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Research has viewed social status as synonymous with popularity. People with higher social status are generally perceived as possessing more positive characteristics. In regards to social networking sites, specifically Facebook, research suggests that the network size coefficient (the number of friends one has) contributes greatly to the perception of an individual. The current study revealed that participants rated a mock Facebook user with a high number of friends as friendlier, more likeable, approachable, and were more willing to donate money to a cause championed by her. Analyses from the NEO-PI R instrument revealed that the mock Facebook user with more friends was rated as less self conscious, higher on degree of warmth, more gregarious, more assertive, more active socially, more likely to engage in excitement seeking behaviors, and more trustworthy. The results of this study illustrated the impact that social status has on the perception of an individual. Past results indicated that social status affected the perception of individual in face to face interactions but this study showed that these findings are generalizable to social networking sites.

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Lisa A. Long, MS: Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology.

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