Are we really being ourselves on social media? Can we benefit from connecting with people we barely know online? Why do some people overshare on social networking sites? The Psychology of Social Media explores how so much of our everyday lives is played out online, and how this can impact our identity, wellbeing and relationships. It looks at how our online profiles, connections, status updates and sharing of photographs can be a way to express ourselves and form connections, but also highlights the pitfalls of social media including privacy issues. From FOMO to fraping, and from subtweeting to selfies, The Psychology of Social Media shows how social media has developed a whole new world of communication, and for better or worse is likely to continue to be an essential part of how we understand our selves.

Adolescents and young adults are the main users of social media. This has sparked interest among researchers regarding the effects of social media on normative development. There exists a need for an edited collection that will provide readers with both breadth and depth on the impacts of social media on normative development and social media as an amplifier of positive and negative behaviors. The Psychology and Dynamics Behind Social Media Interactions is an essential reference book that focuses on current social media research and provides insight into the benefits and detriments of social media through the lens of psychological theories. It enhances the understanding of current research regarding the antecedents to social media use and problematic use, effects of use for identity formation, mental and physical health, and relationships (friendships and romantic and family relationships) in addition to implications for education and support groups. Intended to aid in collaborative research opportunities, this book is ideal for clinicians, educators, researchers, councilors, psychologists, and social workers.

Using a novel approach to consider the available literature and research, this book focuses on the psychology of social media based on the assumption that the experience of being in a social media has an impact on both our identity and social relationships. In order to ‘be online’, an individual has to create an online presence – they have to share information about themselves online. This online self is presented in different ways, with diverse goals and aims in order to engage in different social media activities and to achieve desired outcomes. Whilst this may not be a real physical presence, that physicality is becoming increasingly replicated through photos, video, and ever-evolving ways of defining and describing the self online. Moreover, individuals are using both PC-based and mobile-based social media as well as increasingly making use of photo and video editing tools to carefully craft and manipulate their online self. This book therefore explores current debates in Cyberpsychology, drawing on the most up-to-date theories and research to explore four main aspects of the social media experience (communication, identity, presence and relationships). In doing so, it considers the interplay of different areas of psychological research with current technological and security insight into how individuals create, manipulate and maintain their online identity and relationships. The social media are therefore at the core of every chapter, with the common thread throughout being the very unique approach to considering diverse and varied online behaviours that may not have been thus far considered from this perspective. It covers a broad range of both positive and negative behaviours that have now become integrated into the daily lives of many westernised country’s Internet users, giving it an appeal to both scholarly and industry readers alike.

Consumer Psychology in a Social Media World seeks to illustrate the relevance of consumer psychology theory and research to understanding the social media world that has rapidly become a key component in the social and economic lives of most individuals. Despite the rapid and widespread adoption of social media by consumers, research focused on individuals’ use thereof and its implications for organizations and society has been limited and published in scattered outlets. This has made it difficult for those trying to get either a quick introduction or an in-depth understanding of the associated issues to locate relevant scientific-based information. The book is organized into five broad sections. The first presents a summary overview of social media, including a historical and cultural perspective. The second section is focused on social media as a modern form of word of mouth, always considered the most impactful on consumers. It also touches upon a motivational explanation for why social media has such a strong and broad appeal. Section three addresses the impact that consumers’ switch to social media as a preferred channel has had on marketers’ branding and promotional efforts, as well as the ways in which consumer involvement can be maintained through this process. Section four takes a methodological perspective on the topic of social media, assessing ways in which big data and consumer research are influenced by novel ways of gathering consumer feedback and gauging consumer sentiment. Finally, section five looks at some consumer welfare and public policy implications, including privacy and disadvantaged consumer concerns. Consumer Psychology in a Social Media World will appeal to those who are involved in creating, managing, and evaluating products used in social media communications. As seen in recent financial and business market successes (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, etc.), businesses focused on facilitating social media are part of the fastest growing and most valuable sector of today’s economy.

From the former Head of Brand Strategy at Reddit comes a proven and thought-provoking approach to the digital economy and how brands can create authentic engagement that is rooted in the fundamental motivations behind human psychology Leading marketing practitioner and thought leader Joe Federer draws on evolutionary biology, anthropology, neuroanatomy, and psychology, as well as more than a decade of hands-on experience, to explain why people act so differently in various online spaces and what they are seeking from participating in each one. With a framework based on Freud’s Id, Ego, and Superego model of the human psyche, he demonstrates how the internet is a digital reflection of the collective human psyche and how different social networks correspond to different mindsets: platforms like Reddit to the unfiltered Id, Facebook and Twitter to the managed Ego, and Instagram to the ideal Superego. In the same way you behave differently when you’re home alone, out with friends, communicating with family, or interacting with coworkers, people act and express themselves differently in these various online spaces. Context matters. Understanding this will enable you to develop and execute effective engagement strategies to reach your target audiences on each social network. Learn: how to create content that drives sharing and word-of-mouth how brands can fit natively into different types of social channels how to balance branded social presences across different networks why authenticity will only grow in importance to consumers Fascinating and deeply compelling, The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks will equip you to make vastly more efficient use of your media buys, establish more thoughtful strategies, develop better creative, and, in the end, deliver more effective marketing that provides value.

Introduction to Positive Media Psychology summarizes and synthesizes the key concepts, theories, and empirical findings on the positive emotional, cognitive, and behavioral effects of media use. In doing so, the book offers the first systematic overview of the emerging field of positive media psychology. The authors draw on a growing body of scholarship that explores the positive sides of media use, including fostering one’s own well-being; creating greater connectedness with others; cultivating compassion for those who may be oppressed or stigmatized; and motivating altruism and other prosocial actions. The authors explore these issues across the entire media landscape, examining the ways that varying content (e.g., entertainment, news) delivered through traditional (e.g., film, television) and more recent media technologies (e.g., social media, digital games, virtual reality) can enhance well-being and promote other positive outcomes in viewers and users. This book serves as a benchmark of theory and research for current and future generations of advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars in communication, psychology, education, and social work.

The Dark Side of Social Media: Psychological, Managerial, and Societal Perspectives examines how social media can negatively affect our lives. The book tackles issues related to social media such as emotional and mental health, shortened attention spans, selective self-presentation and narcissism, the declining quality of interpersonal relationships, privacy and security, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, misinformation and online deception, and negative peer effects. It goes on to discuss social media and companies (loss of power, challenging control mechanisms) and societies as a whole (fake news, chatbots, changes in the workplace). The Dark Side of Social Media: Psychological, Managerial, and Societal Perspectives empowers readers to have a more holistic understanding of the consequences of utilizing social media. It does not necessarily argue that social media is a bad development, but rather serves to complement the numerous empirical findings on the "bright side" of social media with a cautionary view on the negative developments. - Focuses on interpersonal communication through social media - Focuses on psychology of media effects - Explores social media issues on both an individual and societal level - Documents the rise of social media from niche phenomenon to mass market - Examines the differences between creating and consuming content