Banyan Branch

I blame the inner nerd within me and a psychology/ business major for triggering my growing curiosity about the stickiness of social media. There must be some underlying reasons why social media appeals to such a large group of users. It is not just popular with one specific market; it ranges from emo tweens to baby boomers. Making sense of social media’s explosive popularity is as easy as referring back to a psych 101 class.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a common theory outlining human needs and the motives influencing actions. Most often illustrated with a pyramid, the most basic human needs are at the base of the pyramid including physiological needs such as food, water and shelter. Once these needs are fulfilled a person can progress to the next level of needs. Two specific levels stand out to me, belonging and esteem.

Facebook alone can help fulfill both of these levels. A member of Facebook can join groups that share similar viewpoints. After joining a group, for example, “I secretly want to punch slow walking people in the back of the head” one feels an immediate sense of belonging to its likeminded members. Esteem needs can be met by having a growing number of Facebook friends and receiving attention through postings on your wall.

The top of the pyramid, Maslow believes is a stage many people will never reach in life. In a popular New York Times article, Clive Thompson suggests that things like tweeting can be a therapeutic act of mindfulness. This new premise, if true, would actually bring us one step closer to self-actualization. Another idea Thompson mentions is that our obsession with social media could very well be in response to the social isolation of this generation. We might not have time for a dinner with friends on a weekly basis, but we can still remain involved in their life by simply commenting on a status. Most often this can be seen happening while standing in line at the grocery store, at any family function or scarily enough when you look over at a red light and notice the driver next to you fiddling on their iPhone.

Nobody expected social media to have such widespread popularity, but it does and for good reason. Everybody has psychological needs and currently social media is our chosen way to meet them.

-Erin at Banyan Branch