trysail
Catch Me Who Can
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When It Comes To Our Lives On Social Media, 'There's Always Another Story'
by Shankar Vedantam
April 17, 2017
NPR (for non U.S. litizens— that's National Public Radio)
Have you ever looked at a friend's posts on Facebook or Instagram and wondered what's really going on in that person's life? Is it really all delicious meals and adorable kids and fabulous trips overseas, or is there more happening beneath the surface?
For a long time, Rachel Leonard felt pressure to post only positive news about her life. Even photos of the view from her front porch were carefully edited before she shared them.
"If you looked only straight you could see mountains," she said. "If you looked to the left you'd see a factory, but of course I didn't take pictures of the factory, because why would you do that?"
Plenty of us follow a similar strategy on social media. Posts about engagements and babies will receive ravenous applause. News about a grandparent passing away will elicit virtual hugs. But fears about not making rent? Marital tensions? Hesitations about becoming a parent? Those sorts of posts – posts that show ambivalence – are verboten.
It turns out, all our social media curation is having an effect – both on the people sharing these posts, and on those reading them. Many studies have shown that people who use social media frequently appear to be unhappier than those who don't...
For a long time, Rachel Leonard felt pressure to post only positive news about her life. Even photos of the view from her front porch were carefully edited before she shared them.
"If you looked only straight you could see mountains," she said. "If you looked to the left you'd see a factory, but of course I didn't take pictures of the factory, because why would you do that?"
Plenty of us follow a similar strategy on social media. Posts about engagements and babies will receive ravenous applause. News about a grandparent passing away will elicit virtual hugs. But fears about not making rent? Marital tensions? Hesitations about becoming a parent? Those sorts of posts – posts that show ambivalence – are verboten.
It turns out, all our social media curation is having an effect – both on the people sharing these posts, and on those reading them. Many studies have shown that people who use social media frequently appear to be unhappier than those who don't...
