Study: Facebook helps your self-esteem

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-01/tech/facebook.self.esteem_1_facebook-page-facebook-wall-esteem?_s=PM:TECH

This article argues that spending time online can boost your self-esteem.  It means that unlike a mirror that shows who we really are; Facebook can show a more positive version of ourselves.

Researchers at Cornell University, who conducted the study, say looking at Facebook, where we all tend to put our best digital foot forward, appears to provide a quick ego boost.

The study however has only measured self-esteem of people watching their own Facebook profiles. It does not talk about the effects of using Facebook to look at other people’s profiles.

I do not know many people how just use Facebook to promote themselves. Most people also use Facebook to keep track of friends. The danger comes in when we start to compare our profile to other’s profiles. The quick ego boost from you own profile can easily turn into the opposite, as all people tend to show their best side. This creates a world where people appear to be more perfect than they really are. 

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Perception

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2011/02/social_medias_role_in_egypt_pr.html

My CORE teacher posted this link with a video from PBS on Moodle. Mohammed El-Nawawy from Queens University of Charlotte is being interviewed about social Medias roll in Egypt. He argues that Facebook and Twitters roll in the protest has been significant but not as big as western media has made it look like.

Analysts add that even though only 15-18 percent of Egyptians regularly access the Internet, the content of blogs, tweets and Facebook posts can also spread via word-of-mouth to rally an entire population.

It kind of relates to what we talked about in class; it’s all about perception. Media can choose to show only parts of the picture. This is something we need to consider while consuming information.