A tale of two sites: Twitter vs. Facebook and the personality predictors of social media usage

David John Hughes, Moss Rowe, Mark Batey, Andrew Lee

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729 Citations (SciVal)
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Abstract

Social networking sites (SNS) are quickly becoming one of the most popular tools for social interaction and information exchange. Previous research has shown a relationship between users' personality and SNS use. Using a general population sample (N = 300), this study furthers such investigations by examining the personality correlates (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness-to-Experience, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Sociability and Need-for-Cognition) of social and informational use of the two largest SNS: Facebook and Twitter. Age and Gender were also examined. Results showed that personality was related to online socialising and information seeking/exchange, though not as influential as some previous research has suggested. In addition, a preference for Facebook or Twitter was associated with differences in personality. The results reveal differential relationships between personality and Facebook and Twitter usage.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)561-569
Number of pages9
JournalComputers in Human Behavior
Volume28
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2012

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