In their previous studies, “Facebook Self-disclosure: Examining the Role of Traits, Social Cohesion, and Motives” (2014) and “Predictors of Honesty, Intent, and Valence of Facebook Self-disclosure” (2015) published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, Ferris and In other words, a user knows about the local festival scheduled for this weekend thanks to Facebook.

They say other Facebook dependency signs point to users’ needs for information or entertainment. Also, people who use Facebook to gain a deeper understanding of themselves tend to have agreeable personalities, but lower self-esteem than others.įerris and Hollenbaugh presented “A Uses and Gratifications Approach to Exploring Antecedents to Facebook Dependency” at the National Communication Association conference in Las Vegas in November. They found that people who perceive Facebook as helpful in gaining a better understanding of themselves go to the site to meet new people and to get attention from others. To identify dependency factors, Ferris and Erin Hollenbaugh, an associate professor of communication studies at Kent State University at Stark, studied 301 Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 68 who post on the site at least once a month. The study found those who use Facebook to meet new people were the most dependent on Facebook overall. Rather, the reason why people use Facebook determines the level of dependency they have on the social network. She is quick to explain this dependency is not equivalent to an addiction. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, says Amber Ferris, an assistant professor of communication at The University of Akron’s Wayne College.įerris, who studies Facebook user trends, says the more people use Facebook to fulfill their goals, the more dependent on it the become.

If any of these hit home, you might have a Facebook dependency. What drives you to Facebook? News? Games? Feedback on your posts? The chance to meet new friends?

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