Study: Heaviest social media users enjoy hurting others
A new study of almost 500 college-age students has found that the heaviest users of social media routinely had personalities that tended to enjoy hurting and denigrating others.
A fascinating study of 472 university students tracked their usage on two top platforms for 18-to-24-year olds: Snapchat (2.64 hours per day) and Facebook (2.28 hours per day). Researchers found that users displaying addictive behavior were also more likely to be motivated to be cruel and callous and to use others for personal gain.
“Our results demonstrate that individuals who have a greater preference for these types of rewards display greater problematic use of both platforms,” write the researchers, who note that these traits are also associated with narcissism and psychopathy and have previously been correlated with addictive internet use. They write that social media sites unwittingly “cater to people who seek rewards from being cruel, such as through cyberbullying or various aggressive online behaviors.”
Not only does this study confirm the general behavior of the bulk of all Twitter users, which has become a cesspool of slander, character assassination, and hate, it also describes the behavior of the many trolls one routinely sees commenting on websites (including Behind the Black). Too often such anonymous individuals show up throwing out comments whose only purpose is to either disagree, argue, or insult others. It requires on my part a lot of monitoring to keep such childish behavior off of this website, and this study helps to explain why it happens.
The study also provides some guidance on what adults should be doing to prevent this behavior in their children. It is a bad thing to let young children play on social media endlessly. Their use of computers and smart phones must be monitored, and their use must be disciplined, to teach children to think independently from the social media trends that can easily overwhelm them
Hat tip Ace of Spades.
Readers!
I must unfortunately ask you for your financial support because I do not depend on ads and rely entirely on the generosity of readers to keep Behind the Black running. You can either make a one time donation for whatever amount you wish, or you sign up for a monthly subscription ranging from $2 to $15 through Paypal or $3 to $50 through Patreon.
Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Your support is even more essential to me because I not only keep this site free from advertisements, I do not use the corrupt social media companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to promote my work. I depend wholly on the direct support of my readers.
You can provide that support to Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
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Or you can donate by using Zelle through your bank. You will need to give my name and email address (found at the bottom of the "About" page). The best part of this electronic option is that no fees will be deducted! What you donate will be what I receive.
A new study of almost 500 college-age students has found that the heaviest users of social media routinely had personalities that tended to enjoy hurting and denigrating others.
A fascinating study of 472 university students tracked their usage on two top platforms for 18-to-24-year olds: Snapchat (2.64 hours per day) and Facebook (2.28 hours per day). Researchers found that users displaying addictive behavior were also more likely to be motivated to be cruel and callous and to use others for personal gain.
“Our results demonstrate that individuals who have a greater preference for these types of rewards display greater problematic use of both platforms,” write the researchers, who note that these traits are also associated with narcissism and psychopathy and have previously been correlated with addictive internet use. They write that social media sites unwittingly “cater to people who seek rewards from being cruel, such as through cyberbullying or various aggressive online behaviors.”
Not only does this study confirm the general behavior of the bulk of all Twitter users, which has become a cesspool of slander, character assassination, and hate, it also describes the behavior of the many trolls one routinely sees commenting on websites (including Behind the Black). Too often such anonymous individuals show up throwing out comments whose only purpose is to either disagree, argue, or insult others. It requires on my part a lot of monitoring to keep such childish behavior off of this website, and this study helps to explain why it happens.
The study also provides some guidance on what adults should be doing to prevent this behavior in their children. It is a bad thing to let young children play on social media endlessly. Their use of computers and smart phones must be monitored, and their use must be disciplined, to teach children to think independently from the social media trends that can easily overwhelm them
Hat tip Ace of Spades.
I must unfortunately ask you for your financial support because I do not depend on ads and rely entirely on the generosity of readers to keep Behind the Black running. You can either make a one time donation for whatever amount you wish, or you sign up for a monthly subscription ranging from $2 to $15 through Paypal or $3 to $50 through Patreon.
Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Your support is even more essential to me because I not only keep this site free from advertisements, I do not use the corrupt social media companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to promote my work. I depend wholly on the direct support of my readers.
You can provide that support to Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
Or you can donate by using Zelle through your bank. You will need to give my name and email address (found at the bottom of the "About" page). The best part of this electronic option is that no fees will be deducted! What you donate will be what I receive.
Mr. Z., I have an animated video, ~2.30, which portrays this exactly. How can I share it with you, etc. ?
A.
The rise of the beta bully
Related / Twitter: WALKING ARM IN ARM WITH OJ?
I personally always liked O.J., never saw him in terms of black or white.
He bridged the race gap long, long ago.
(Then the “Incident”, I assume he is still looking for the perpetrators?)
What does he think about this Kappernick / BLM, major league sports negotiated and mandated team / group kneeling before the national anthem during professional sports?
https://twitter.com/i/status/1286428203683176448
Why does it matter?
Personally, like him today or not for all of the reasons that exist, O.J. is and was a very prominent figure in the sports world, an undisputed champion on the field, he has without doubt been there. He has been there and he is now a spectator and he has his unique perspective.
And what do I take away from this little Twitter video is that, 1. O.J., (like I) does not like nor think it appropriate this kneeing before the anthem and supplanting politics over our national anthem, and 2. I have really never heard O.J. speak contemporaneously on any particular subject at any length and what I got from his little speech was that O.J. is an intelligent, well thought out and a well spoken person.
What does it mean? I just think that this now Kappernick / BLM mandated group / team kneeling is purposefully disrespectful and manipulative and to say the least inappropriate, before, during or right after the National Anthem. This is the fundamental and systematic and symbolic destruction of the patriotic American psyche, the systematic destruction of American unity. This is the intro to the no borders, no nationality Globalist mentality, and that is where professional sports is going and it is based in pandering to the Globalists and primarily to China and its 1.5 Billion per$on audience potential.
Ask yourself: What is the goal of the Likes of Kappernick and BLM? They are both Marxist in their philosophy, what is the goal of Marxism? The destruction of Capitalism. Its really very simple and its going on right under your nose under the banner of “fairness” and “equality”. You like being defrauded?
So when your confused, when you have doubt, just follow the money and you will find the truth.
Take from this what you will, just my observations.
Follow up:
Why would the Kappernicks and the BLMs, the Marxists of the “Neo” world, look to destroy Capitalism in favor of the Globalist model? Isn’t it Capitalism that is enriching them? If they destroyed it would that not destroy their golden goose? Capitalism is generating Billions of dollars for them.
Todays Marxists are once, maybe twice removed from reality and most have or are currently enjoying a very comfortable life in the delusion that this is the way things really are naturally, all supplied exclusively by Capitalism. They believe that true and proper Marxism has never been able to be applied and made to work in the world. They believe that the previous failures of true Marxism and true Socialism where everyone is “Equal” and everyone shares “equally” and “Fairly” in everything has never been allowed to properly express itself.
They are in real terms “limousine” Marxists and are self delusional and idealistic, just like their street rabble children of privilege violent domestic terrorist enforcers of fear, to the point where they have become a danger to themselves and by extension to you and everyone else in the world.
In other words these newly minted “elites”, these new millionaires and Billionaires, these spoiled children of abundance and the streets and peace due to the existence of the Constitution and Capitalism paradoxically threaten all that enriches and protects them.
Self delusion, ignorance and hubris threatens us all now.
Not a surprise here.
If one can be anonymous, there are no limits to the depth of degradation one will stoop to.
Studies confirming what I already knew.
The main reason I am not a facetwit user.