One-in-ten bend the truth on social media to make themselves feel good – and men go even further, Kaspersky Lab study reveals
People are
turning to social media in order to show off to friends, collect as many
‘likes’ as possible and to feel good about themselves. But in this quest for
social validation, people are playing with the truth and whitewashing their
lives. New research from Kaspersky Lab shows that one-in-ten people would bend
the truth on social media in order to get more people to like their posts.
The
research also shows that in their pursuit of likes, men are more likely than
women to post their privacy away. One-in-ten (9%) men would post a photo of
themselves naked compared to only 5% of women and 13% of men post photos of
their friends wearing something revealing.
To
attract attention and secure a significant number of likes, around one-in-ten
people (12%) pretend to be somewhere or doing something that might not be
strictly true. This rises to 14% of men, suggesting that many would rather get
social media attention than share a realistic portrayal of their lives.
The
research uncovers that men are sensitive about how many likes they get on
social media and, in their hunt for likes, men are more likely than women to
reveal something embarrassing or confidential about their co-workers, friends
or employers.
Thus,
14% of men said they would reveal something confidential about a co-worker,
compared to 7% of women, 13% are willing to post something confidential about
their employer, and 12% would reveal something embarrassing about a friend
compared with 6% of women.
Men
also get upset if they do not get the likes they hope for - 24% worry that if
few people like their posts, their friends will think they are unpopular,
compared to 17% of women. 29% of men also admitted that they get upset if
somebody who matters to them doesn’t like their posts.
In
the hunt for likes, men tend to go even further than women, posting things that
present themselves and their friends in a compromising light, which according
to Dr. Astrid Carolus, Media Psychologist at the University of Würzburg, “is in
line with the assumption of men being rather less focused on social harmony and
rather more willing to take risks.”
Thus,
15% of men revealed they would post a photo of friends under the influence of
alcohol compared to 8% of women, 12% of men would post a photo of themselves
wearing something revealing, and 9% of men are even ready to post a photo of
themselves naked compared to only 5% of women.
For
the love of likes, Pinoy-style
In the Philippines, four
out of 10 Filipino netizens admitted that it is fairly important for them that
their posts will get likes on social media.
While majority of 1,000
respondents from the Philippines say no to compromising the privacy or secret
of a friend, co-worker, employer or their own, there are some who said they are
willing to do more so their social media posts will receive as many likes as
possible.
Nearly two in every 10
(16.9%) Filipino netizens said they would falsely express strong views about
something on social media (even when they might not normally do it) if doing so
would boost their posts’ number of likes.
The survey also showed
that 14.3% would likely reveal something funny about a friend and 11.6% will
divulge something silly about a co-worker.
About 7.2% Filipino
social media users said they would post a photo of a friend under the influence
of alcohol to score more likes and 6.2% would even make public photos of them
wearing something revealing for the sake of extra likes.
Evgeny Chereshnev, Head
of Social Media at Kaspersky Lab agrees, but warns that this risky behavior on
social media can put people at risk.
“In
their search for social approval, people have stopped seeing the boundary
between what it is okay to share, and what is better kept private,” he says.
“But it is important to protect ourselves, as well as the privacy of others.
The research shows that 58% of people feel uncomfortable and upset when their
friends post photos of them that they do not want to be made public. All in
all, people need to become more aware and cyber-savvy about the information
they share on social media and install security software on their devices to
protect themselves and their loved ones from cyberthreats,” explains Chereshnev.
Methodology
This
study was conducted online by research firm Toluna, October - November, 2016.
Users from 18 countries were surveyed online. A total of 16,750 people, aged
over 16 years old, split equally between men and women, were surveyed. Data was
weighted to be globally representative and consistent.
About
Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky
Lab is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky Lab’s deep
threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into
security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure,
governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive
security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of
specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving
digital threats. Over 400
million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most
to them.
Media Contacts:
Sanjeev Nair
Corporate Communications Manager
Kaspersky Lab South East Asia
Sanjeev.Nair@kaspersky.com
Rosemarie Gonzales |
Farrah Gutierrez
Upspring Public Relations for Kaspersky Lab
Mobile: +63 926 1652899 |+63 908 8208302
Quezon City, Philippines
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