Search

Social networking sites have determined radical changes in human life, demanding investigations on online socialization mechanisms. The knowledge acquired on in-person sociability could guide researchers to consider both environmental and genetic features as candidates of online socialization. Here, we explored the impact of the quality of adult attachment and the genetic properties of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) on Instagram social behavior. Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire was adopted to assess 57 Instagram users’ attachment pattern in close relationships with partners. Genotypes from the 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 region were extracted from the users’ buccal mucosa and analyzed. Users’ Instagram social behavior was examined from four indexes: number of posts, number of followed users (“followings”) and number of followers, and the Social Desirability Index calculated from the followers to followings ratio. Although no interaction between rs25531 and ECR-R dimensions was found, an association between avoidance in close relationships and Instagram number of followings emerged. Post hoc analyses revealed adult avoidance from the partner predicts the Instagram number of followings with good evidence. Moreover, users reporting high avoidance levels displayed fewer followings than users who reported low levels of avoidance. This research provides a window into the psychobiological understanding of online socialization on Instagram. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG (M4081597, 2015-2021) and the Singapore Ministry of Education ACR Tier 1 (RG149/16 and RT10/19) to G.E.

In both physical and online environments, human social interactions can represent a means to gain recognition and approval from others. While there is considerable evidence about the interaction between genetics and the environment on social development, studies adopting the same framework to investigate online social interactions are lacking. The present work applies a model from behavioural genetics on Instagram sociability to explore the impact of individual development on social media platforms' behaviour. We hypothesized that social attitudes on Instagram resulted from an interaction between serotonin transporter gene alleles and the individual's remembrance of the interaction with caregivers. We assessed the environmental and genetic components of 57 Instagram users, adopting the Parental Bonding Instrument to determine the perceived parental care and overprotection. The number of posts followed by users ("followings") and followers were collected from participants' Instagram profiles as online social activity indexes. Additionally, the ratio between the number of followers and followings ("Social Desirability Index") was calculated to estimate each user's social network's asymmetry. Finally, information on the polymorphism rs25531 (T/T homozygotes vs C-carriers) within the serotonin transporter gene was extracted from participants' buccal mucosa cell samples. In line with the predictions, we found a gene-environment interaction on the Social Desirability Index": users with the genotype more sensitive to environmental influences (T/T homozygotes) showed a higher Instagram "Social Desirability Index" than less sensitive ones (C-carriers) when positive maternal care was experienced. This result may contribute to the understanding of online social behaviour from a gene*environment perspective.