Facebook and Audience Theory

Can the Uses and Gratifications Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs explain the popularity of Facebook?

"Sue is reading a book ... Sue thinks it's time for a cup of coffee! ... Sue can't wait to watch Lost! ... Sue WOULD REALLY LIKE SOME ATTENTION, EVERYONE."

Is the Facebook status update merely a way of seeking attention? It’s true that there aren’t many other ways of getting 500+ ‘friends’ to hear what you have to say at once, but which other needs does the social networking site gratify? If Facebook was a country, it would have a greater population than the United States ; in fact it would be the third most populated country in the world. So can audience theories be used to explain its appeal?

You all shared some Facebook statuses in class and they reveal a lot about how the site fulfils some of your needs. One thing worth considering, though, is whether you edited the statuses in any way before sharing them. Did you pick your most recents statuses or did you reject some because you didn’t want to share them? If you’re happy to share your status with hundreds of friends online, why would you be apprehensive about sharing it with your teacher and classmates?

The answer may be that we see our Facebook ‘self’ as a different version of the ‘real self’. The person represented by your Facebook profile page isn’t, in the truest sense, ‘you’. In some ways it might be the person you want to be, a slightly improved version of you who looks good in every photo (thanks to the ‘de-tag’ button) and has loads of mates. This is complicated further by Facebook’s new privacy settings, which allow different lists of friends to see different things. So a user can hide that photo of themselves drunk at the England cricket match while they were supposed to be off sick from their boss. It is possible to create slightly different Facebook versions of yourself for different audiences to view. This is another point to consider. Facebook may have a 500 million-strong audience of users, but this audience is fragmented down into millions of smaller audiences, every one of them unique. Your Facebook ‘audience’ are the people who read your updates and look at your photos. You know what your audience want and you try to give it to them. We need to think not just about how updating a status will fulfil some of your own needs but also how it provides gratification for others.

Let’s look at the FB statuses you did want to share:

1. The ‘share some exciting news’ status

JUST GOT A BABY BUNNY RABBIT!!!!

Just saw police shooting tear gas at rioters!

Maybe the trend for updating people on what you’re doing comes from the old ‘XX is’… prefix which FB statuses used to have. These statuses satisfy your audience’s need for surveillance. Generally the news that we post needs to be exciting and not mundane – ‘just defrosted my freezer’ doesn’t have quite the same effect. Though that doesn’t seem to stop some people posting such drivel….

2. The ‘amuse my friends’ status

Taught my rabbit to climb the stairs J

All this room and the cat still lies in the middle of the bed! :\

Laughing at the trolley rage in Asda

Often people feel the need to write a status that’s funny. If your status gets a good reaction (some lols and likes) you will feel a sense of belonging (see Maslow) but you will also be providing diversion for your audience. Nobody needs to know about the stair-climbing bunny, but it makes us smile on a dull September afternoon. If the user then uploads a video of said bunny rabbit climbing the stairs, most of their friends will probably be happy to waste a good 5 minutes watching and commenting on it. It’s much more exciting than writing that psychology essay you were supposed to have finished an hour ago….

3. The ‘it’s a private joke’ status

Woke up today with a massive beard! Jackson, Owen I hope your happy

Mentioning your friends in a status shows that you’re using Facebook to build personal relationships. It also creates a sense of belonging - for Jackson and Owen at least - but it may exclude others who don’t know what the heck you’re on about. Maybe that’s the point? Also the status is a little bit vague – I’m imagining someone waking up with a big comedy stuck on beard attached to their chin – so people will ask questions and interaction will come about as a result.

4. The ‘song lyrics’ status

I got the moves like Jagger

This one’s quite tricky. Facebook asks ‘what’s on your mind?’ Do we take this a little too literally when we respond with the lyrics from the song that’s been stuck in our heads all day? Do we choose song lyrics to suit our mood or that we identify with? Are we simply ‘showing off’ the fact that we’re up to date with music?

5. The ‘rant’

Blackberries are pooey

I can’t help but wonder if the original word used was ‘pooey’ or something stronger? We often use FB to complain. Personal identity could come in here. FB provides a forum for us to compare our problems with others. If someone responds with a comment to support our rant, we feel better because someone has identified with us. This could work with something quite trivial, like your frustration at your mobile phone, or something more emotional, like a rant at your ex. When someone else comments that yes, he’s a complete !@*? you will feel better.

6. The ‘my life’s better than yours’ status

I feel sorry for people at Emmanuel

This is evidence of personal identity. This person may also have posted updates about how much fun they’re currently having. They are comparing their situation with that of others, and their audience will do the same when they read the update. This type of status can boost your self esteem, if what you post is true.

7. The ‘commenting on what you’ve just seen on TV’ status

HaHaHa Arsenal are rubbish

Ever checked your FB newsfeed when X factor is on? There’s always bound to be someone who makes a comment on how rubbish that last singer was or how fit Gary Barlow looks today. We often use the TV to stimulate conversation in our own living rooms, but FB now allows us to take that conversation to a new level and share it with hundreds. It’s instant – you don’t even have to wait until school on Monday to discuss it. Many statuses will relate to other things happening on other media platforms. It’s personal relationships again. No doubt many angry Arsenal fans will have commented on this one. The status won’t update its audience on anything they didn’t know, it’s purely to provoke a little conversation or, as boys like to call it ‘banter.’

So there you have it. Do the other statuses you wrote down fit with these groupings?