Who needs Facebook likes?

According to Facebook’s own statistics there are more than 1.7 billion Facebook users on the planet and the number is growing by 15 per cent a year. That is a pretty impressive take-up rate and it translates to more than 4.5 billion “likes” generated every day. The point about all of those likes is, “Who cares?” The answer might appear to be that the people who post care, but a new study has shown that in fact even people who are on Facebook and using it might only care about “likes” if they lack a sense of purpose in life.

The new study involved two separate experiments. In the first experiment, Facebook users were assessed for self-esteem and “sense of purpose”. This sense of purpose is defined as an ongoing motivation that is self-directed, oriented toward the future and beneficial to others. People with a strong sense of purpose will agree with statements like, “To me, all things I do are worthwhile,” and, “I have lots of reasons for living.”

The subjects were then asked how many “likes” they usually got on photos that they posted. The results of this experiment showed that Facebook users who reported getting more likes also showed greater self-esteem. However, those with a high level of purpose showed no change in self-esteem no matter how many likes they received.

In the second experiment, subjects were asked to take a selfie and then post it on a mock social media site. The subjects were told that their picture had received a high, low or average number of likes. Receiving a high number of likes boosted self-esteem but, again, only for those with a low sense of purpose.

So having a strong sense of purpose reduces reactivity to positive events. In other words, a sense of purpose makes you more of a tower of strength and less of a candle in the wind.

Source: Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology