Ciara Ní

People contact me about all sorts! Anyway, a behavioural psychologist has been in touch. They would like me to share the following. A : ) 1/4 One of the basic principles of behaviour analysis is that behaviour influenced by reinforcement is more likely to occur again. On social media, attention can be a powerful reinforcer, particularly when someone repeatedly posts provocative or inflammatory content. 2/4 Importantly, reinforcement doesn’t necessarily mean praise or agreement. Angry replies, criticism, arguments and even sharing a post to challenge it can all reinforce behaviour if the attention they generate is what keeps that behaviour going. 3/4 When attention is delivered intermittently, behaviour can become particularly persistent. Not every post needs to generate a reaction. The occasional flood of comments, shares or arguments may be enough to encourage further posting and strengthen someone’s perception that their contributions matter. 4/4 It’s worth considering whether engaging with deliberately provocative content achieves anything meaningful or simply gives it a wider audience. Where attention is reinforcing the behaviour, continued engagement may only maintain it. Sometimes choosing not to engage is more effective than responding.