What are the real, closeted reasons behind the action of “tweeting”? Why would someone spend hours tweeting to complete strangers he/she has never met before and will probably never meet in person? What needs does tweeting fulfill? Do we really think of the psychology behind our tweeting habits?
Past findings…
Researchers and scientists always have some kind of explanation or another about any given subject or trend! Take Freud for example, he was able to relate every possible human action, dream and thought to some sexual problem or fetish!
In one of the articles I have recently came across, “I Tweet Therefore I Am”, the clinical psychologist Oliver James stated that “Twittering stems from a lack of identity”. He further goes on to say that “no one would Twitter if they had a strong sense of identity“. What would you say to such accusations?
Sadly, at least to a certain extent, I would have to agree.
How I see it…
Amongst the many scientific theories I truly respect and even believe in, Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shines through! Whenever I think of Twitter and the possible reasons why anyone would tweet, apart from the obvious sales or marketing efforts, I think of this simple yet highly valid hierarchy!
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Here is why…
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Twitter…
According to Maslow, everything we do is derived from and revolves around a certain need we are seeking to satisfy. In his pyramid of needs, Maslow demonstrates how “the lowest level of needs is associated with physiological needs, while the uppermost level is associated with self-actualization needs, particularly those related to identity and purpose. Deficiency needs must be met first. Once these are met, seeking to satisfy growth needs drives personal growth. The higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus when the lower needs in the pyramid are met”.
How does Twitter fit into this equation?
So now that we have established our basic physiological needs such as guaranteeing food, shelter, water and so on and we were also able to cover our safety needs in terms of property, employment and family. We are still not satisfied! What can we do next? [read full article >>]
