Our genes play a role in many things. It determines who the person is and what he is made of. Now there is something new that our genes might be influencing. Genetic influence might be cause for online media use.
Social media has become big. Many people today connect in some way with social media. Many also have more than one social media account to stay in touch with people. Scientists are interested in why people have different ways of using social media. This might somehow be because our genes are dictating on how social media is used.
The study has followed the social media use of 8,500 twins in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). Twins can either be identical twins or fraternal twins. Identical twins share 100 percent of their genes, while fraternal twins only share 50 percent of their genes.
By following how twins use social media, scientists are getting a clearer view as to how genes play a role in social media use. It is not only in social media that the research has been made, but the use of online games and chat have also been studied. Through the study scientists are finding out if social media use is dictated by genes or by environment.
The study has found that much of online media use could have a significant genetic factor, according to the King's College London's site. Though such other factors like availability of social media and access to it, much of how people use social media is governed by genetic disposition.
Zaida Ayorech is the lead author of the study from King's College London. She said that the study challenges how people view social media use. People see social media use to be more passive, in that it is more controlled with by the environment. The study though shows that social media use is more because of how people are genetically coded, using social media according to one's needs.
Professor Robert Plomin, senior author of the study, has said that social media use is a matter of choice made by people and not just because of their surroundings, as Science Daily reports. The choices are said to be dictated based on what genes dictate it to be.
The study has shown some interesting results. Genetic influence might be cause for online media use. Scientists also have a study as to why Alzheimer's patients wander.
