Facebook: Friend or Faux?

This is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 students in June 2014.

It's rare for anyone to post a photo showing how lousy they look today. People don't post long accounts of weekends spent organizing their sock drawer. They don't give you all the details of their cockroach-infested one room apartment or make a video about their rusty old car that breaks down once a month.

People generally reveal idealized versions of themselves on Facebook and other social media. Not surprisingly, real life has a hard time looking as attractive, on a regular basis at least. And what does that do to our sometimes fragile sense of self and well-being? NPR has posted this thought-provoking video.

•In your experience, how true (or not true) is this video?

•In what ways are social media posts a reflection of real life? How are they a reflection of a fantasy life?

•Can social media posts be competitive? How?

•Do "likes" train people to make crowd-pleasing posts? Are "like" buttons turning us into trained seals?

•Does social media make people more satisfied or less satisfied with their lives?