Facebook...Who's Out There

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So who uses Facebook the most? Are they people who post the most photos? People who post the most status updates? Or, people who post almost nothing…

Well, it’s the people who post almost nothing. Although they rarely update their own status, the quiet ones stay logged on to Facebook longer than anyone else, reading their friends’ posts and looking at their friends’ photos. “The shy people spend more time on Facebook, but they disclose less information,” says Dr. Pavica Sheldon, an assistant professor of communications at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, who has done several research studies on Facebook use. for an introvert, using the site doesn’t always mean posting to it, and Sheldon says her research proves that introverts spend more time on Facebook than do extroverts. “Shy people and people who are more lonely use Facebook to pass the time.”

Five facts about Facebook usage:
• The main reason we use Facebook is to maintain relationships with people we know but with whom we are not physically present. Think old high school friends who live in another province or country.
• We rarely meet new people on Facebook. Instead, we use it to communicate with people we already know.
• We do not use Facebook as a dating site, simply because it is not a very effective “meet-and-greet” kind of place.
• There is less self-disclosure on Facebook than there is in a face-to-face conversation.
• Women divulge more personal information on Facebook than do men–just as they tend to do in face-to-face contact.