Profile Analysis

http://mashable.com/2013/02/01/facebook-mental-health/

This article on Mashable describes the findings of a University of Missouri study on the psychological indicators found on a Facebook page. The indicators included Facebook activity frequency and unusual interests. The basis of this study of 2,000 college students according to researcher Dr. Martin, is that a social networking profile can provide insight to a person's psyche that other methods cannot. "Because of the real or imagined perception of anonymity, the Internet may allow unique access to the psyche. One’s social networking information can be understood as an example of one’s naturalistic behavior."

This claim in it of itself is revealing of the attitude of social media today. People projecting their real-life personalities and tendencies onto the internet has become something of the norm and expected. A great deal has changed to social society; from the skepticism of the internet upon its debut decades ago, to the expectation of psychological analysis from a social profile today.

The findings of this study however, needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The research is based on the assumption that all college students use social networking as an exact T to their inner self. The truth is more likely that the profile they create is an image of an "ideal" character they strive to attain. Any evaluation using social media analysis should be viewed as an ideal reflection than a true one.