Describe the implications of using the experiences and outcomes that a person chooses to post about on social media as a measure of your sense of adequacy.
· Describe the implications of using the attitudes and abilities that a person chooses to post about on social media as a confirmation of your own attitudes and abilities.
· Describe the implications of comparing your abilities and outcomes to the abilities and outcomes that others choose to publish about on social media.
· Describe the implications of using reciprocity as a measure of the quality of your relationships with others on social media.
· Describe what type of impression you believe a profile image makes across various platforms (e.g., personal, such as Facebook and Instagram; professional, such as LinkedIn) and why the social media identity you choose to convey matters.
· Describe the ways in which the attitudes, beliefs, and values that are broadcasted on social media can influence others to take constructive action and effect positive change in their lives.
Attitudes and Abilities as Confirmation of Your Own
Using the attitudes and abilities a person posts on social media to confirm your own attitudes and abilities creates a confirmation bias echo chamber.
Implication: This leads to intellectual stagnation and polarization. When you primarily seek out and engage with content that validates your existing beliefs, you surround yourself with an increasingly homogenous group. This prevents exposure to diverse viewpoints, stifles critical thinking, and reinforces rigid attitudes. Instead of evaluating your abilities based on objective performance or self-improvement, you base them on the approval and affirmation of your online community, creating a fragile sense of validation dependent on external consensus.
3. Comparing Your Abilities and Outcomes to Others' Published Content
This is a generalization of the first point, emphasizing the curated nature of the content.
Implication: The central implication is misattribution and reduced motivation. Since people rarely publish their failures, struggles, or the resources they expended to achieve a goal, you may falsely conclude that their success was effortless or due to superior innate ability. This fosters the destructive belief that "If I were good enough, I'd already have that," leading to:
Sample Answer
Implications of Social Media Comparison and Measurement
1. Experiences and Outcomes as a Measure of Adequacy
Using the experiences and outcomes a person posts on social media as a measure of your own sense of adequacy leads to the "highlight reel" effect and upward social comparison.
Implication: This results in an inaccurate and deflated self-assessment. People primarily post their best, most curated, and often exaggerated successes (e.g., perfect vacations, career promotions, filtered appearances). By comparing your daily, messy reality (the "behind the scenes") to others' highlights, you create a distorted standard of success that is impossible to meet. This comparison frequently leads to feelings of envy, inadequacy,