New study reveals people tend to share positive and negative news differently on Facebook

A new study has recently provided a deeper insight into how do people post important life events on Facebook.

In the article How Are Important Life Events Disclosed on Facebook? Relationships with Likelihood of Sharing and Privacy, Jennifer Bevan, Chapman University, Orange, CA, focused on when Facebook users share information on important life events, do they prefer to do so directly (detailed status updated or wall posts) or indirectly (photos, change of job title).

The results concluded that people choose to share such news depending on whether the event was positive or negative. The research reported that the specific event itself did not determine how an individual would share the news on Facebook, rather whether it was positive or negative. Users tended to share positive life events indirectly and negative life events directly.

The study is published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking,a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc, publishers.