People turn to social media trying to show off to their friends, to gather as many "likes" as they can and to feel good about themselves. However, in this quest for social affirmation, people are playing with the truth and beautifying their lives.
Kaspersky Lab's new research reveals that one out of ten modifies the truth in social media looking for more "likes" in its posts. Research also reveals that at the altar of "likes" men are more likely to post their personal information than women. One in ten (9%) would post a personal naked photo compared to just 5% of women. Also, 13% of men would post a photo of a friend wearing something revealing.
To pull her caution and to secure a significant number of "likes", about one in ten (12%) pretend to be "somewhere" or doing "something", which may not be entirely true. For men, this figure rises to 14%, which indicates that many would rather attract the attention of others on social media than share a realistic portrayal of their lives.
Research reveals that men are sensitive about the number of "likes" they gather in social media. Indeed, for the sake of likes, men are more willing than women to reveal something embarrassing or confidential to their partners, friends or employers. So, 14% of men say it would reveal something confidential for a partner compared to 7% of women, 13% is willing to post something confidential to its employer, and 12% would reveal something embarrassing to a friend of his compared to 6% of women.
Men also get upset if they don't get the likes they want. 24% of men are worried about being "liked" on publications they are few and considered unpopular by their friends compared to 17% of women. Additionally, 29% of men admit to getting angry if someone important to them doesn't like their posts.
In the "likes" hunt, men tend to present themselves and their friends in a more "dangerous" prism, which, according to Dr. Astrid Carolus, Media Psychologist at the University of Würzburg, "is in line with the assumption that men do not focus on social harmony and are more likely to take risks." Thus, 15% of men revealed that they would post a photo of alcohol-infected friends compared to 8% of women, 12% would publish a photo with revealing clothes, and 9% of men are ready to publish even one his naked photo compared to just 5% of women.
Evgeny Chereshnev, Head of Social Media at Kaspersky Lab, agrees, but warns that this risky behavior on social media can put people in danger. "In their quest for social approval, people have stopped seeing the lines between what's okay to share and what's best kept private." commented. He continued, “But it's important to protect ourselves, as well as the privacy of others.
Research shows that 58% of people feel uncomfortable and upset when their friends publish their photos that they do not want to be publicized. Overall, people need to be more aware, understand the information they share in social media, and install security software on their devices to protect themselves and their loved ones from digital threats. "
