Facebook appearance reveals personality
A new method for analyzing Facebook pages makes it possible to determine a user's personality. The rating scale is intended to benefit advertisers.
Researchers at the University of Missouri use public Facebook profiles to determine whether users are "adventurous" or "predictable". These findings are now to be applied in the advertising industry. "I believe that this could allow advertising companies and media houses to target potential customers with personalized ads. The identification of individual personalities brings advertisers decisive advantages," emphasizes research director Heather Shoenberger.
Central business model
"The declared goal of advertisers is to analyze the behavior of Internet users. Facebook thrives on personalized advertising," says social media expert Jonny Jelinek to Pressetext. All the data you disclose on the social network is used for advertising. "Facebook does have settings that allow you to hide certain information, but you can't protect yourself completely. Over the next few years, the company will also try to place advertisements outside of its own network," says Jelinek.
Adventurous users
When developing the scale, Shoenberger found that users with dangerous leisure activities tend to post pictures and interact with friends frequently. In contrast, more reserved users are also more reserved on the social network, hardly scrolling through the newsfeed or creating updates only hesitantly.
The study was presented at this year's International Communication Association Conference presented in Phoenix. (Press release)
