05.07.2012

This is me – the fancy dress picture

05.07.2012

This is me – the fancy dress picture

Each week we’re asking a psychologist to analyse a different type of profile pic and tell us what it really means…

Either these people are vampires who live in the darkness of a tube station or they are a group of friends on their way out to a fancy dress party. Let’s hope it’s the second option…!

When people post profile images together with other people, they are really saying “I’m sociable” and “I have real friends”. One of the problems with individual photos on social networking sites is that we have no idea if the person chose to be alone or has no choice but to be. But put some other people in the picture and we automatically think they must be friendly.

This picture also tells us these people are prepared to have fun and that they are not embarrassed by it. After all, would you be prepared to look like that as you travelled around the London Underground? These are confident folks, it seems.

Furthermore, the picture benefits from great, direct eye contact from all three people. They are all looking directly at you – and that’s good online. Far too many pictures make no real connection with us, the viewers, because there is no eye contact. That’s crucial if you want lots of followers.

So it’s likely this bunch have lots of friends –which is only a problem for us if they’re not party-goers but actually do live down in the tube station at midnight.

 

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