An international study carried out by the University of Bath (United Kingdom) and published in the journal ‘Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication’ has revealed that the thrill of getting a ‘like’ on an Instagram post can make people more willing to return a ‘like’ in the future but that the type of relationship is the determining factor of approval, more than emotions.
Close friends can expect a ‘like’ from another to an Instagram post regardless of their reaction to a previous post, but in the case of acquaintances the behavior is reciprocal (if they receive a ‘like’ they will return it and vice versa). .
Good friends give each other “likes”
“People who are good friends like each other as a way of maintaining the relationship, it’s something they’ll do whether the other person liked their last post or ignored it,” explains the Dr Kseniya Stsiampkouskaya, from the University of Bath School of Management.
In this sense, Dr. Stsiampkouskaya explains that “the action of ‘liking’ can be considered a small building block that supports friendship and strengthens the bond between two people.” This means that “users of social networks practice ‘social grooming’, that is, behaviors intended to maintain social structures and relationships.”
excitement and enthusiasm
Researchers say the excitement and excitement generated by receiving a like is a big driver of intention to like someone’s posts in the future, but good friends don’t need this: it’s their attachment. what prompts them to ‘like’ a post.
“If you share something on social mediayou can expect a ‘like’ from your close friend even if you haven’t seen their previous post,” says Stsiampkouskaya. Likes between close friends are not about direct reciprocity, but about a broader perspective: their friendship and connection.
For acquaintances, however, the situation is different since they “do not have the same social obligations as close friends, so they tend to reflect the other’s behavior,” explains the doctor. In this case, behavior is governed by a norm of “reciprocity”, that is, “if that acquaintance did not like our previous post, we will probably do the same and ignore their future posts,” he adds.
Experiment with 201 participants
This research explores the direct reciprocity of ‘likes’ on social networks through an online experiment with 201 participants from United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand (71% women) who were assigned to one of four groups: being liked by a close friend, not being liked by a close friend, being liked by an acquaintance, and not being liked by a close friend. ‘like’ from an acquaintance.
completed a instagram simulation based on a questionnaire in which they could choose whether or not to return a ‘like’ to a friend/acquaintance and the researchers used statistical modeling techniques to assess the emotional reactions of the participants.
The researchers acknowledge that although relational closeness influences liking behaviors, it is not the only predictor: previous research points to a number of factors such as demographics, personality traits, enjoyment, management of personal branding and information sharing.
an important step
However, they affirm that the study is “an important step” to understand how user behavior changes depending on the different levels of relational closeness. This information can help social media platforms to optimize the user experience, fulfilling its original purpose of connecting people and offering ample opportunities to establish and maintain relationships.
In addition, “understanding how relational closeness affects user behavior can help brands and companies create effective engagement strategies, fostering a culture of cooperation and co-creation on social networks,” says Stsiampkouskaya.