Date post: | 21-Jan-2017 |
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Pamela Rutledge, PhD
• Areas of Interest: • Multi-platform storytelling• Brand psychology & brand story• Positive psychology & media
experience
• Questions I ask:• Where is the story?• What needs are satisfied?• What goals are at play?• How can we understand the positive
side of media?• Constructs:
• Empowerment, Agency, Engagement (Flow), Presence
• Theoretical frameworks:• Self-Determination Theory• Social Influence• Evolutionary Psychology
Research Strengths
• Finding a “doable” question• Narrative and qualitative approaches• Survey construction
Media Psychology Research
• Media and technology consumption happens in context
• Real world is messy and hard to measure• Isolating variables means being aware of
potential interference and inherent assumptions
CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
.
What Good Question?
1. Presents a clear and focused problem2. Synthesizes multiple sources3. Based on a theoretical model4. Shapes the problem into a testable
hypothesis
Did You PhotoShop Your Facebook Picture?The Impact of Social Media on Self-Representation and Self-Image
Presented at APA San Diego, 2010
Assumptions
• Theoretical:• Social comparison is a automatic behavior• Self-efficacy influences global self-image
• Environmental Influences• Information is increasingly on-demand and self-
relevant• Authenticity is valued• Social media and interactive technology
change the locus of control
Hypotheses
• Due to the prevalence of “real people” on social media, women will be more influenced by their friends than celebrities
• Body image is related to self-esteem and self-esteem is related to agency and competence. Therefore, perceptions of technological competence will be related to positive body image
Twilight: The Influence of Social
• Twilight had many fans beyond the YA age group.
• Often families/friends did not understand the fan’s attraction and interest.
• Theoretical assumptions• Fan experience creates
affiliation • Social connection and
affiliation establish norms for groups
• Popularity provides social proof of group value
Hypotheses
• Active membership (defined by posting and commenting) would results in sense of social support and normalize the fan’s experience
• Normalizing the fan experience would increase self-acceptance
• Unexpected:• Fans took new perspective on self and changed aspects of their
offline lives, such as working on relationships, getting new jobs, etc.
• Question:• Was the impact of social support amplified by the Twilight message of
unconditional love and acceptance?
Theoretical Assumptions
• Self Determination Theory: • Taking control of self image increases agency• Selfies increase affiliation and connectedness• Frequent use of technology increases mastery
• Achieving agency, connectedness and mastery increases positive emotions
• Experiencing repeated positive emotions has a cumulative effect (Upward Spiral of Positive Emotions) and increases subjective well being
• Social value of authenticity shifts values• Seeing an aspirational self is a pathway to cognitive
change
Pilot Study
• N=108• Potential cognitive
bias?• “my friends do it a lot,
but I don’t”
• Most common reasons for taking selfies:• documenting events• feeling good about looks• entertainment value
(bored)
New Ways of Seeing Self
I always try to edit the perfect selfie. I try to remove the acne or skin marks or flyaway hairs in an attempt to portray myself in a film like glorification of my life. It is a way to translate my image of myself to people who only see me through unfiltered eyes. I do not ignore that my appearance is imperfect, I just show my personality bleeding through the blemishes to make an outwardly beautiful person to reflect what I hope is a kind soul I have inside.
In Progress Research Questions
• How do we understand selfies?• Platform choices• Demographics – meaning of social sharing• Conscious goals for taking and posting• Personality
• How do we meaningfully measure eudaimonic versus hedonic experience of selfie-taking in the social space?
• How does the meaning of self-portraiture change over time with technology? How much does the social zeitgeist influence behaviors?