We know plenty about Twitter's crazy growth rates and mushrooming membership. We know about brands on Twitter, celebrities on Twitter, politicians on Twitter. We know Twitter apps, hashtags, trends, tools, tips and tricks. But we understand less about the motivations of users: Why do people use Twitter? How do its users feel about common practices there? What are their beliefs about Twitter, and how do they view their experiences?
Big questions, for sure. But in a recent survey on Twitter, we started to uncover some answers. Here are the highlights of a survey of 432 highly involved Twitter users (who spend an average of 2 ¾ hours per day on Twitter).
Norms of Reciprocity
Or, "I feel bad when someone doesn't follow me back. (Not)."
One of the tenets of social psychology research is the prevalence of reciprocity: that people try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided. Does the rule of reciprocation hold on Twitter, a free platform steeped in community and access? In other words, do people feel that Followers on Twitter should reciprocate in kind, and follow them back?
Surprisingly, not really. The survey asked to what extent they agreed that users should follow people who follow them, and whether people who they follow should follow them back. On a scale (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree), the mean for both questions was the same (2.74). Essentially, people don't feel that strongly at all about reciprocation. (Of course, a more subtle interpretation is that they believe -- albeit at a low level -- that reciprocation should be balanced.)
Perceptual Beliefs
Or, "People who have a large number of followers are definitely not smarter than those who don't."
What does it really mean that Ashton has one million followers, and the writer Paulo Coelho, last year named Spain's Best International Writer, has a mere 17,827? Does this mean that Ashton could write circles around Paulo? Is Ashton more widely respected? Or is it really about notoriety and celebrity?
The latter, according to the survey.
In other words, people in the survey see a modicum amount of respect associated with higher follower numbers, but little association with how "smart" people are.
Emotional Response
Or, "I don't really care if nobody responds when I tweet something."
Twitter is often compared to a large cocktail party or a busy office water cooler. So do people feel bad when they speak and no one is listening? Do they care when no one answers back?
Apparently not. The survey asked how strongly people believed with the statement, "I feel bad when I tweet something and nobody responds." The average (2.41) reveals that it doesn't seem to trouble people -- at least, it doesn't trouble them all that much.
Motivations
"It's cool to learn new things from people."
People use Twitter for all sorts of reasons. But what are those reasons, exactly? Is it about marketing, gathering intelligence, connecting, community? Is it for social reasons?
In a word: Yes.
Twitter may be used as just another lead-generation tool. Or it may be about connecting with new friends. But above all, people on Twitter are truly motivated by learning new things and getting information real-time, as it's developing.
About the survey
The survey of 432 Twitter users was conducted by MarketingProfs on Twitter from 4/8 to 4/15, 2009. The data was collected and analyzed by Allen Weiss, MarketingProfs CEO, Professor at USC's Marshall School, and @allenweiss on Twitter.
More Twitter resources from Mashable
- 10 Most Extraordinary Twitter Updates
- 15 Fascinating Ways to Track Twitter Trends