Social media is a powerful force which enables users to connect with everyone including friends, family members, celebrities, and even businesses. It has influenced the way people communicate and live their lives, so it’s really not all that surprising people are a little bit addicted to Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) and other social media websites.
A look at how Twitter affect user’s minds
A recent study from Neuro Insight shows how Twitter users react using the website and the science behind it. The study was conducted on 114 volunteers who accessed the app on their phones, laptops, and tablets. They used a special technique that is called steady-state topography.
This study discovered higher than normal responses in three specific areas including memory, emotional arousal, and feelings of personal relevance. Emotional arousal is actually linked to locations in the back right half of the brain. This study utilizes activity in the right parieto-temporal site as a way to assess intensity of emotions it elicites. When people are actively sending tweets or looking for other messages, the responses were 75% higher than what is normal for online users. The site’s users just browsing the website experience a response 64% higher than normal.
Twitter’s effect on emotional responses
The chief executive for Neuro Insight, Heather Armstrong, explained, “The way that messages are delivered drives a strong emotional response. It’s very short and sharp, it’s very immediate, and it’s appearing in your own context. People are seeing stuff in a context which is immensely personally relevant. It’s their own timeline, that they’ve constructed and which represents what they’re interested in. It’s a hugely different impact, because context affects massively the way we respond.”
One reason Twitter has such a strong appeal because the feelings of personal relevance. People like feeling connected to things that matter the most to them and websites like Twitter fullfill these needs.
