Confessions of a Social Media Junkie

Do you have a favourite food? Something you could eat again and again?

For me, it’s chocolate. The darker the better. I don’t need it fancied up with fruit pieces or caramel or sel de mer. Nope. Just give me dark chocolate. Straight. Up.

(Does this mean I forego the fancied up chocolate if presented to me? Ahem. Of course not.)

Anyway, I know a lot of women would agree that dark chocolate is the go-to favourite food for them too. I mean with all the antioxidants and flavinoids dark chocolate contains, and the fact it can help reduce high blood pressure and the risk of strokes and heart attacks – hey, it’s practically a superfood.

Which is why it came as such a surprise to learn that in a recent study (of sorts), online women rated ice cream as the number one thing they want.

Here’s what the study was all about

NetBase – a social media monitoring company decided it would analyze a year’s worth of online conversations (27 billion or so) and using natural language processing, parse English grammar and gender voice in search of phrases like “I want X.”

Analyzing the data for sentiment, NetBase consolidated all of these “I want X” phrases to create a top 10 list for each sex. NetBase then compiled the results into a snazzy infographic.

As I pointed out earlier, the study demonstrates that the number one thing online women want is ice cream (preferably vanilla). However, the number one thing online men want is a car (preferably a Ford).

Ah, but here is where it gets interesting

Of all the wants included in these two top ten lists, ice cream, pizza and a car all ranked in the top three, just in a different order. Check it out:

But wait! There are tons of other items in those lists that overlap. Gosh darn it, men and women aren’t from Mars and Venus after all! We be from Earth! And we both want (the same) food!

I want, I want, I want

I mean, just look how happy these two are. Sharing their three favourite things and enjoying all life has to offer. Boo-ya!

Now, if I were to create my own top ten list of wants, here’s what it’d look like:

1. Dark chocolate. Obviously.
2. Sleep. Glorious, glorious sleep. Something I’m unlikely to get much of until DD hits the teenage years.
3. A registered massage therapist at my beck-and-call 24/7. Not likely to happen unless I win the lottery. Big time.
4. Turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I’m not kidding. I love turkey dinner and would eat it once a week if it wasn’t so much work to make!
5. Mojitos...mmm…all that rum, mint, syrup and soda mixed up just so. Refreshing.
6. iPhone accessories – like the mophie juick pack boost backup battery. You know, for when I’m mad tweeting in the grocery checkout or whatevs with only 17% power left on my phone.
7. A ’69 Mustang. A Boss 429 in particular. Vrooom! Now why isn’t this one listed as a top three item? Because I don’t want this car right now like I do what’s listed 1-3.
8. Brownies. Rich, chocolately-goodness in a square!
9. A shoe allowance I wouldn’t have to fund. C’mon Tim Hortons…instead of a Coleman camping package, why not include a shoe allowance in your Roll up the Rim to Win contest? I’d be sure to drop my Starbucks habit stone cold if you did. I’m sure a lot of other women would too.
10. More time to read. Be it books like the A Song of Ice and Fire series, magazines or blogs, I’m a reading glutton living a life lean on time.

So that’s it. My 10 most wantiest wants. In a year’s time, the order of items will most likely have shuffled a bit, but I think the list will largely remain the same.

Now tell me…what do you want?

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Images sourced via NetBase

Thanks to @gillian_white for bringing this infographic to my attention.