How do people post important life events on Facebook?

How do people post important life events on Facebook?
Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

When Facebook users share information on important life events, do they prefer to do so directly (detailed status updated or wall posts) or indirectly (photos, change of job title)? How a person chooses to share such news depends on whether the event is positive or negative, according to a new study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

In the article "How Are Important Life Events Disclosed on Facebook? Relationships with Likelihood of Sharing and Privacy," Jennifer Bevan and coauthors, Chapman University, Orange, CA, focus on significant life events related to romantic relationships, health, work, and school. They report that the specific event itself did not determine how an individual would share the news on Facebook, rather whether it was positive or negative. Users tended to share positive life events indirectly and negative directly.

"As sites become more a part of our daily lives, understanding of the delicate dance between negotiating disclosure while maintaining some level of privacy is vital," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

More information: The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website until February 20, 2015.

Citation: How do people post important life events on Facebook? (2015, January 20) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2015-01-people-important-life-events-facebook.html
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