The misanthrope’s view of Facebook goes something like this: Much of the site’s content is the result of insecure people presenting the world with unrealistically rosy versions of their lives.
And hey — those grouchy folks might be onto something. In a new Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin study about how people deal with relationship uncertainty online, researchers found that “on days when people felt more insecure about their partner’s feelings than they typically do, they posted more relationship-relevant information on Facebook.” The same went for people who were anxious in general.
Can this logic be applied to people who are endlessly posting pictures of their cute kids and awesome vacations and perfect apartments? Unclear, but the misanthropes of the world await an answer as they continue to click and judge.
