What’s Right About Posting On Social Media

OK, so I have heard many people criticizing others for posting selfies, dinner photos, holiday updates etc on Social Media. As a Cyberpsychology researcher, I have a different perspective. It’s good for us to post about ourselves! Where many good reasons exist, here are 3 good reasons as to why.

First and foremost, if you have a Social Media account, you alone are responsible for all the content you post. Be responsible, sensible and thoughtful. Your content is important, it will make an impact and we want those good ones.
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1.Positive effects on ‘Self’:

Self-esteem > Peer acceptance and feedback are key elements of social self-esteem. Next time you see your friends posting, give them a ‘Like’.

Self-identify > Online, it is easier to be who you are (or want to be). We have an Extended Self in the digital world and it makes us happy to present ourselves better; to express ourselves in a way we want to express; to promote ourselves and raise an awareness of what we believe in.

Offline Vs Online > which is our true self? Well there is no fixed true self – self is anything other than a work in progress. The online Extended Self can have an effect on our offline behaviour and sense of self.

2. ‘SOCIAL’ Media

We learned from social scientists that human beings are considered social creatures with a need to ‘belong’, to be accepted by their peers, to be valued, yet unique individuals with common goals and interests. Whether you are just browsing others posts or posting yourself, you are seeking to socialize. It may be each individual’s decision to post or not to post but it’s nice to be nice when others do. 

Loneliness > Some of us have a very busy life offline, surrounded by amazing family and friends. However, others may not have that luxury. Even when we are surrounded by people, we may still feel lonely and want to connect with people online. 

Ship Some Love > I learned this during my time in Facebook. When we are doing something good, share it.

3. Outsource your Memory

Some of us have experienced information overload, struggling to remember dates and events. Sometimes, precious memories slip away and sometimes frustration can elevate.

I have a friend who uses WeChat’s Moments function (like Facebook’s Timeline) to record her busy family life. She spent time writing proper posts to go with carefully selected photos. At the end of each year, with just one click of a button, a 3rd party vendor will produce a beautifully bound photobook based on all the posts and photos and send it in the post.

This is called outsourcing memory.
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She is not the only one who outsources memory to digitize our life. Marc Zuckerberg said Facebook’s Timeline is the story of your life. It has 3 pieces (your stories, your apps and a new way to express who you are). We share previous moments in our lives, the people we met, the music we listen to, the locations of our adventures, reminders of important dates. I don’t see anything wrong with this, do you? As long as these moments make a positive impact on our lives.

Issues

There is obviously a downside to everything in case you think I am biased.

Depression, stress, mood, anxiety etc. have all been linked to the use of Social Media but are they caused by posting your own happy posts? I don’t think so! Studies have shown that happy posts have a stronger influence and if you don’t feel good to see others pretty and happy, well you can’t blame Social Media.

TMI (AKA Too Much Information J). Self-disclosure online has also been studied. You may have already heard the so called ‘Online Disinhibition Effect’ which may lead us to disclose information we wouldn’t normally disclose in a face-to-face situation. This is because some people feel that when they are online, there is a lesser threat of confrontation, rejection and other consequences of behaviour. Hence there is more of a reason to educate users of what to disclose and more importantly, what is safe to disclose.

Myth Busting
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We are not addicted to Social Media, we are addicted to what it does. If you find yourself constantly checking and browsing Social Media or over replying on Social Media to socialise, it’s time to think about what’s missing in your life? Can you make a positive change?

Jing Reilly

An evolving human being on a mission to make positive impact, one human at the time

OK, so I have heard many people criticizing others for posting selfies, dinner photos, holiday updates etc on Social Media. As a Cyberpsychology researcher, I have a different perspective. It’s good for us to post about ourselves! Where many good reasons exist, here are 3 good reasons as to why.

First and foremost, if you have a Social Media account, you alone are responsible for all the content you post. Be responsible, sensible and thoughtful. Your content is important, it will make an impact and we want those good ones.