Introverts = extraverts online... and vice a vice!

I was pondering in class how the introverted and extroverted students in our classes would react to all this technology. I know myself that I'm a bit of an Ambivert.. so I have a nice mix, I can choose when I want to be extraverted or introverted! Get me in front of a class and I can be as extraverted as you want me to be, but see me 5 minutes after class and I will be hastily reflecting on what I did and need some quiet time to think. I have met plenty of students from the whole range of introvert to extravert. I did a quick research of some reactions from introverts and extraverts on social media and also in academics.

 

Just pondering the above image, I would have assumed that the extraverts would thrive in a stimulating online environment, however, after reading some articles (below) I found that it seems to not be the case. 

This article says that extroverts sometimes find it hard to be on a computer all day and therefore don't like social media, they prefer to be out and about. Where as introverts can really thrive in the online environment. I would deduce that this is because they feel more free to express themselves, and can use social media as a tool to filter who they interact with and how much they want to share without feeling like they are being judged. The author describes in another article that 

the rise in social media also means that people are glued to their screens and do not want to talk. That means that extroverts will not be as stimulated by discussion and may feel a bit lost. 

I also found from Deryakulu, Büyüköztürk and Özçınar (2009) that 'introverted assimilators' thrive in the academic environment and tend to achieve better academically.  

Upon reflection, I think that in a class I would have to gage whether it is necessary to cater for the introverts and allow them to thrive through using social media and other information sharing mechanisms, or whether I would need to cater for the extroverts with face to face discussion. 

Reference

Deryakulu, D., Büyüköztürk, Ş., & Özçınar, H. (2009). Predictors of academic achievement of student ICT teachers with different learning styles. Anxiety, 8, 0-79.