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MBTI and Social Media

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193K views 155 replies 121 participants last post by  Scoobyscoob  
#1 ·
I found this new article describing the correlations and statistics of MBTI types and social media networks. It's a very thorough and interesting report. I hope you enjoy reading it, too!

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"Use of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn has grown steadily in recent years. Today, according to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project (Smith, 2011), 66% of online adults use social media platforms. One might wonder what factors influence whether and how people in the United States use social media. Specifically, does personality type, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® (MBTI®) assessment, play a role?

The data presented in this report come from a study on MBTI type and social media use conducted by CPP, Inc., in 2011. The study respondents consisted of a sample of 1,784 men and women across the United States who had taken the MBTI assessment and agreed to participate in research conducted by CPP. The results of this study indicated that personality type does matter, but only in some areas. In regard to views on social media in general, many of the differences revealed were between Extraverted and Introverted types, although there were also some whole type differences.

While there are some consistent differences in the trends across the three social media providers examined, it is clear that people of all types make use of social media to some degree, and that MBTI preferences do not account for major differences in the reported use of social media."

Read the report

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(Source)
 
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#3 ·
Also interesting is that iNtuitives are more likely to be on social media than sensors. But I notice that they don't mention the demographic of people surveyed (number of each dichotomy, for example), so it's hard to know if iNtuitives in general prefer social media or if just the ones selected for this study do. Plus, iNtuitives tend to believe "the theory" and get involved in it more than sensors do.

The study also focuses more on introversion vs extroversion. There is the (obvious) statement that extroverts prefer social media to introverts. Not sure what the point of the study was in the first place.
 
#6 ·
Well, maybe Ns as a whole are more accepting of change, while Ss are split into those who DON'T accept it (Si) and those who do (Se.) Perhaps if they split the study into cognitive functions, the results may be more telling.

I found it interesting that ESFPs are second-highest in Facebook use, but tied for lowest in Twitter use. I guess it's hard to keep up two social networks at the same time. Also, Twitter has less variety and lengthy posts than FB, which might add to it.
 
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#5 ·
Very interesting! I only know of one ISTJ and he doesn't use any social networking site. I know six extroverts who use Facebook and four introverts who use Facebook. I wonder if these social networking sites, which pride themselves as places for people to connect, form plans, get together, and so on, is influential for those with more of a feeling preference than those of more thinking preferences. My facebook account, for instance, is more about ideas that I find interesting than about my personal life, while those of whom I know have feeling preferences, tend to share more pictures of themselves, discuss their lives more often, and offer more congratulations for other people's birthdays. On the other hand, my one friend (who is an ISTP) uses Facebook quite like me, posting things that are more about ideas.
 
#13 ·
I am an ENFJ and I just deactivated my Facebook account. Suddenly after doing so, I felt a sigh of relief. Though I do find it quite amazing to connect with people and make things happen, it was just too much noise and fuzz for me in the long run. Maybe after studying for an important work exam, I'll get back onto it, but for now I'm enjoying this new freedom!
 
#8 ·
Until those in the MBTI bubble (those who market the test) explain explicitly where they got their information from, I wouldn't trust these demographics.

The idea that they can determine these things based off of test scores is absolutely ridiculous and carries the assumption that people can accurately self-assess themselves. Not to mention the fact that they give absolutely no way of determining exactly what they mean when they say "thinking or feeling". The dichotomies are crap for this reason and make the jungian model virtually useless.
 
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#66 ·
It's not just that extroverts are more "extroverted" it's about how they chose to do their socializing. Clearly some of them enjoy having the extra time/connection to people but some of them clearly didn't see the point. Also, the stats show that many introverts saw the value in using technology vs real-time interaction on Facebook (maybe because they could better find people suited to their particular interests).
 
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#10 ·
I was one of the early adopters of Facebook. Now that everyone is on it, out of everyone I know who doesn't have Facebook, I'm the only one whom I know to have deleted theirs (deleted. Not deactivated. I can never get it back. I now have one to view the rare Facebook page, under a pseudonym, or sign up for Spotify. I have no friends on there). The others, including my boyfriend and a former flame and my mother, never had one. I wonder whether I'm odd or simply a trendsetter. Likely the former.

Honestly, I hated my former schoolmates because I could never relate to them and felt strange next to them. I wanted to sever all connections from them and instead of deleting them (hundreds of them) I simply got rid of myself. They never read my shit anyway. In retrospect it very much has to do with being INTJ.
 
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#32 ·
Persephone said:
I was one of the early adopters of Facebook. Now that everyone is on it, out of everyone I know who doesn't have Facebook, I'm the only one whom I know to have deleted theirs (deleted. Not deactivated. I can never get it back.
Click to expand...
How do you delete your facebook? Mine has been deactivated for three years. Did you delete it before that option was done away with? Mine has been deactivated for four years - I deleted all friends and deactivated it.

