Galaxy Ruiz, Esther Sepulveda, Ariana Cauich, Sabrina Guzman
Interview With Professor Seiter https://youtu.be/8dBP0FuqTA4
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For our interview, we had the privilege to speak to Professor Christian Seiter, he teaches human communications specifically about the process of social influence at Cal State Fullerton.
Professor Seiter studied people’s social media reactions during the pandemic and we interviewed him about the process of how he used social media in his research while also sharing his results and what he had gained from doing this study. Professor Seiter based his research on three specific social media sites, Reddit, Facebook, and YouTube. The trajectory of people’s behavior led him to this study, especially when the pandemic that had recently started in March of 2020.
The pandemic was something that has never happened in our lifetimes before which led to new sides of people’s behavior on social media when situations such as country wide lockdown, restaurants were closing for dining in and only serving take out at one point, and toilet paper shortages occurred. The pivotal moment for Professor Seiter to start this type of study was the way the public reacted to Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson being one of the first celebrities to get covid. People on social media were either struck with hate towards them, while others gave words of hope and encouragement to Tom Hanks and his wife. These two types of behaviors on social media caught Professor Seiter’s attention and was the birth of his study. When interviewing with Professor Seiter, I noticed how he paid close attention to different behaviors on different apps based on community and guidelines. Some apps such as Reddit had a more vocal audience compared to others.
How do people use social media?
In his study, Seiter sought to search how social media was being used in the wake of social issues that affected the world. During this research process, he stated “I would look up…you know…what people are talking about.” While actively searching through social media sites, Professor Seiter compared that Reddit was the most reliable source of information for collecting data for his research. Comparing the various different social media sites, he also found that people were much nicer and more helpful compared to the other two sites.
Social support amongst people in different social media sites
Professor Seiter states that he sought to answer the question of people asking for help and if they were actually receiving it based on the different sites. His primary basis of the study was based on social support. The study focuses on aggressive communication, Professor Seiter sought to find that between the social media sites.
“People look for social support and instead they get like uh ‘go to hell”
People have different forms of reactions on social media. The communications amongst people on these sites vary. There is a possibility that a person seeking “social support” may receive a positive of a negative reaction. Through his study, Professor Seiter aimed to use social media to see how people communicate in the wake of a big social dilemma. This study being conducted a few years back, relates to how social media is used at all times to show how communication online is used to talk about social issues. There is a potential to use facts but there is a great potential that misinformation can be spread, specifically pertaining to issues that can affect many people.
Side model and anonymity, their role in social media
Professor Seiter connected the side model and anonymity by examining how the side model doesn’t necessarily cause anonymity to lead to antisocial behavior. By comparing and contrasting, he explained that while some people use anonymity to say negative things online, there are also those who use anonymity for acts of kindness. The primary focus of the side models is the norms of the groups where anonymity occurs. For example, if we look at a group that is constantly giving back to the community and doing charitable things, the side model proves they are most likely to use anonymity for good. On the other hand, those who usually show negative, anti-social behavior use anonymity to continue those behaviors and negatively impact the use of social media to bring others down. Seiter even goes on to say how anonymity can intensify it; for the group of people normally doing nice things or constantly being negative, anonymity is a factor that truly increases said behavior. Professor Seiter emphasized that the side model serves as the foundation of the study. At the same time, anonymity acts like a magnifying glass, helping researchers understand why people behave differently when given the option to remain anonymous.
A real-life example based on this study that Professor Seiter provided during the interview was the contrast between Facebook and Reddit during the pandemic. They found during the study that Facebook primarily uses real names and real personal photos, while Reddit has the aspect of anonymity; you can use made-up names and don’t need much personal information displayed, unlike Facebook. Reddit also has a system called Reddiquette, which is essentially a guideline on how to act on the platform. In Professor Seiter’s words, Reddiquette is “how not to be a jerk.” Reddit also has an upvote and downvote system; essentially, if a person makes a negative post or comment, users can downvote it, and the post/comment goes down the thread and doesn’t gain much foot traffic because of the negative votes. This system ensures that helpful and positive information is displayed and prioritized rather than negative. Because of Reddit’s anonymity and the systems in place to control antisocial behavior, many found Reddit to be more helpful than Facebook during the pandemic.
Another example can be found on YouTube, where there isn’t much regulation on what is being said/posted compared to Reddit. Professor Seiter emphasized that the lack of regulations on YouTube causes those with antisocial behavior to flock toward that website and post what they can’t on sites like Reddit. Professor Seiter also stated, “The issue isn’t anonymity itself, the anonymity plus the anti-social norms, that’s where you have a problem.”
After the interview with Professor Seiter, the first question that came to mind is how different his study could be now. Since the pandemic, the whole world has become so reliant and frankly addicted to social media and for many; it is their only place of socializing, and because of this communication via social media has intensified. People online have become even meaner because they have become so comfortable being behind a screen. As well as at the time of this study Professor Seiter conducted, it was just the start/rise of TikTok. If TikTok was added into his study would his findings come out different?
Work Cited:
Seiter, C. R., & Brophy, N. S. (2021). Social Support and Aggressive Communication on Social Network Sites during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Health Communication, 37(10), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1886399
The Society for Communications Research 