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According to my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - my personality type is Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging (INFJ). Reportedly, only around 1% of the general population have this type, making it the rarest of the 16 MBTI types.
But here's the interesting part - this survey shows that people with the INFJ type make up 9.8% of those using Twitter. Look closer and you'll see there is a massive difference between the proportion of other personality types in the general population and on Twitter too. In fact, there's a pattern.
People with the Intuitive characteristic are dramatically over-represented on Twitter, while those with the opposite Sensing characteristic are under-represented. Of those with the Intuitive characteristic, the over-representative effect is much more pronounced among those who also have the Introverted characteristic, like me.
To an intuitive person, the steady stream of emotional input that Twitter delivers is appealing and energising. To an intuitive and introverted person, the mass download of emotional introspection is not only appealing, it is deeply comforting and reassuring. It provides a shared experience and a connection that introverted and intuitive people do not often get a chance to enjoy. And it's there all the time, whenever you want to tap in.
Since I discovered Twitter a few months ago, I've been raving about it incessantly to everyone, but not many people seem to get the same joy from it that I do. Perhaps this explains why.
I hadn't thought about it much until now, but to me, Twitter is something which I enjoy on an intensely personal level, and now I understand why. It is a most welcome addition to my life.
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See the survey or find out more about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
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@Danu - This is super interesting. Awesome post. I think you're onto something here that deserves further exploration. I'm an ESTP, but I think that a lot of INFJ's would be drawn to social media by nature. Good data tells an interesting story!
Thanks Steffan for your comment and tweet. As someone with a deep interest in technology, I will certainly be giving some thought to the wider ramifications of this. Also be sure to check out the comments over at the survey page - there's an interesting discussion going on there too.
Will Do. Thanks for the pointer.
Thanks, Danu, for trying to explain the Twitter craze to me over at The MBTI Blog. Perhaps I'll just jump in and see how it goes...? :-)
You're welcome Linda. Hope to see you around on Twitter soon :)
Danu, I wrote on my blog a couple of weeks ago a post where I proposed that the success of Twitter is due to the fact that the early-adopters, many of whom are Introverts would flock to such a service, and used the MBTI as a reference.
I hadnt seen the survey you reference above which is very interesting and seems to reinforce both of our hypotheses.