I am not sure how to necessarily take those statistics. How is it that ESFPs are one of the lowest % to use Twitter? Or that INFJs are are one of the highest to use Facebook? That doesn't make any sense to me...
 
#11 ·
Hmm... It is odd that Intuitives would more likely use social media. To be honest, I've tried using all sorts of social media. I just can't get into it. o_o It's literally a pain sometimes. Yesterday was the first time I'd logged into Facebook in months, really. I check occasionally to see if I've got messages, but other than that I don't use it. I've been using it a tiny bit more lately because all of my friends from school (and my school is an online school, so I don't get to see them face to face but once a year) are there and I know I ought to try and be sociable. Also, when I'm feeling incredibly lonely it is nice to know that there are people who have lives, if that makes sense.

But other than that, I hardly ever use it. My dad, who I suspect is ISTx does not have a Facebook nor ever will. My brother, an INTP, does not use Facebook either. Lol. My sister does and she actually uses it (although not obsessively), and she's ESTJ. My mother, an ESFJ, uses it to connect with friends and family who she would have a hard time keeping up with without it.
 
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#14 ·
I would like to use social media more in terms of discussing/debating with people I know, but all I am finding that is unless I post something stupid, or completely unintelligent, no one will take much notice of anything I comment on (i.e. taking pot shots at something happening in the world).

It's really sad as me reading the unintelligent/dumb posts on facebook, for example, get about 10-20 likes, whereas my comment on X event/activity or me making some (smart) remark on something gets 0 interest.

Currently while I don't post much on facebook, I have a multitude of private chats going with a few friends. It's serving as a good alternative to e-mail for now.
 
#15 ·
No more claims about extroverts not being on the internet! We live on here too! :tongue:
 
#16 ·
interesting. myself as an INTJ used to have Facebook and Twitter with tons of friends, but then deleted both after I realized that I had too many friends on there that I wasn't really close to, and that I wasn't really accomplishing anything of importance. also, I was worried about being found online by potential employers, even though I don't have anything incriminating on my pages; at least, nothing that can be seen publicly. I have since created a new Facebook and have three friends on it; I have a fake name and use it mostly to browse fan pages for businesses and stuff. I do have a LinkedIn but don't really communicate with it; lately I've just been building a network of people I went to school with and may want to ask for professional advice, but I haven't actually spoken to them. sometimes I'd like to keep up with certain people I went to school with, but I feel like it's not worth giving up my privacy on my new insulated Facebook.

wow, I use a lot of semicolons O_O
 
#18 ·
lawls. I have a LinkedIn and even though I don't actively use it to find jobs, I've been sending employers a link to my LinkedIn profile along with my job applications. lately I've revised my job descriptions to make me sound more important. ^_^ my only worry is how I can make my profile a little less specific, since I've now started applying to jobs in more than one industry.
 
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#19 ·
I've always gotten more fun out of this site, but what's interesting is that a lot of my facebook friends are all introverts, and it's actually the introverts that spend less time on facebook. I thought it might be a safe haven, and facebook is geared to the type of chit chating that introverts do,while being protected from any real meet and greet. And apparently that's not the case.
 
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#23 ·
What I really be interested in is why the intuitives or sensors chose to join or not join certain social media. I wonder about the low numbers on the ISxx types specifically. I'd be a fairly early adopter of FB, but was never all that interested in it. It ended up being the most convenient way to communicate or keep track of a few people I knew, and that's about it. I prefer forums like this based around interests though. I wonder what the stats on the number of Ns and Ss that join forums to discuss special interests or hobbies vs just general social media like FB/Twitter would look like.
 
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#33 ·
I'm pretty sure the delete option still exists. If you Google it you can find. In fact, I sent that option out about a month ago, then it told me I would have 3 weeks until my account was deleted for good (foreboding music). After about 2 weeks maybe 1 and a half, I caved in and I got a message "Welcome Back to Facebook". It was like playing chicken, and I lost to the social media giant.
 
#34 ·
I guess I should of just searched on my own in the first place :p

Here is what I found on the site:

If you don't think you'll use Facebook again, you can request to have your account permanently deleted. Please keep in mind that you won't be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or information you've added. Before you do this, you may want to download a copy of your info from Facebook. Then, if you'd like your account permanently deleted with no option for recovery, log in to your account and fill out this form.
Click to expand...
 
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#36 ·
Don't delete your facebook, you just might regret not having the ability to stalk people you don't like.... geez I could not even keep up that joke. There is something wrong with fb but i can never know why. its will be replaced soon, but not sure with what
 
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