ABSTRACTThe extant research suggests that there are

relationships between differing personality types and Internet and Facebook usage (e.g., Buffardi & Campbell, 2008; Ross, et al., 2009). To that end, the present study aims to determine which personality traits, including narcissistic traits, predict Internet and Facebook usage. In addition, it examines specific motivations for continued and consistent use of the social media site, including the types of activities one engages in while using Facebook. Participants completed a 94-item survey measuring narcissism, the Big Five Personality dimensions, Facebook usage, specific activities (e.g., unfriending, blocking others), and motivations (including emotional motivations) for using Facebook. Analyses revealed significant relationships between hours spent on Facebook and the Agreeableness and Neuroticism personality dimensions. The Openness dimension was also found to be significantly correlated with unfriending people due to controversial posts. Lastly, those scoring higher on the Narcissism scale are more likely to have a greater number of Facebook friends.

BACKGROUND• Personality, Narcissism, & Facebook: • Extraverted individuals generally have more

Facebook friends (Amichai-Hamburger & Vinitxky, 2010), and belong to more Facebook groups (Ross, et al., 2009), than introverted individuals.

• Individuals who are high in neuroticism are more likely than emotionally stable individuals to prefer using the Timeline feature of Facebook (Ross, et al., 2009; Ryan & Xenos, 2011).

• Ryan and Xenos (2011) found a positive correlation between narcissistic personalities and the use of the communication features of Facebook.

CURRENT STUDY• The current study examined the relationship

between Big 5 personality traits (John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991), narcissistic traits (NPI-16; Ames, Rose, & Anderson, 2006), and Facebook usage (adapted from Ross, Orr, Sisic, Arseneault, Summering, & Orr 2009).

• Facebook measures included:• Frequency of use• Features used• Types of Facebook activities• Emotions surrounding Facebook

use/activities• Motivations for Facebook use

• Participants: 194, ages 18-70

Internet Usage, Personality, Narcissism, and Motivations for

Facebook Usage

Crystal E. Garcia, Corbin J. Standley, Kaitlin Staker, Lyndsi Drysdale, and Shannon McGillivray, Ph.D.

WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY

DISCUSSION• Big 5 Personality Traits:• Those scoring higher on the Neuroticism

dimension were more likely to spend a greater amount of time on Facebook.

• Those higher on the Openness dimension reported “controversial posts” as a reason for unfriending people.

• Neuroticism and conscientiousness were related to avoiding individuals, in person, whom they’ve unfriended

• Agreeableness was correlated with feeling surprised when being unfriended.

• Narcissism:• Those scoring higher on the Narcissism scale

are more likely to have a greater number of Facebook friends.

• Those higher in narcissism were more likely to report “I want everyone to know what I’m up to” and “I only post important things” as reasons for posting Facebook content.

• Those with higher levels of narcissism indicate feeling angry in response to being unfriended.

CONCLUSIONS• Personality traits and narcissism are related to

some aspects of Facebook usage, including motivations and emotions associated with use.

• Knowledge of the types of people who utilize Facebook, and their motivations for doing so, provides insight into understanding some of the forces driving the popularity of Facebook.

• Further investigation into the motivations and emotional responses associated with Facebook use can provide a broader understanding of who, in particular, is more likely to use (or overuse) Facebook, and how Facebook itself can impact the individual.

REFERENCES

• Ames, D. R., Rose, P., & Anderson, C. P. (2006). The NPI-16 as a short measure of narcissism. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(4), 440-450.

• Amichai-Hamburger, Y. &, Vinitzky, G. (2010). Social network use and personality. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 1289-1295.

• Buffardi, L. E., & Campbell, W.K. (2008). Narcissism and social networking web sites. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 1303-1314.

• John, O. P., Donahue, E. M., & Kentle, R. L. (1991). The Big Five Inventory--Versions 4a and 54. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Personality and Social Research.

• Ross, C., Orr, E. S., Sisic, M., Arseneault, J.M., Simmering, M.G., & Orr, R.R. (2009). Personality and motivations associated with Facebook use. Computers in Human Behavior, 25 (2), 578-586.

• Ryan, T., & Xenos, S. (2011). Who uses Facebook? An investigation into the relationships between the Big Five, shyness, narcissism, loneliness,

and Facebook usage. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 1658-1664.

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RESULTS

Figure 3Narcissism positively correlated with number of Facebook friends (r = .261, p < .001)

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Figure 4Narcissism positively correlated with feeling angry in response to being unfriended (r = .201, p < .01)

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Figure 1Neuroticism positively correlated with number of hours spent on Facebook (r = .149, p < .05)

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Figure 2Conscientiousness positively correlated with avoiding those who’ve unfriended them (r = .152, p < .05)

ADDITIONAL RESULTS

• The Openness personality dimension was correlated with unfriending due to controversial posts (r = .180, p < .05).

• Agreeableness was positively correlated with feeling surprised when being unfriended (r = .145, p < .05).

• Those scoring higher on the Narcissism scale were significantly more likely to report “I want everyone to know what I’m up to” (r = .153, p < .05) and “I only post important things” (r = .173, p < .05) as reasons for posting content on Facebook.