DENVER — It’s obvious people will do interesting things for likes on social media, but exactly how far will people go for a reaction?
New research , led by Dr. Hamed Qahri-Saremi at Colorado State University, found people will go to extremes for a perceived outcome on their social media posts.
“We are social animals. We do have the basic need for attention,” said Qahri-Saremi.
Denver7, Colin RileyQahri-Saremi’s research discovered that receiving “likes” and “dislikes” will influence some social media user’s behavior. “Likes” and “dislikes” have an impact on a person’s mental well-being, and Qahri-Saremi found that “dislikes” have a stronger effect on the desire to act out in a post.
“It can include behaviors which can undermine your security, the security of your information. It can undermine your privacy, or it can have physical danger,” said Qahri-Saremi.
Standing near a cliff’s edge to get a selfie, taking a photo you wouldn’t want to show grandma, or getting too close to that bison for the perfect shot. Most of us have seen these types of posts on social media, and Qahri-Saremi said when someone’s expectations fall short, they are more likely to engage in this type of behavior.