Psychology: Social Media

     We all use it religiously, communicating with our friends and talking to new ones. On the surface social media is a great idea! It is a fantastic tool to network, stay connected and advertise. However what we don't realize is that humans are social beings and need to satisfy our need to interact with others, and social media takes this away from us in a sense. What exactly would psychologists such as Maslow and B.F. Skinner think about social media and its impact on society?  To answer that question we can take a look at Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

     As you can see on the chart, social media has nothing to do with physiological needs and safety. 10 years ago one's belonging needs only consisted of "tangible" social interaction but in today's day and age, a person must also consider social media as an outlet for attaining a need to belong.

     But this begs the question, is sitting behind a computer really beneficial to an individuals development? I would say no, social media is in fact the opposite. It ostracizes people and does not promote confidence growth. One gains a fake sense of love, affection and belonging just by setting up an account and "friending" other users. In essence social media actually makes people less social. Try this: look at your list of friends on Facebook. Are you friends in real life with half of these people? The majority of younger Americans would say no.

     Lets take a psychological approach on the subject. Imagine you are at home on a rainy day with nothing to do. Miserable; you begin to browse through your friend Katie's photos of her Bahamas trip. You can see she is having the time of her life; smiling and playing in the sun. Are you going to feel happy for Katie? My best guess is no. In fact, I guarantee you will begin to feel depressed about your "boring life" and become envious/jealous of Katie in the Bahamas.

     In our capitalist society, people are concerned with accolades and status. In a way, Facebook and LinkedIn both allow people to flaunt their accolades and experiences without being judged. These platforms actually allow people to instantly get any information about a user that they have provided such as phone numbers, job history, schooling and much more. On top of the fact this is a safety hazard, people tend to include any information that makes them look more decorated. The photos, statuses and information you see on your "timeline" or "newsfeed" can alter your perception and easily change your mood. And if your like me, most of the things I see on my "newsfeed" are irrelevant and mostly negative. So I try not to use Facebook that much.

     So what exactly can a reader take away from this? Put the phone down once in a while! You don't need to check Facebook and Twitter every second. Keep it simple and use Facebook to communicate and share with real friends. Let us remember that Facebook is not a real place nor is Myspace; and although the information you see is legit, it's all 1's and 0's in a computer!