Is social media creating a generation of passive aggressives?

Here I go again, talking psychology without any qualifications to back up my thinking! Regardless I’m going to suggest that social media, in some specific instances, is encouraging a form of passive aggressive behavior.

First up, let begin with the definition of passive aggressive behavior;

A pervasive pattern of negativistic attitudes and passive resistance to demands for adequate performance, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicted by four (or more) of the following:

1. Passively resists fulfilling routine social and occupational tasks
2. Complains of being misunderstood and unappreciated by others
3. Is sullen and argumentative
4. Unreasonably criticizes and scorns authority
5. Expresses envy and resentment toward those apparently more fortunate
6. Voices exaggerated and persistent complaints of personal misfortune
7. Alternates between hostile defiance and contrition

The particular use of social media that in my opinion is most likely to cause passive aggressive behavior is where brands utilize it as a customer service channel. Of the 7 traits highlighted above I believe the following 4 are present in the way consumers engage with brands through social media channels, such as twitter or a Facebook page;

Passively resists fulfilling routine social and occupational tasks

• I would say that actually talking to an individual to resolve an issue is a routine behavior. This is how our species has historically resolved our differences both large and small. Phoning a customer service line or going into a store is a modern day example of this person to person behavior. Social media however allows a disgruntled consumer to unleash an unabashed and often exaggerated representation of their unhappiness to no one in particular (brand wise) yet everyone (the internet) at the same time. The ability to act angry without fear of resistance is a powerful motivator to avoid a confrontational (person to person) situation.

Unreasonably criticizes and scorns authority

• A brand is an authority on their products, whether they have designed, tested, serviced or just sold them, they are ultimately an expert on their business. Unhappy consumers often target that expertise (authority) when making complaints and in many cases carry their argument far beyond the specific issue they are having.

Voices exaggerated and persistent complaints of personal misfortune

• Populating a complaint with exaggerated and personal misfortune seems to be a popular tactic to try and elicit a swifter response from a brand. A consumer may feel that simply tweeting that they don’t have network coverage (Telco example) is unlikely to be answered by a large organization, however exaggerating the same problem and including a needless threat seems to be a more satisfying alternative.

Alternates between hostile defiance and contrition

• Following on from the above example an outcome of any resolution can either be continued hatred and badvocacy or a realization that the individual overacted resulting in an apology or positive comment across whatever social channel used. They say hindsight is 20/20 and exaggerated public ranting may not seem so justified once an issue has been resolved.

So there you have it, although not a textbook diagnosis of passive aggressive disorder I do believe that in certain instances, the change in consumer behavior due to the use of social platforms as customer service channels is leading to a rise in passive aggressive behavior.