden disaster happens; …
o New notions of communication
Older literature : Either media communication or interpersonnal communication
Both come together in social media : via mediated channel communicating with others
Sometimes the other communication partner is not human (AI, chatbot)
o Medium is the message
Different platforms have different features and come with their own dynamics (e.g., Bereal
typically has other conversation/ post subjects than Instagram/Snapchat)
o New tools for Exploration
Social network analysis
Large Language models
Digital Service Act….
…..
o New means of access
SMARTPHONE = ALWAYS available
Smartwatch… what s next?
Expectations of context and privacy
Gains and losses for location based dating apps
…
, User bases: darknet; conspiracy community networks, effects of company CEO’s (Twitter –
Meta – Tiktok and their owners…
MAPPING THE FIELD
Social media use over time
- In 2006 only 5% used sm, now a loot more
- Also younger people (18-29) use most sm
- YT most popular platform
- Sm use also depends on geographic background
o Eg girls use tiktok, insta, snap more
o Boy twitch, reddit, yt
Social media and marketing
Sm not only for communication but for marketing (Sm can be used as business model attention economy)
90% of insta users follow at least one brand, many brands work with influencers, are present on ig
Neurology and SM
Explores how sm effects our brain & neurological responses
Many studies abt SM creates psychological craving (dopamine levels become aggravated), it copies gambling
methods to create pyscho cravings
Biopsychological approach to SM
• Dopamine = in brain functions as neurotransmitter SM works as kind of dopamine reward circuit: youre
o Triggered by novelty, surprise, and excitation looking for something you find interesting/captivating
o Important in learning (conditioning) and then boom you find it dopamine up youre
o Stimulus—Rewards engaged entertained and then it goes down again until
o Pleasure in consummatory behavior you find the next dopamine peak (rewards of novel
o ‘Wanting’ and ‘Seeking content)
Veisiere & Stendel (2018)
suggest that dopamine reward circuits work bc of social interaction (both digital and not)
same circuits are implicated in addictive drug use, compulsive video-gaming, and reward-seeking in general
With SM, nearly all notifications encountered by user elicit social valueactivate dopaminergic reward
circuit user anticipates and seeks these rewarding notifications (we seek and want rewarding notifications)
BUT be critical abt strength of these effect/difference btwn offline social interactions
Anticipation is important factor
o Different dopamine activity for unpredictable vs expected SM notifications
In A you get dopamine hit when you find something
interesting/reward, but after a while you start to
anticipate the reward without coming across it yet
which leads to an earlier peak of the dopamine levels
which causes the continuous scrolling and ‘addiction’
which is constantly seeking and anticipating the next
dopamine high
Often with SM dopamine levels increase even before
the reward, eg when you receive a stimulus that a
reward will be given(eg notification)(but dopamine
levels don’t go up again when you get the reward)
, Social media and sociology
How many friends do you need/can you have (meeste mensen op fb hebben tussen de 0-200 vrienden 40%,
38% tussen 200-500%)
Dunbar’s number
= size of brain’s neocortex represents biological/cognitive limit/constraint on social interaction that limits
humans’ social network size to 100-200 individuals
Strong correlation btwn size of group (complexity of social world) and relative size of neocortex –outer surface
layer of brain mainly responsible for conscious thinking– in various species of nonhuman primates
o this seems to reflect limitation on number (and/or quality) of rela that animal of given species can
keep track of simultaneously
o SO limit in neocortical processing capacity defines number of individuals with whom it is possible to
maintain stable interpersonal relationships
Implications:
o States that social network is funda to humans & has made us successfulsuggest that quality of rela
is important, not just the absolute number
Vs social media
o ‘curious by-product of techno revolution has been a perverse kind of competition about number of
friends you have on your personal site.’
o Researchers have applied Dunbar’s number to the environment of social media
divide btwn physical and online world has been blurred (you can become friends with
anyone, follow anyone)(facilitates social interaction)
Intro of SM might make Dunbar’s number obsolete (it might be possible that we can interact
with a large number of indi bc were no longer restricted by time or location, no social limits)
o Another interpretation
Its not bc we have to tools to communicate without limits or with anyone that our cognitive
constraints do not apply anymore (we still cannot from 150+ meaningful relations even if we
have the tools to do it)(eg of calculator) correct
Emmanuel Lafont
There exists different levels/circles of intimate rela one can have
Most intimate circle is 5, 15 good friends, 50 friends, 150 meaningful contacts, 500 acquittances, 1500 people
you recognize
SM and psychology
Thinks abt questions like what is impact of SM, human motivations for posting/using, shapes id?, mental
benefits/prblms
Uses & Gratifications Theory
theory used to explain why one uses SM
Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitch
General idea: (1) social and psychological origins of (2) needs, which generate (3) expectations
from (4) the mass media or other sources, which lead to (5) differential patterns of
media exposure (or engagement in other activities), resulting in (6) need gratifications
and (7) other consequences, perhaps mostly unintended ones’
Different gratification (10 u&g themes):
o social interaction (strongest reason, 9/10 state this for fb), Seeking info (2 nd most common), pastime,
entertainment, relaxation (1 in5 state this), express opinions, communicatory (talk abt others/gossip,
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