INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE CHANGE OF

PERSONALITY TRAIT OF YOUNG USERS

ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

NAME: SIRIKIT JOSHI

NGUYEN
STUDENT: ST20000728
ST20000738
MAJOR: MECHATRONICS
TEACHER/ADVISOR: FREEK
OLAF DE GROOT

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TAI

ABSTRACT
In 200-250 words, the abstract:

SELLS the lab report to the reader as a significant contribution within

the field.

BRIEFLY conveys the objective, research methods, main findings, and

main conclusions to readers.

Few people will closely read the entire lab report, but many will read
the abstract.

CONTAINS key search terms.

Communication within the society has always played a key role in shaping an
individual. In the current technologically advanced state of the society, social
media plays a huge role in shaping the personality of adolescents. The
literature suggests that individuals use social media in their own way
depending on their personalities. Factors such as extraversion, neuroticism,
emotional stability and willingness to explore are related to the way an
individual may use social media. Other factors such as gender, age and
nationality have also been considered in this dynamic. Results revealed that

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INTRODUCTION
1.1

Background Information
Internet is a medium of communication through which people can
connect socially, hold intimate interactions, exchange ideas and
extend their social circle. It is no surprise therefore, to find that many
psychologists are interested in studying the personal characteristics of
Internet users (Tosun & Lajunen, 2009). Internet has helped millions of
people connect globally and achieve what they otherwise would not be
able to. As the internet provides a plethora of opportunities and is a
treasure trove of new concepts, university students are automatically
attracted to it.
According to the Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life
Project tracking surveys 2005-2013, more than three quarters (89%) of
people aged 18-29, use social networking sites. Researchers have
found that, nearly two-third of teen internet users (63%) go online
every day (Lenhart, 2010).
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are a few social networking sites that
allow interpersonal communication between users. With millions of
users worldwide of each of these sites, it raises the question of what
effects these have on the behavior of users. A 2007 study found that
among college students who used networking site Facebook less
frequently felt less satisfied with their lives (Ellison et al., 2007). Pew
Research Centers Teen Relationships Survey found that girls mostly
dominated visually oriented social media platforms such as Instagram
and Snapchat while boys dominated the group playing online video
games (Pew Research Center, 2015).
From previous researches, we can identify three distinct personality
traits of users based on the way they use social media

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introversion/extroversion and neuroticism. Extroversion involves

attributes like talkativeness and assertiveness while introversion
involves attributes like being reserved and day dreaming. Extraversion
outlines the personality trait where social media users use the internet
as an extension of face-to-face interpersonal communication while
introversion outlines the trait where users use it as a substitute for
face-to-face interpersonal communication. Many previous literature
combs through the relationship between personality and social media
use but fail to acknowledge that social media may play a key role in
the transformation of personality among youth.
In our study, we investigate a middle ground among the already
discovered personality traits. Firstly, we want to examine whether
social media can actually render a change in the inherent personality
trait of a person from extraversion to introversion and vice versa.
Secondly, we believe this change in personality will have different
results depending on gender. Lastly, given the sample participants of
mostly international university students, we will also look at age and
nationality as a contributing factor.
As these findings involve a smaller sample population, they may not
apply to larger populations. Previous research examines three
personality traits that are central to media use: extraversion,
neuroticism, and openness to experience. However, they fail to explore
the transformation of users from one personality to another. Moreover,
they did not consider the impact nationality has on these personality
dimensions (Correa et al., 2009).

1.2

Problem Statement
Many researchers fail to realize that social media plays a much bigger
role in the lives of users today than it did five years ago. People are
constantly on social media for public opinion, news updates, latest
trends, new memes or trending vines. Young users today check their
smart phones more often to make sure they havent missed out on the
latest trend. We believe that social media is bring about an integral
change in the way people behave in their non-virtual lives. Since
university students are constantly socializing over social networks, they

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are an appropriate group to study the changes occurring in personality

traits influenced by social media.

