By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Screenshot from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
Joining the Conversation on Humans of New York: The Psychological Needs of a Facebook Community Internet Ethnography — Visual Essay
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Introduction Over the last decade, social networking sites have fostered an omnipresent virtual reality by transcending physical barriers and connecting people in digital space. Facebook has emerged as a prominent social media platform, and with nearly four million followers, Humans of New York (HONY) represents one web page that harnesses the network’s social utility to sustain an active online community. This study explores the thousands of comments that HONY posts accumulate to understand how this virtual environment prompts users to exchange opinions and information. Brandon Stanton began his Humans of New York project in 2010, and the photoblog has grown to include over 6,000 New York City street portraits with captions that describe the interaction between subject and photographer. While HONY’s Tumblr site provides a structured platform for Stanton to catalogue his work, the Facebook page encourages discussion. Stanton generally depicts “ordinary” individuals who are not portrayed in mass media — sharing voices that are not typically heard by a diverse, worldwide audience. HONY thus allows users to offer their ideas and engage with others on a wide range of topics. Through my research, I aim to explain the social needs that motivate people to join this conversation. By revealing personal information and extending their thoughts on global issues, HONY’s users are actively participating in society. This study is thus relevant to academics who seek further insight into how social networking sites influence norms of discourse in the digital age.
Screenshot from HONY page on Tumblr.com, accessed March 2014
Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Research Question As a social platform, the HONY Facebook page provides users with the opportunity for visibility and expression. The web community continues to grow with the escalating popularity of the photoblog, and an increasing number of voices and opinions are shared on the portraits every day. Upon observation of the site, I noticed how rapidly responses multiplied on a new post. Since it is easy for HONY’s followers to “like” a portrait, I became interested in what prompts reactions in the form of comments and replies to other users’ comments. Previous studies on social networking sites have found that social media gratifies needs for affiliation, self-disclosure, information, and recreation (Chen). As I observed HONY’s followers engage with both the subjects in the portraits and the other users on the page, I focused my study on the different motives that influence and structure behaviors on the site. This study aims to answer the following research questions: 1. How do the portraits and captions posted onto the Humans of New York Facebook page stimulate conversations over strangers’ photos on the Internet? 2. What does participation in these conversations mean for people? 3. Which social needs serve as the primary motives to post comments?
Screenshot from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Literature Review James J. Gibson’s concept of “affordances” can be applied to this study to help explain how the Facebook platform influences social interactions on HONY. Given the idea that affordances offer or furnish something in an environment, the affordances of the HONY Facebook page can be seen as features that deter users from certain actions while encouraging them towards others. Facebook’s “like” button and its lack of a “dislike” button hinder users from expressing disapproval and promote positivity within the community. However, the “comment” option allows users to decide how they want to contribute their opinion, thus enabling open discussion. Furthermore, HONY users must sign in to their Facebook account in order to participate in the conversation. As a result, their names and profile pictures appear beside their comments, restricting participants from posting anonymously. Within Facebook’s framework, the first comments that are displayed under a HONY portrait are comments made by the user’s Facebook friends. This affordance encourages involvement in the conversation by highlighting participants that the user is familiar with. Screenshot from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Literature Review continued Abraham Maslow’s psychological need theory provides a framework within which this study explores individuals’ motives to join the conversations that result from posts on the HONY Facebook page. Maslow’s theory assumes that unsatisfied needs determine one’s behavior so that he or she can reach homeostasis. Furthermore, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs holds that once primary physiological and safety needs are met, secondary social needs will dominate one’s actions. Within the hierarchy, love and belongingness represent the next level of needs that must be satisfied before others can surface. People who have not yet gratified their needs for love and belonging will “hunger for relations with people in general — for a place in the group or family” (20). Thus, they will be motivated solely by their desire for social interaction. Though HONY’s followers may be unconscious of the social needs that determine their actions, Maslow’s theoretical construct offers a way to examine the underlying forces that drive users to post comments. Prior research shows that social media platforms like Facebook gratify social needs for affiliation and self-disclosure, as well as needs to partake in recreation and to gain information (Chen). Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Literature Review continued The psychological need for affiliation stems from humans’ biological pre-disposition to gather in groups for survival; thus, people seek connection with others in the social environments that are easily accessible in contemporary society (Chen). With the breakdown of face-to-face communication and developments in new media technologies, social networking sites have evolved as a primary means of engaging with other people. The need to affiliate with others and feel a sense of belonging towards a group can thus motivate people to interact in web communities such as HONY. The psychological need for self-disclosure drives individuals to reveal personal information about themselves, including personal thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, “need for affiliation often encourages people to self disclose to others as such self-disclosure helps establish a link with them” (Detenber et al. 5). In addition to revealing their name and profile picture when posting a comment on Facebook, HONY’s participants are able to disclose personal information as they communicate with other users.
Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Research Methods The first step of this research involved two weeks of intense observation on the HONY Facebook page wherein I collected field notes and reached out to commenters to conduct emailbased interviews. Since the photoblog contains material catalogued in an archival fashion, I set up my observation frame to study only portraits posted in February 2014. By sampling posts within a limited time frame, I was able to account for HONY’s accumulated popularity at a given time period. Furthermore, I focused on posts with over 100,000 “likes” to ensure that the portraits I selected had a strong visibility across the web community. From these, I eliminated any portraits that would violate the ethics of my research. I split the remaining 27 portraits into two samples based on their total number of comments. From portraits with the greatest number of total comments, I read and categorized the top 25 comments that had accrued the greatest number of reactions from other users on the site. From portraits with the lowest number of total comments, I read and categorized 25 random comments that received no “likes” or replies. Thus, my sample incorporated comments with two diverging levels of visibility among the site’s users. Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura NorĂŠn
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Research Methods continued In order to make analytical sense of the sample comments, I developed a set of categories to interpret the motivations behind posting: affiliation, self-disclosure, information, and recreation. I was thus able to incorporate my theoretical framework by categorizing comments based on the primary social behavior exhibited by the commenter: directly engaging with others with either support or criticism, offering personal information (or personal thoughts or feelings), seeking information via questions or concerns, and partaking in conversation solely for enjoyment (making puns or jokes, or posting photos or emoticons). For further insight into the significance of this web community, I conducted emailbased interviews with individual commenters. I selected participants who would provide varying perspectives: a commenter whose comment accrued significant response, a commenter whose comment received no response, a commenter who lives outside of New York, and a commenter who commented on his or her own portrait on the site. The individuals answered questions regarding their overall involvement on the HONY Facebook page, as well as questions specific to commenting behaviors on the site.
Affiliation
Self-Disclosure
Information
Recreation
Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Research Ethics Since the HONY Facebook page is a publicly navigable website with nearly four million followers, I made observations without providing individual disclaimers. In order to conduct interviews with individual commenters, I obtained informed consent prior to their participation. Following the interview, I guaranteed the participants’ anonymity by replacing their names with pseudonyms and keeping their identities confidential. In order to ensure an ethical selection of subjects, I did not interview people or examine the portraits of those who are under the age of 18, currently incarcerated, currently pregnant, mentally or terminally ill, or otherwise believed to be part of a vulnerable or disadvantaged group. Given that the photoblog is published on a public site, and that HONY’s posts are critical for understanding the web community’s responses, I did not conceal the subjects of the portraits in my sample. However, when utilizing screenshots of “likes” and comments, I protected individuals’ identities by blocking out their Facebook usernames and profile pictures.
Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Findings In this study, I aim to understand how portraits posted onto the HONY Facebook page trigger discussions among the web community. The research was designed to reveal what participation in these conversations means for the site’s users, and which social needs serve as the primary motives to post comments. During observation periods, I noticed that HONY followers include people from around the world. I also found that people post comments aimed at different audiences: strangers pictured in the portraits, strangers already in the conversation, the photographer, their own friends on Facebook, or the general public. While some portraits and captions stimulate discussions on controversial topics such as abortion or arranged marriage, the community generally reacts with support rather than criticism. One top commenter stated that HONY had inspired him to approach online discussions with an open mind: “Instead of joining the bandwagon and speaking ill of those speaking about a certain topic. I try to understand their reasoning.” Through interviews with individual commenters, I found that the site’s followers generally spend less than 30 minutes per week looking through posts. The respondents indicated that they do not always read other comments and that they post comments only occasionally. However, the photoblog’s strong web presence has influenced users’ online and offline habits by engaging users on multiple social media platforms. One respondent who lives outside of New York shared that HONY had even prompted her to start a similar photoblog based in her own city.
Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Findings continued Respondents in the study noted that they tend to “like” HONY posts that inspire them and comment on posts if they have something to add to the conversation. One individual shared that he is inclined to comment when he can “relate to [the subject’s] situation and wants to congratulate or offer advice.” When asked what prompts her to comment, another respondent answered, “If I feel my perspective differs slightly from that of the subject and feel I can offer insight and truth to others.” Upon categorizing the 675 comments in my sample, I found that the majority of comments involve self-disclosure. These include comments in which people offer their personal thoughts or feelings, or reveal personal information about themselves. The second largest category consists of affiliation comments that directly address the subject in the portrait or another user on the site, as well as comments wherein users tag a Facebook friend to bring them into the conversation. Comments seeking information or involving recreation do not constitute a majority of the sample, but a significant number of comments still display these characteristics. While information comments include questions or concerns directed at other people, my observations indicated that the purpose of these posts was to find out more information or to satisfy a curiosity, not to connect with another person. In recreation comments, people do not openly express themselves, but they still participate in the conversation by posting witty remarks or images that relate to the portraits.
Infographic created on Numbers for Mac by Cicek Erel, March 2014
Screenshot from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Findings continued The data reveals that the leading motive that influences people to comment on HONY posts is self-disclosure. Users are primarily driven by the social need to express themselves, as well as by the need to engage with others through affiliation. As a result, the conversations that result from portraits and their captions are filled with individuals’ own ideas and opinions, which are sometimes directed at others within the community. Since portraits posted on the page show people and stories that are not typically portrayed in the media, the discussions open up a variety of topics wherein HONY’s users can selfdisclose in order to connect with other individuals and gather support for personal issues. One respondent to the research remarked that the portraits and conversations show that “everyone has a story. Everyone is unique and that’s okay.” Another respondent in the study stated, “the portraits bring perspective to an audience that they may not have considered before…but there are many comments that are hateful or judgmental, or simply attention seeking. In other words, the breadth of humanity seems to show up to HONY.”
Infographic created on Numbers for Mac by Cicek Erel, March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Discussion Findings from this research extend the understanding of affordances to a virtual environment. Since the Facebook platform encourages “likes,” the top comments that accrue the greatest number of responses are generally posts that provide support or offer an interesting perspective. However, the affordances of the site do not guarantee positivity among users. People are able to post comments to express disapproval, and even if they do not receive many “likes,” negative comments can still accumulate a significant amount of replies. The research reveals that commenters are motivated by their desire to form relationships and belong to a group, thus supporting Maslow’s psychological need theory which holds that once primary physiological and safety needs are met, secondary social needs will dominate one’s actions. This framework deems that social needs for affiliation and self-disclosure are inherent in all human beings, and that they surface once basic needs are gratified. The study assumes that the diverse, worldwide followers of the HONY Facebook page have met their primary needs, thus they are mainly driven by their need for social interaction. By participating in conversations, people connect with others to satisfy their need for contact, or disclose information in order to establish a sense of belongingness within the web community. While the findings show that most commenters self-disclose in HONY discussions, the study does not differentiate between the different kinds of self-disclosure, such as emotional, factual, positive, or negative. These sub-categories ought to be considered going forward in research regarding participation in online discourse.
Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Conclusion This study provides research on the Humans of New York Facebook page and a review of Abraham Maslow’s psychological need theory in order to explain how commenters give meaning to their actions in an active web community. The research reveals findings related to the motives that drive HONY’s followers to post certain comments in a public space. As face-to-face communication diminishes in modern society, social networking sites like Facebook provide an online platform for open discussion. Maslow’s theory indicates that humans have a biological need to connect with other people, and this study shows that people now seek to satisfy their social needs on the Internet. The research is relevant to both academics and the general public, offering findings on the primary motives that drive nearly four million people to participate in an emotional exchange on a public web page. HONY portraits and captions facilitate discourse among a large and diverse group of followers, thus fostering a virtual community built on the social and behavioral norms of the offline world.
Screenshots from HONY page on Facebook.com, accessed March 2014
NYU | New Media Research Studio | Professor Laura Norén
By Cicek Erel
March 2014
Works Cited Chen, Gina M. Why Do Women Bloggers Use Social Media? Recreation and Information Motivations Outweigh Engagement Motivations. New Media & Society. SAGE Publications, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. Detenber, Benjamin, Mindawati Wijaya, and Hui Yi Goh. Blogging and Online Friendships: The Role of Self-Disclosure and Perceived Reciprocity. All Academic Research. All Academic Inc., May 2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. Gibson, James J. “The Theory of Affordances.” The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1979. 127-43. Maslow, Abraham H. Motivation and Personality. 3rd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. Stanton, Brandon. Humans of New York. Tumblr, 2014. Web. Feb. 2014. Stanton, Brandon. “Humans of New York.” Facebook. 2014. Web. Mar. 2014.