Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and social media
Exploring the reasons behind the success of social media leads to Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow (1943) stated that humans are motivated to achieve certain needs and that when one of these needs is fulfilled a person seeks to achieve the next one, and so on. The lower levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy are made up of human’s most basic needs, while the more complex needs are situated toward the top of the pyramid.
Exploring the reasons behind the success of social media leads to Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow (1943) stated that humans are motivated to achieve certain needs and that when one of these needs is fulfilled a person seeks to achieve the next one, and so on. The lower levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy are made up of human’s most basic needs, while the more complex needs are situated toward the top of the pyramid.
To explore these needs in relation to social media leads to the realisation that many social media platforms fulfil the basic and social needs portrayed in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
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Tier one focuses on psychological needs. In terms of social media use this would include creating a profile to exist from. It would also include basic necessities to get online, i.e. Internet connection and a device. Tier two emphasises the need for safety and security. This would therefore be in relation to choosing a social media platform that they are comfortable with, often one that is being used by their peers. Belonging and love are the hub of tier three. Students, and others, building relationships with online social communities, address this tier. This means connecting, joining groups or events, communicating with others and finding people who have similar interests or passions in life. The fourth tier reports the need for self-esteem and focuses on the idea of achievement and recognition of this. In terms of social media, this would include the idea of social branding, where people build their social image and participate in conversations where they can voice their proficiency in relation to certain topics. The top tier concentrates on self-actualisation and fulfilment of needs. People need to investigate the social models and designs given to them, assessing and scrutinising the information aside from their own personal needs, therefore serving others.
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