Facebook status updates have taken computer mediated self-expression to a new level, and offer a new environment to test O’Sullivan’s Model. A status update always entails a self locus, as the author is telling the world how he or she is feeling at a given time. However, the valence of the update can vary in many ways and is not always constrained to positive or negative. According to the theory, the valence of updates should hinge towards the negative, confess side rather than the positive, boost side. The theory states that when one’s impression is expected to be threatened, preferences for mediated channels will be higher, hence one will be more inclined to use a status update to express oneself negatively.
To test O’Sullivan’s Model with respect to status updates, I looked at the news feed for my friends’ last 79 status updates (spanning six days) and classified the valence of the messages as positive, negative, or neutral. I found 20 to be positive, 36 negative, and 23 neutral or ambiguous. This data supports O’Sullivan’s Model, and implies that users are more inclined to utilize status updates for negative comments about themselves. However, my data only reveals a correlation, as it has nothing to do with the decision people make in their form of communication.
One instance of a negative status update says, “Courtney is sleeping all day after being in the hospital all night.” After looking at her wall, I found her friends asking if everything was well and if she was feeling alright. Her status update acted as a call for attention and sympathy from her friends. This is to be expected, as a confession about the self is intended to elicit help and support. The advent of public status updates only simplifies the process and allows Courtney to confess to all her Facebook friends at once.
Status updates provide a further buffer than instant messenger because the message isn’t actively forced upon anyone. Courtney may have chose a status update to reveal her sickness because it is less upfront and not as blatant a call for attention as an instant message would be. Therefore, the support she receives is more valuable, as her friends seem to be genuinely inquiring about her health on their own accord, not in response to a direct confession on Courtney’s part. The Facebook buffer can also explain why many of the negative updates were inconsequential complaints. Most complained about work, school, or being tired. While it wouldn’t be acceptable to complain to acquaintances through instant message that one is tired or bored, the indirect updates make it easier to casually complain to the world.
The buffer also explains why many of the updates were ambiguous. For instance one read, “Dora is five wheat thins and three cheese cubes.” Whatever this update is supposed to mean, Dora's use of a status update hinders awkwardness and negativity towards the weird message, as most people (myself included) will simply ignore it. Had she chose a more direct means of confrontation, such as instant messenger, she may receive some concerned responses.
The informality of the updates induces creativity and self expression, as the author will never know how the readers gauge the updates. Status updates act as a hyper-mediated form of online communication, as they are rarely directed at any one person and create an easier medium for self confessions to the Facebook world. The increased mediation bolsters O’Sullivan’s Model and explains why most of the status updates we see are negative.
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Hey Steve,
Your examination of facebook status updates is really interesting. I've seen all sorts of status updates, such as self-congratulation, complaints, advertisements, witty statements, and unintelligible statements. Now that I think about, there does seem to be a slight favoring of negative status updates, which is in accordance with O'Sullivan. AIM users also seem to have a greater tendency to write negative away messages.
It's a very easy way to inform your friends that you're feeling down and encourage them to cheer you up, without seeming too annoying. However, when you notice that one of your friends consistently puts up away messages or status updates that fish for compliments/sympathy, it can become a bother.
Some users become so dependent on the medium that they put very private details up instead of sharing them with friends individually. It could be because of the ease, or the desire to avoid FtF communication and the awkwardness it sometimes brings.
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