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  • Psychological factors behind status updates: A qualitative analysis of the display of personal information on social media
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  • Psychological factors behind status updates: A qualitative analysis of the display of personal information on social media

Psychological factors behind status updates: A qualitative analysis of the display of personal information on social media

Shubhdip Kaur, Nisha Sumithran, Manisha Rani

Accepted February 27, 2024

First published April 17, 2024

https://doi.org/10.26387/bpa.2024.00005

Abstract

Social media has become an open platform to display one’s personal information that is accessible
freely to an infinite audience. This study has tried to investigate the psychological factors behind the posting of personal
information on social media. Since the construct of ‘updating’ is recent in origin and is least researched, the study
followed an in-depth approach of focus group discussions (FGDs). The sample (N = 100) for this study was the students
(age range 21-35 years) of one of the central government funded universities of Punjab, India. The findings revealed that
updaters update frequently since they long for social acceptance, seek attention, ensure self-verification and combat
insecurity issues through updating. Extroverted participants upload frequently and introverts’ posts rarely. Emotional
upheaval makes updaters post more. And updaters feel better not after posting, but after getting viewers, comments
and likes for their posts. Many updaters could be either apathetic or narcissistic. Updaters were also found to have low
life satisfaction and unsatisfactory societal and familial bonds. Finally, the major focus of this study was to discern how
these individual factors contribute towards the self-esteem, emotional state, personality and psychological well-being of
updaters. This has been thoroughly discussed in light of previous research in this study.

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Article info

Issue:

Issue 299

Keywords:

Emotional state

Personal information

Personality

Psychological well-being

Self-esteem

Social media

Status updates

Updaters

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178

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Author Surname Author Initial. Title. Publication Title. Year Published;Volume number(Issue number):Pages Used. doi:DOI Number.


Kaur Shubhdip . Sumithran Nisha . Rani Manisha . Psychological factors behind status updates: A qualitative analysis of the display of personal information on social media. BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin. 2024;299(1):33-48. doi:10.26387/bpa.299.1.
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Author Surname Author Initial. Title. Publication Title. Year Published;Volume number(Issue number):Pages Used. doi:DOI Number.


Kaur Shubhdip . Sumithran Nisha . Rani Manisha . Psychological factors behind status updates: A qualitative analysis of the display of personal information on social media. BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin. 2024;299(1):33-48. doi:10.26387/bpa.299.1.