The Psychologyof Facebook

Application Adoption

Ned Augenblick, Robert Ross, Michael StatonStanford University05-22-08

TrendsEconomyDesign

TrendsEconomyDesign

Study by Brett BumgarnerUniversity of Illinois-Champagne

Motivations Mean

Social Utility 3.91

Directory 3.71

Voyeurism 3.13

Herd Instincts 3.08

Collection & Connection 3.04

Personal expression 2.69

Initiating Relationships 1.98

Why do you use Facebook?

Application Categories & Metrics

Alerts (1079)

Business (1094)

Chat (1333)

Classified (355)

Dating (1662)

Education (1835)

Events (1098)

Fashion (737)

Food & Drink (691)

Gaming (2848)

Just for Fun (10307)

Messaging (1401)

Mobile (377)

Money (411)

Music (1316)

Photo (1090)

Politics (735)

Sports (2138)

Travel (627)

Utility (1967)

Video (1045)

Installs, Daily Active Users, Invites, Calls to Action

Metrics

Categories that Matter

7 Deadly Sins Facebook

Lust Sex

Gluttony Indulgence

Greed Wealth

Sloth Waste

Wrath Revenge

Envy Jealousy

Pride Vanity

Top Applications

1. FunWall

2. SuperWall

3. Top Friends

4. Bumper Sticker

5. Owned

6. Texas HoldEm Poker

7. Friends for Sale!

8. Scrabulous

9. Are YOU Interested?

10. Movies

1. (Lil) Green Patch

2. Mobile

3. SuperPoke

4. iLike

5. Who Has The Biggest Brain?

6. Likeness

7. Zoosk

8. Compare People

9. Pieces of Flair

10. MY SEXY FRIENDS

Top Applications

1. FunWall

2. SuperWall

3. Top Friends

4. Bumper Sticker

5. Owned

6. Texas HoldEm Poker

7. Friends for Sale!

8. Scrabulous

9. Are YOU Interested?

10. Movies

1. (Lil) Green Patch

2. Mobile

3. SuperPoke

4. iLike

5. Who Has The Biggest Brain?

6. Likeness

7. Zoosk

8. Compare People

9. Pieces of Flair

10. MY SEXY FRIENDS

Most Expensive

(SF)

Most Expensive

(World)

vs

vs

vs

How cautious are you of newFacebook applications?

Somewhat, I add them but don’t care about privacy

Very, I rarely add them & limit their contact

Not very, I add applications all the time 10%

67%

23%

Do you believe the large choice in Facebook applications is beneficial to

your Facebook experience ?

I like a few FB apps & like the large choice

I hate all FB apps – please make them stop

I like a lot of FB apps & love the large choice 6%

53%

30%

I like only a couple of apps & wish there were fewer

11%

What kind of applications would youlike to see more of on Facebook?

Fun – eg. Friends for Sale

Games – eg. Scrabulous

Self-Expression – eg. Where I’ve been 27%

12%

22%

Utility Apps – eg. Causes

39%

Would you rather have simple & fun Facebook applications or something

more substantial?

Simple & fun (entertainment apps)

More substantial (ie. useful apps that help you) 49%

51%

TrendsEconomyDesign

Economic View of App Adoption

• Psych vs. Econ

Non Social Tech adoption

• Simple: Costs vs. Benefits

Dope Wars

Social Tech:Positive Network Externalities

• Friends’ use => higher benefits

3 General Points:

• All or none “equilibria”• Lock-in: Popular tech not necessarily best• Focus persuasion on initial users, getting

new users to install

Facebook Apps: Slightly different

• Facebook gives applications access to certain features ( newsfeed, profile page)

• Applications can capture PNEs by using these features effectively

• Super Poke• Might be a bad thing?

TrendsEconomyDesign

App Adoption

Design

Viral Loop

Get Attention

Self-ConceptCall to Action

Self-Concept

Calls To Action

CTA Types

Prove Value

Social ProofShow Utility

Social Proof

Show Utility

Set Goals

Explicit StatementsBehavior Modeling

Explicit Statements

Behavior Modeling

ScaffoldingNormative Behavior

Get CommitmentFoot-in-the-door

Visual DissonanceIncentives Cue Gaps

Progress Bar

Next Steps

Foot in the Door

Visual Dissonance

Incentives

Progress Bar

Next Steps

Thank You