Monday, April 11, 2011

Social Media's Social Impact

From Melissa Grimes:

Is social media having positive or negative impact on our lives? This was a really interesting article that I found in the New York Times, concerning social media sites like Facebook, Twitter,  and Instagram and their cyclical effect on peoples moods. The article states that we are constantly being updating with peoples activities, and this in turn can cause a FOMO, "fear of missing out", moment which can cause anxiety, inadequacy, and irritation. According to Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, he says we become afraid that we’ve made the wrong decision about how to spend our time. The article states that people are still immature when it comes to their relationship with technology, granting it power to influence decisions, moods and emotions. Sherry Turkle, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggests that we still need to figure out a way to disconnect ourselves from technology and limit its influence on our lives.

Source: "Feel Like a Wallflower? Maybe It’s Your Facebook Wall," NY Times

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