Less effortful thinking leads to more social networking? The associations between the use of social network sites and personality traits

  • Authors:

  • Bu Zhong;Marie Hardin;Tao Sun

  • Affiliations:

  • College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, 223 Carnegie Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA;College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, 201 Carnegie Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA;Community Development and Applied Economics Dept., University of Vermont, 204B Morrill Hall, Burlington, VT 05405, USA

  • Venue:
  • Computers in Human Behavior
  • Year:
  • 2011

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Abstract

Social network sites (SNS) have become an important social milieu that enables interpersonal communication by allowing users to share and create information. This study explored the associations between SNS use and personality traits, i.e., need for cognition (NFC) and information and communication technology (ICT) innovativeness. The findings showed that the SNS use had a negative association with NFC and a positive association with ICT innovativeness. Specifically, people who were more likely to engage in effortful thinking used SNS less often, and those who were high in ICT innovativeness used SNS more often. Meanwhile, those who spent more time on SNS were more likely to be multitaskers. Additionally, those who spent more time on SNS also spent more Internet time in general, more online time for study/work and more time in surfing the Web with no specific purpose. This study, which could be a first look at the link between social networking and our thinking, provides evidence for the associations between social media use and personality traits.