A recent study conducted by researchers at Queen Mary University of London has found that social media posts can provide accurate insights into a user’s income. The study analyzed 2.6 million posts from 64,283 neighborhoods in the United States and 3,325 neighborhoods in the United Kingdom, shared between November 2020 and September 2021. The researchers discovered significant differences in the content shared by residents of wealthier neighborhoods compared to those in less affluent areas.
According to the study, people living in wealthier neighborhoods tend to share more positive posts, but also discuss crime more frequently. Interestingly, residents of wealthier neighborhoods are more focused on non-violent crimes, while those in poorer areas discuss violent crimes more often. The study also found that people living in neighborhoods with low income inequality discuss crime more frequently than those in neighborhoods with high income inequality.
These findings have implications for social media platforms and advertisers. Social media platforms could use this information to suggest content that aligns with a user’s income level, while advertisers and e-commerce companies could use economic profiling to target consumers with specific products at different price points. However, this also raises concerns about user profiling and privacy.
Overall, this study highlights the potential for social media posts to reveal insights into a user’s socioeconomic status, which could have significant implications for targeted advertising and user profiling.
