A new study indicates that customizing social media platforms to cater to various user types could significantly improve online experiences, helping users manage their time and emotional well-being more effectively.
Personalizing social media to fit the specific needs of users may lead to more meaningful and controlled online experiences, according to new research from the University of Bristol and IT University of Copenhagen. The study, presented on May 8 at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Yokohama, Japan, underscores the significance of appropriate personal investment in social media for positive online engagement.
Conducted by researchers focused on digital self-regulation, the study identifies distinct user categories and suggests that social media platforms can be redesigned to foster more intentional use.
“Many people feel the need to better control their time on social media,” lead author Dan Bennett, a lecturer in the School of Computer Science at the University of Bristol, said in a news release. “While social media offers entertainment, social connection and opportunities for personal growth, people feel the need to manage their engagement better, to avoid wasting time and engaging in ways that harm their mood and well-being.”
Acknowledging that digital self-control is not a one-size-fits-all solution, the research team introduced a person-centered machine learning approach. This method categorizes social media users based on their motivations and behaviors into the following groups:
- Socially Steered Users: These users feel heavily influenced by peer expectations and pressures.
- Automatic Browsers: This group often engages without intention, finding their use to be “meaningless” and struggling with overuse and regret.
- Deeply Invested Users: These individuals connect social media to personal meaning and goals but similarly struggle with overuse and regret.
- Goldilocks Users: They find personal value in their social media use but do not deeply invest themselves. This group experiences the lowest levels of regret.
This innovative approach highlights the potential for personalized digital tools that could help users better self-regulate their social media habits. Rather than a universal solution, the study advocates for platform features tailored to meet different user needs, aiding compulsive users in regaining control or helping socially pressured individuals balance connections and pressures.
The research was based on a survey of 500 participants, employing psychological assessments and machine learning to identify diverse engagement styles.
“We identify different types of users on social media — including those who browse without strong intentionality, those deeply invested in their online lives, and those who see value in using social media but maintain personal distance,” Bennett added. “By tailoring social media designs to these different needs, platforms could help users stay in control and make their time online more purposeful and valued.”
The implications extend beyond social media design into broader technology use.
In a related paper, the researchers observed similar user categories across various technologies, such as games and well-being tools.
These collective findings point to a data-driven design approach, fostering sustainable engagement by focusing on meaningful user experiences rather than maximizing screen time.
The next phase aims to explore methods for social media platforms to identify different user groups and adapt interfaces to promote engagement aligned with personal well-being.
Source: University of Bristol