Personality on Social Network Sites: An Application of the Five Factor Model

Stefan Wehrli ()

No 7, ETH Zurich Sociology Working Papers from ETH Zurich, Chair of Sociology

Abstract: In this paper we explore how individual personality characteristics influence online social networking behavior. We use data from an online survey with 1560 respondents from a major Swiss technical university and their corresponding online profiles and friendship networks on a popular Social Network Site (SNS). Apart from sociodemographic variables and questions about SNS usage, we collected survey data on personality traits with a short question inventory of the Five Factor Personality Model (BFI-15). We show how these psychological network antecedents influence participation, adoption time, nodal degree and ego-network growth over a period of 4 months on the networking platform. Statistical analysis with overdispersed degree distribution models identifies extraversion as a major driving force in the tie formation process. We find a counter-intuitive positive effect for neuroticism, a negative influence for conscientiousness and no effects for openness and agreeableness.

Keywords: online social networks; personality; Big Five; degree distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D85 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2008-09-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-ict, nep-net and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ets:wpaper:7

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