• A new study has found that social media users post differently depending on if they live in wealthier or poorer areas.
• A university analysed 2.6 million posts from social networking site Nextdoor and found that people who live in wealthier areas post more positively than those in less wealthy areas.
• Social media companies can use this information to target users with even more specific advertising.

Another reason to ditch social media has emerged as scientists from the Queen Mary University of London have discovered that what people say in their posts, has a direct correlation to their financial situations.

A group of researchers from the university analysed 2.6 million posts from users on social networking site Nextdoor.

This site connects users in close proximity, “where communities come together to greet newcomers, exchange recommendations, and read the latest local news.”

Studying posts on Nextdoor, researchers found that the type of content posted by residents in affluent areas was different to the content posted by users in poorer areas.

According to the university’s findings seen by SciTech Daily, Nextdoor users from wealthier neighbourhoods were more likely to share positive posts, but would discuss crime more even if crime rates were lower in their areas.

“Our study shows that the text posted by users in poor neighbourhoods is distinguishable from the text generated in wealthier neighbourhoods. Online users’ content reveals socioeconomic factors: in wealthier neighbourhoods, there is more crime-sensitive posting activity, but overall, more positive sentiment in the posts,” said Dr Ignacio Castro, lead researcher and Lecturer in Data Analytics at Queen Mary University of London.

Nextdoor users from richer neighbourhoods were 1.5 times more concerned about crime than poorer neighbourhoods, even though crime is 1.3 times higher in lower-income areas.

The study found that Nextdoor users who live in wealthy neighbourhoods with less inequality discuss crime more than anyone else.

Researchers say that knowledge of user income from social media could lead ecommerce companies to serve more specific product ads to certain users, varying prices, according to their income levels and areas.

They continue that social media platforms could also use this information to suggest content that aligns with a user’s income level.

Social media is often used in quantitative studies such as this one, as they are repositories for vast amounts of information from real individuals. They give insight into how people think and what they are concerned about. Nextdoor specifically gives an idea into the areas where these people live, which is why it was selected by the university for this specific study.

In the past, researchers from other universities have conducted studies into how social media affects the mental state of people. This particular study found that social media causes some people to begin developing symptoms of depression.

[Image – Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash]