۱- Introduction

۲- Methods

۳- Results

۴- Discussion Conflicts of interest

References

Abstract

This quantitative content analysis of over 4000 Facebook posts explores the connections between transcendence-related character strengths and emotions expressed on social media in response to Mark Zuckerberg’s pledge to give away 99% of his Facebook shares to charity. We found that (a) other-oriented hope was found in over half of the posts expressing hopeful thinking; (b) appreciation of moral beauty and excellence was the most prevalent moral emotion or character strength expressed in response to this prosocial act on Facebook; and (c) the presence of appreciation of moral beauty and excellence was positively correlated with the presence of hope, other-oriented hope, and spirituality. Implications of the study are discussed.

Introduction

On December 1st, 2015, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Pricilla Chan, posted a message on Facebook welcoming their daughter to the world. As a part of this message, Mark and Pricilla announced that they would donate 99% of their Facebook shares (about $45 billion) during their lifetime to create a better world for their daughter and the next generation. The letter, which was written to their daughter, described how they planned to create a better world, and it was shared, liked, and/or commented on by more than 2 million Facebook users. Additionally, many Facebook users posted about the act of generosity on their own Facebook walls, commented on messages about the event posted by both friends and media outlets, and responded to others’ posts about the donation. This overwhelming response to Zuckerberg and Chan’s donation pledge is an example of the way that social networks like Facebook provide a unique opportunity for individuals to be exposed to acts of kindness and generosity that may elicit self-transcendent emotions among users. Social exchanges through Facebook posts and comments can be value-laden and charged with emotions (i.e., Ferrara & Yang, 2015; Stieglitz & Dang-Xuan, 2013). These values and emotions can influence attitudes, emotions, beliefs, and behaviors of other Facebook users regardless of whether it is the content creator’s intention and can affect the offline world in discernable ways (i.e., Perloff, 2014; Laroche, Habibi, Richard, & Sankaranarayanan, 2012).