PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF WHATSAPP GROUPS

In this world of insecurities, virtual and real, a commonly used practice has emerged as a result of the technological evolution affecting human communication. It is the use of WhatsApp groups, a phenomenon that attracts my attention powerfully. I believe that most of us are part of some of these groups and we are experiencing daily its effects as a means of social communication, a reason that moves me to make a brief analysis or psycho-sociological reflection. Obviously, this analysis excludes the phenomenon of individual use of WhatsApp.

These groups are a reflection of individual freedom and the associationism of civil society, combined with the technological evolution in communication. They come in different types, sizes, objectives and styles of information exchange. The good thing about a WhatsApp group is that it is as easy to join as it is to leave, which keeps it away from the paranoid control of cults.

Although a WhatsApp group is a virtual group, it can be analyzed to a large extent following the teachings of social psychology on face-to-face human groups, and that will be the purpose of this reflection.

WhatsApp groups can be temporary or permanent, to the extent that they have a temporary, limited or unlimited purpose. This classification does not presuppose that the groups do not have an expiration label at the end. By their size, according to the number of members, they can be micro groups (between 3 or 4 members), groups (between 5 and 20 members) and macro groups or collectives, when they exceed the latter figure.

Temporary groups usually have very specific objectives and more limited functions. They share and exchange information, data, dates, etc., to carry out an activity with a time limit: students of a subject, sporadic scheduled visits, management of a project, etc. Once the objective or task has been completed, the temporary group disappears.

Permanent groups, on the other hand, may be less abundant, but they have very relevant features: they share interests, values, similar ideas and bonds that unite them. They seek the exchange of ideas and tend to be spaces for debate. As a result, they are committed to social cohesion and continuity. They may also seek to maintain a bond of friendship, to socialize, to exercise a certain social control or simply to be groups to retain and cohere their members.

The most important question to interpret the internalities of a WhatsApp group is to analyze its internal structure and participatory dynamics. To this end, nine characteristics of a general nature applicable to these groups are identified in order to minimally unravel their functioning:

1. Leadership. Every group has a leader, who may or may not coincide with the administrator, whether formal (consensual), informal (the one who really manages the group) or honorary (someone who brings the group together). The role of the leader in face-to-face groups is definitive for the life of the group, but in a GW this leadership can be considered rotating, choral. The leader exercises a virtual personal influence through messages, but lacks real options to control, reward or punish. Paradoxically, the member who emits the most, which is not a criterion of quality but of quantity, is effectively the one who leads the most.

2. The participants. No two individuals are alike among the members of any group, and they can be typified using classification criteria as is done in training sessions or meeting management. They are differentiated by their personality, by the role they play, by their passion for power or group knowledge, etc. Without falling into a strict orthodoxy, we are in a friendly analysis, the members could be the object of a simple classification such as: the shy, the fussy, the facilitator, the hoarder, the dominant, the rigorous, the unconcerned, the pragmatic, the inquirer, etc.

3. Communication networks. It can be internal or external to the group. The internal network is composed of members interacting with different degrees of affinity-rejection, susceptible to be reflected in a sociogram and involving some potential for conflict. The external network is one in which members connect with other WhatsApp groups or singular individuals within social networks and brings a different complexity.

4. Pareto’s law is fulfilled. The participatory dynamics in a majority of WhatsApp groups is not alien to Pareto’s law. If this law is fulfilled, it allows predicting that 80% of the messages are accumulated by 20% of the members. This phenomenon would depend on the interests, personality, knowledge, narcissism, assertiveness, self-esteem or motivations of its members. Pareto is a constant in most groups as a consequence of some members being more senders than receivers, unless there is a sense of self-criticism, a leadership action or the group is self-regulating.

5. Impoverish or enrich. The quality of the contributions is sometimes opposed to the quantity. There is an ignorance of the talent of those who, because of their inhibitions or their self-demanding nature, participate little in order not to disappoint. On the other hand, there is an overexposure of the talent of others. They do not self-criticize, they do not dose themselves, they repeat themselves and flood the group space with their messages, discouraging the more cautious and reserved to participate. It is not a question of bad intentions, it is simply an expansiveness that prevents other members and other topics, even dissenting ones, to emerge in the group. This impoverishes the group, can lead to a loss of members and makes the group more inbred and hermetic.

6. Symbolic universe. Through the messages that are exchanged, this peculiar “symbolic bubble” is generated, composed of shared values, visions, ideas, beliefs, opinions, stereotypes, and even shared fantasies. This sometimes makes debates monothematic, self-affirmative, with exorbitant conclusions, assuming the risk of rewarding reiteration more than discrepancy or innovation. But sharing similar materials, even if they are repetitive, also helps to reinforce group identity and internal cohesion. In some groups, going out of the common, the group, is welcome and broadens the common universe. Moreover, in the bubble, there is also room for providers of press content, landscapes, pleasant and optimistic themes, jokes, congratulations, etc., very healthy for the mental health of the GW.

7. Time thieves? Time does not have the same value for all group members. A very productive macro group makes it technically impossible to read all the contents and discuss, without wasting an inordinate amount of time. An excess of information in the chats makes it unfeasible to read them. Definitely, yes. The excessive exposure of certain members, the repetition of content and the lack of self-regulation can reduce diversity and prevent the emergence of new topics. Reducing the number of messages will enhance their value, but it is inevitable that there will be participants who use these groups to fill their time.

8. Psychological addiction. Apart from participatory qualities or asymmetries, what usually happens is that the members of WhatsApp groups fall into an excessive psychological dependence. They become addicted to the messages and expectations mobilized by the group. The more we use the group, the more dependent we become, in short, we become “slaves” to the group information in the hope that the next message will be more stimulating than the previous one. We are also concerned about how our interventions impact others. This unpredictable or random nature of the reactions to the last message makes them function as a kind of lottery and attracts us, like gamblers, to the group information. This reinforces our dependence on the group and our cell phone, which can become a sterile, dysfunctional or even undesirable addiction.

9. Catharsis or therapy. The term catharsis or therapy can be used. According to the dictionary catharsis is “purification, liberation or inner transformation caused by a deep life experience”. Yes, these groups help us to express our personal and social tension, frustrations or disenchantment, related to what the present time has in store for us, be it moral, economical, political, etc. Through the group chat, by expressing ourselves emotionally and cognitively, we relieve ourselves, drain stress, share and think of possible solutions to our shortcomings. In short, we do therapy for the ills that afflict us and even if we do not solve them, it allows us to make them more bearable.lg.php.gif

With their limitations and strengths, WhatsApp groups are an exponent of freedom of expression and their existence is an indicator of the democratic health of a society, and can even exercise a certain counter power, politically or socially speaking. A reason to bet on their continued existence.

In short, belonging to a WhatsApp group is not a pathology, nor an abnormality, but quite the opposite, it is a healthy association of people in a highly technologized world. Humans need to relate to each other and the more the better, no matter the medium. Regarding its future, I am optimistic, although what I recommend, in my opinion, is a moderate, self-critical, measured, respectful involvement and mobilization of truthful and enriching information. It is very important to avoid excessive dependence or burdening others with our obsessions, because the time of others is also important. In any case, better to be a member of a WhatsApp group and share something than to isolate oneself. The topic is still open.

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Miguel Pérez Velasco is a psychopolitologist, writer and founder of Thomas International Spain.

This article was originally published in Escudo digital. If you use it, please cite the author and Escudo digital.