What We VALUE: What Can We Learn About People From Their Social Media Posting Patterns?

I was part of a discussion about twitter and other social media, and what social media users seem to put their effort into posting.

It got me to thinking about the ways in which the long line of social media "footsteps" we leave behind can end up offering the world a sort of Archeological Dig into what each person values; what they seem to think matters.

White butterfly on white flower

The "Messages" in Social Media

There's little doubt that social media matters, far beyond what immediately meets the eye. It's not just about posting what we like, and then we're done with it.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware that employers routinely check the social media accounts of not only potential new hires, but also their existing employees... to ascertain if they are engaged in any activities that might reflect badly on the company. Or contradicts "company policy."

Of course, the fact that we tend to be under such a microscope all the time only underscores the reality that social media tends to be a false reality.

Or, at the very least, a carefully edited reality... in most cases the "highlight reels" of people's lives, or a carefully "managed" public image designed to convey a specific message that's not necessarily truthful. Or complete.

Salmon colored geranium blossom

What We SEE and What We THINK

But let's get back to the initial impressions:

What can we tell from someone whose entire social media feed is about the parties they are going to, and loads of photos of them working out at the gym?

What can we tell about an attractive young woman who posts new "duck face" selfies, about every 20 minutes... a pretty much nothing else?

What can we tell about someone who rarely posts photos at all, but constantly adds dark, depressive and angry commentary about everything and everybody?

What about the "hobbyist" who never shares anything about their lives... aside from their obsession with model trains... or collecting Beanie Babies?

Or the family person who seems able to come up with 300 new photos every day of their kids/grandkids, or maybe even their dogs or cats?

Sure, it's easy to stereotype people, but I'm sure most of you have seen lots of social media presences that are precisely like the above and in no way present a balanced image of a real life person.

Honeysuckle

It's not as Obvious as it Seems!

Of course, we shouldn't jump to too many conclusions, here! Some discernment in terms of how we interpret what we are presented with is important.

Let's take the attractive young woman with the eternal "duck face" selfies: is she truly incredibly insecure and self-involved? Or is she actually making a living, selling photos of herself to creepy 30-something nerds living in their parents' basement? We can't actually know that, until we dig below the surface.

Let's take all these people and consider whether their "edited presentation" is merely a reflection of what they want other people to see... OR the result of actually being very private and not wanting the world to know anything about their real selves?

Center of a California Poppy

In the End, We Are All Real People!

These days, social media and cyber bullying have become buzzwords, but beyond just being sociopathic, there's something more.

People very easily forget that the "words on the screen" were actually created by real living and breathing flesh-and-blood human beings.

Even ostensible "trolls" are ultimately human beings, not just random ones and zeros. Without going so far as to being an apologist for bad actors (of which there ARE plenty!), I think we need to keep that firmly in mind, before we embark on retaliatory rampages.

But I digress.

I believe social media — and people's social media profiles and feeds — offer us at least a glimpse into the many different things that matter to different people, even if the snapshots we see are, by no means, a complete reflection of that person.

Thanks for reading my Sunday musings!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 181230 15:56 PST