April 19, 2024

Richardson Column Focuses on Social Media

Read the latest column in The Free Lance-Star written by Lynne Richardson, Dean of the College of Business titled Social Media is not Reality:

Social media is where a lot of us spend a lot time. Sometimes minutes, but more likely hours, a day. Whether your platform of choice is Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, much of our daily life seems to be spent checking out what others are doing.

Lynne Richardson, Dean of the College of Business

Lynne Richardson, Dean of the College of Business

But is what you’re seeing on the social media accounts of your friends or colleagues real?

Many people only post positive images of themselves or share only exciting news that makes those reading the messages go “wow.” And maybe there are those folks out there who lead charmed lives and only have sunshine in their world.

But for many, the posts do not explain the full picture or the realities of life.

The problem this causes is that those reading the enhanced or unrealistic version of someone’s life sees their own life as lacking something. Perhaps they’re lacking good looks, or upward mobility in their work, or an amazing social life. In reality, the reader may not be lacking in any of those areas, but because they are comparing themselves to what they see on Instagram or Facebook, they think they are. It may cause that reader to change their life to be more like those they see on social media. Read more.

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