Personality computation: Assessing your social media activities

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Personality computation: Assessing your social media activities

Personality computation: Assessing your social media activities

Subheading text
Analysis of social media activities may be used to determine an individual’s personality traits
    • Author:
    • Author name
      Quantumrun Foresight
    • March 5, 2022

    Insight summary

    The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media has led to the emergence of personality computation. By analyzing various aspects of individuals' social media activities, from the words they use to their engagement with content, researchers can predict personality traits. This new capability has potential implications in many fields, including human resources and mental health, but also raises ethical and legal considerations.

    Personality computation context

    People are unique, and this uniqueness is reflected in our personality traits. These traits can influence various aspects of our lives, including our behavior in work environments. With the rise of social media, researchers have begun to explore the correlation between these online activities and the Big Five personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and neuroticism.

    By examining an individual's social media activity, from the content they create to the language they use, researchers can gain insights into these personality traits. As artificial intelligence technology continues to advance, it offers new opportunities to generate precise data about people's behaviors and preferences. In turn, these insights can provide a more accurate picture of an individual's personality.

    The use of basic social media data, such as profile information, number of "likes," number of friends, or frequency of status updates, can predict levels of extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness. Furthermore, research shows a significant correlation between human personality and facial appearance. Thus, facial recognition software can provide additional consumer insights. Understanding these personality traits has implications for fields like occupational attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes, offering valuable insights for HR departments.

    Disruptive impact

    Utilizing social media for hiring and talent identification carries ethical and legal implications that may limit its use. Despite this, some organizations might persist in using such tools, provided they do so transparently and with full consent from candidates. However, this may lead to an increase in job seekers managing their social media presence to appeal to potential employers.

    It's worth noting that hiring managers and recruiters often browse prospective hires’ social media accounts, even without the use of AI technology. This trend can lead to first impressions heavily influenced by personal biases and stereotypes. The use of AI in this context has the potential to reduce such biases, ensuring a fair and accurate hiring process.

    While the ethical implications of this trend are important, the potential benefits cannot be overlooked. Personality computation can enhance the hiring process, providing a more efficient way to find the right candidate for the right role. Moreover, it can contribute to a more diverse and inclusive workforce by reducing human biases.

    Implications of personality computation 

    Wider implications of personality computation may include: 

    • Enhanced efficiency in HR departments, leading to faster and more precise hiring processes.
    • The creation of more diverse and inclusive workforces by reducing human biases in hiring.
    • An increased need for transparency and consent in the use of personal data for personality computation.
    • The potential for job seekers to curate their social media presence to appeal to potential employers.
    • A shift in privacy norms and expectations, as more personal data is used for predictive analyses.
    • Changes in legal frameworks to address the ethical implications of using social media data in hiring.
    • Increased focus on ethical AI use, particularly concerning data privacy and consent.
    • The potential use of personality computation in law enforcement, such as in predicting criminal tendencies.
    • The application of personality computation in mental health, allowing for early detection and intervention.
    • Increased demand for AI literacy and understanding, as AI becomes more integrated into everyday processes.

    Questions to consider

    • Can integrating AI technology for personality computation eliminate bias in the hiring process? 
    • How accurate do you think personality computation can be based on curated social media? 

    Insight references

    The following popular and institutional links were referenced for this insight:

    Future Today Institute Personality Recognition