Human World

Want to look good on Facebook? Have attractive friends

Scientists in The Netherlands said on April 23, 2012 that the attractiveness of your friends’ photos on Facebook affects how your friends perceive you. That is true, at least, among the 78 students studied. These scientists reported their results in the International Journal of Web Based Communities.

Which side of your face looks better? The left, research says

Christina Jaschinski and Piet Kommers of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, recruited 78 student users of Facebook, with the goal of studying how the attractiveness of your Facebook friends affects other friends’ impressions of you online. According to a press release:

The study simply involved mocking up Facebook profiles and asking the students to carry out a “hot or not” type assessment based purely on the visual appearance of the user’s profile photo within the page. The team found that someone is considered more likeable and seen as a potential friend when they are associated with good-looking friends.

These scientists say their findings:

… could have implications not only for social scientists hoping to understand these new modes of interpersonal behaviour but might also be used by companies and other organisations hoping to benefit from social networking applications. Additionally, the extension of traditional networking for marketing and job hunting offered by the online world is increasingly important and users are more aware of how they are creating an impression, good or bad, in the online world.

Bottom line: A study from The Netherlands find that the attractiveness of your friends on Facebook affects how others perceive you there. The study was conducted among 78 students by Christina Jaschinski and Piet Kommers of the University of Twente, and the results were published on April 23, 2012 in the International Journal of Web Based Communities.

Posted 
April 20, 2012
 in 
Human World

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