1.3 Objectives
This research is intended to investigate the relationship of social media
and personality of its users. We will explore the influence of social
media in bringing about a change in the inherent personality of a heavy
social media user. We will look at gender and age as a defining factor in
how social networking sites influence human behavior. Moreover, we
believe that different nationalities fair differently in terms of change in
personality. Hence, we will explore its relation to personality and social
media.
1.4 Scope and Limitations
As all the participants of this research study are students of Asian
Institute of Technology (AIT), the study may not be true for people other
than university students. Moreover, the sample size of the survey is not
enough to ascertain a result that holds true for larger groups.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Social media make use of fast ad handy technologies like mobile and webbased technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which
people can share, create, discuss and modify user-generated content
(Kietzmann et al., 2011). Social media has massive benefits with regards to
youngsters. It has been known to enhance communication, social connection
and even technical skills. 75% of teenagers own cell phones, and 25% use
them for social media, 54% use them for texting and 24% use them for
instant messaging (OKeeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). Out of 69% of the
teens that go online every day, 36% go online several times a day and 27%
go online about once a day (Lenhart et al., 2010). Therefore, a large part of
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the millennials social interaction and emotional development is occurring

online and furnished by cell phones.
People use social media first and foremost as a way of communicating with
people whom they have an on-going relationship in real life or as an
alternative where they are interested in making new friends on the internet
rather than maintaining their existing relationships. The former is classified
as an extension of face-to-face communication while the latter is classified as
a substitute for face-to-face communication (Tosun & Lajunen, 2009). Two
distinct personalities can be distinguished from the way users use social
media Introversion/Extroversion and Emotional Stability (Neuroticism).
Eysencks personality dimension includes a third dimension called
Psychoticism which includes attributes like being solitary, aggressiveness
and insensitiveness (Tosun & Lajunen, 2009).
In this research we consider the Extroversion and Introversion of internet
users based on not only their pattern of internet usage but also their
previous personality backgrounds and influences they may have
encountered online. While previous researches are interested in
distinguishing personality dimensions through internet usage, we are more
interested in the personality transformation that has come about through the
heavy usage of leading social media websites. As the current generation has
grown up with internet, it plays a bigger role in their day-to-day lives than for
previous generations. We, therefore, consider the age of participants of this
research.
According to Hamburger and Ben-Artzi (2000), introversion and neuroticism
were higher among women who were regular users of virtual social services
like online chats and discussion groups. Internet use is also significantly
different in terms of the types of social media that men and women use.
Women found more gratification in visually-oriented social media platforms
such as Instagram and snapchat while men were more likely to play video
games online. Therefore, we have also included changes in personality traits
dependent on gender as it plays an important role in how people react to
social media.
A literature review is an argument justifying your current research objectives. To
do this, the writer explains what is known in the literature in relation to the research
topic. The reader should understand that the assumptions the research is based on

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are supported by the literature. The reader should also clearly see that the previous
literature has left a need, or gap, for the current research.
Your literature review should answer most of the following questions:
1.

What do we already know in the immediate area concerned?

2.

What are the characteristics of the key concepts or the main factors or
variables?

3.

What are the relationships between these key concepts, factors or variables?

4.

What are the existing theories?

5.

Where are the inconsistencies or shortcomings in our knowledge and

understanding?

6.

What views need to be (further) tested?

7.

What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited?

8.

Why study (further) the research problem?

9.

What contribution can the present study be expected to make?

10. What research designs or methods seem unsatisfactory?

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METHODOLOGY
The participants are Asian Institute of Technology students between 18 30 year
olds of all genders. The survey is filled online by google form so that the
participants have enough time to give honest thoughtful answers. Multiple choice
question is chosen in this survey to scale abstract questions and analyze the data
using probability and statistic in term of factors such as age, gender and nationality.
We might not get completely accurate answers but they should be more precise
than directly interviewing people about their social life. However, as the survey is
filled anonymously, the participants also could give incorrect answers or not be
serious about this. Moreover, too many questions may be mentally and emotionally
exhausting to their mind.
Participants are asked how long they spend online every day to categorize the
frequency of using social networking website by scale of time from less than 1 hour
to more than 5 hours per day. On the other hand, we ask them how long they have
been using it to observe the effective factor between experienced users and
inexperienced users.

