A savvy influencer knows the importance of creating an emotional connection and works hard to build fan relationships. Fan communities create a sense of affiliation and belonging, powerful drivers of human motivation. There is nothing like a little drama to activate belonging, picking sides, who's in and who's out. It fires... read more →
Oct
05
Sep
29
Fortune reported on the move by Facebook to test hiking 'Likes' from posts. Removing the likes that other people have doesn’t change our need to compare ourselves. It'll be like holding a balloon underwater--it'll pop up somewhere since social comparison is hardwired. It easy to forget, given all the social... read more →
Sep
28
An article on NBC News (A New York teen's fatal stabbing was filmed by onlookers: Is social media to blame?) looked at the potential impact social media may be having on how people help others in trouble. It's a good quesion. What happens to the bystander effect as people capture... read more →
Aug
19
“Internet Addiction” isn't a real thing. Yet, Sen. Josh Hawley is flogging his legislation as a cure to this scourge. This is fear tactics at their worst, amplifying uncertainty and anxiety and using social media and tech companies as the new strawmen to rally fearful voters behind a cause. In... read more →
Aug
16
Apps like Life360 and FindMyFriends are digital monitoring tools that let users see the location of family, friends or anyone, really, who agrees to allow you to track them. Life360 is like FindMyFriends on steroids, with the potential to track cell phone battery life, location history, and with a subscription,... read more →
Dr. Pamela Rutledge is available to reporters for comments on the psychological and social impact of media and technology on individuals, society, organizations and brands.