The effects of extraversion on the usage of and attitudes towards Facebook

Abstract

The present research builds on existing research into personality and the use of the Internet by investigating a) whether extraversion is negatively correlated with time spent actively using the online social network site Facebook; b) whether introverts and extraverts use Facebook differently, and c) whether introverts and extraverts have different attitudes towards Facebook. 672 respondents completed an online survey reporting the time they spend actively using Facebook, their specific uses of Facebook and their attitudes towards Facebook, as well as completing a version of Eysenck’s Personality Inventory (EPI) to measure extraversion. Findings demonstrate that extraversion does not appear to be a highly significant predictor of time spent using Facebook or attitudes held about Facebook. However, there was some evidence to suggest that extraversion affects specific uses of Facebook, namely that extraversion predicts greater activity in terms of recreational, communicative and public activities. As introverts and extraverts do not appear to differ hugely in their usage of Facebook, it was concluded that Facebook is an “even playing field” for introverts and extraverts alike. Implications of the results and possible future research are discussed.