Social media and digital happiness: Living more intensely by posting?
BIKE
· 17.09.2023
BIKE: Where does the need to present yourself on social media come from?
MARCEL BEAUFILSSelf-promotion plays an increasingly important role in our society. Today, everyone is their own PR manager. With Instagram, Facebook etc., this is much easier than it used to be. But even in the past, neighbours wanted to show how great their holiday on the Costa Brava was via a slide show or photo album. Of course, the reach is not comparable.
Is the increasing need due to the technical possibilities or to today's society?
Both. There are many theories about this. Posts on social media are also such a great temptation because you can create your digital self-image according to your own wishes. This is in stark contrast to real life, which is often beyond our control.
Are there evolutionary reasons why humans want to be the centre of attention?
I can only speak from the perspective of depth psychology: It's not necessarily about wanting more attention. It's more about showing an image of yourself as you would like it to be - you are the creator of your image. That's what makes it so appealing.
Posts are usually positive, often spectacular. Why do people only post things they are proud of?
Because it's about desires. You want to slip into a role that you don't have in real life: a selfie in front of a borrowed luxury car, a photo on a dream beach, doing sport. It's the hidden fascination of a rock star life that you would like to live 24 hours a day.
When my mate shows me how active he is, I feel lazy because maybe I've been lying in bed too long myself.
Of course, this can generate envy. But it can also be inspiring. The effect is the same: You influence others.
Do only posts that show the sunny side of life work?
No, not at all. Professional influencers have known for a long time that if everything is always great and beautiful, it quickly comes across as flat and boring. Influencers prove that people like it more when things go wrong, especially in the story function.
At this point, you will find external content that complements the article. You can display and hide it with a click.
How important is feedback? Would Insta, Facebook etc. be popular without likes and comments?
No, because the appeal of such platforms lies in the response. You want to make an impact with your posts and therefore also get feedback from your followers and digital friends. However, there are also many users who use social media channels passively. In fact, this is the majority. They consume instead of posting, they want to be inspired instead of exposing themselves.
Why do people feel the need to show others that they have achieved something great? For example, that they have dared to take a high jump.
Because the response reinforces the feeling. There's a saying: if there's no photo, it didn't happen. There's something to that. Because the post proves it and lets you rise in the social ranking. Another effect: the feedback helps to categorise your performance. If I read in the comments: "Respect, that's high", or my followers might write: "That's easy."
Nobody is probably happy about the latter comment.
Of course, you long for approval and recognition rather than criticism. Because the more people say how high it was, the higher it seems for you.
Some people claim that you experience the moment more intensely or even twice if you post what you've experienced. Is that true?
That is individual. But people think in pictures. And that's why images are easier to remember. They have a much stronger effect than texts, for example.
Do you also see dangers when posting on social media?
As is so often the case, contrast is the problem. When posting turns into posing. When the online persona's dream world moves too far away from real life, we run the risk of being disappointed. The pure superlatives we are constantly confronted with have a negative effect on our own performance awareness. Especially in sport. Your own ride on the back wheel or a jump in the bike park no longer seems spectacular, even if it is a personal best. Because the internet always shows people who can do everything much better. You can only lose.