The method section answers these two main questions:

1. How was the data collected or generated?
2. How was it analyzed?
In other words, it shows your reader how you obtained your results. But why do you
need to explain how you obtained your results?

We need to know how the data was obtained because the method affects the
results. For instance, if you are investigating users' perceptions of the efficiency
of public transport in Bangkok, you will obtain different results if you use a
multiple choice questionnaire than if you conduct interviews. Knowing how the

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data was collected helps the reader evaluate the validity and reliability of your
results, and the conclusions you draw from them.

Often there are different methods that we can use to investigate a research
problem. Your methodology should make clear the reasons why you chose a
particular method or procedure.

The reader wants to know that the data was collected or generated in a way
that is consistent with accepted practice in the field of study. For example, if you
are using a questionnaire, readers need to know that it offered your respondents
a reasonable range of answers to choose from (asking if the efficiency of public
transport in Bangkok is "a. excellent, b. very good or c. good" would obviously
not be acceptable as it does not allow respondents to give negative answers).

The research methods must be appropriate to the objectives of the study. If

you perform a case study of one commuter in order to investigate users'
perceptions of the efficiency of public transport in Bangkok, your method is
obviously unsuited to your objectives.

The methodology should also discuss the problems that were anticipated and
explain the steps taken to prevent them from occurring, and the problems that
did occur and the ways their impact was minimized.

In some cases, it is useful for other researchers to adapt or replicate your

methodology, so often sufficient information is given to allow others to use the
work. This is particularly the case when a new method had been developed, or
an innovative adaptation used.

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RESULTS
Cite all equations as below:

F E L
=
A
L

(1)

Each figure should have a title that briefly summarizes its topic. Use Fig. 1, then Fig.
2, and so on. Titles should appear at the bottom of the figure as seen below:
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Historical information (29.0)

Least effort (11.5)
Reconstruction (9.8)
Sensory checks (8.7)
Systematic narrowing (6.6)
Signal tracing (6.0)
Conditional probability (5.5)
Frequency (4.9)
Exclusion (3.3)
Manuals (3.3)
Pattern of symptoms (2.7)
Topographical search (2.2)
Diagnosis software (1.6)
Split half (1.1)
Information uncertainty (1.1)
Miscellaneous (2.7)
Figure 5: Frequencies of failure diagnosis strategies (n=182)

CONCLUSION
A typical conclusion contains most or all of the following:
A. Background Information

This is a somewhat free-standing move that can occur at any point in the cycle. As its
name implies, this move is employed by authors when they wish to strengthen their

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conclusion by recapitulating main points, by highlighting theoretical information, or by

reminding the reader of technical information.

B. Restatement of Results
If there is a quasi-obligatory move in Discussion section, it is this one. Likewise, KEY
results often at the start of the conclusion. Evidence suggests, as we might expect, that it
is the starting point of a cycle and is only likely to be preceded by brief background.
Critically evaluate the strength of your results. Readers typically expect that the strongest
results will be dealt with in the first paragraph and weaker results in later paragraphs.
C. (Un)expected Outcome
Here the writer comments on whether the result is unexpected or not.

D. Reference to Previous Research

After background and results, probably the most common move. There are two main subtypes or steps: reference for purposes of comparison with present research and
references for purposes of providing support for present research.
E. Explanation
This move is particularly common when the writer suggests reasons for the surprising
result, or one at odds with those reported in the literature.

F. Exemplification
Examples are most often used to support an explanation (Hopkins and Dudley-Evans,
1988).
G. Deduction and Hypothesis
This move is used to make a claim (however qualified) about the generalizability of some
or all of the reported results.
H. Recommendations

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The writer advocates the need for further research or makes suggestions about possible
lines of future investigation.

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APPENDICES
Appendices follow the list of references. This is where you would add relevant information that
was not included in body of the paper, e.g. additional data, an example of a questionnaire,
transcripts, etc. Number or letter appendices and give each a title as if it were a chapter.

Example:
Appendix 1: Questionnaire
Appendix 2: BOI Regulations
OR
Appendix A: Derivation of Equations

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