May
10
Do young people feel the need to be “selfie-ready”? Before you go to the knee-jerk ‘yes,’ it’s important to separate out the developmental drives of young people—including a craving for social acceptance—from the impact of an increasingly visual culture. The bulk of selfie-taking occurs when young people are at the...
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Apr
19
It may be catchy, but wrong. Facebook is a tool, a platform. It’s irresponsible to call Stephens the Facebook killer. Yes, he live-streamed a murder on Facebook. It’s heinous, for sure, but to blame Facebook is like blaming the gun. That line of logic, while it may hold psychological and political appeal, fans...
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Apr
12
In spite of the proliferation of selfie-taking in all kinds of contexts, people remain wedded to the idea that they are inherently bad. Early experimentation and the overabundance of duckfaces have given way to normal types of documentation of the process of life. Like all tools, intention and purpose define...
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Apr
07
Trying to push the pop culture envelope again, Pepsi’s ad with Kendall Jenner backfired. They have a long history of using pop culture icons to create product differentiation between the Pepsi brand and that...
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Feb
20
We may be anxious and depressed in this political environment, but the damage goes much deeper. The irrationality, and subsequent intolerance and antagonism, is most dangerous fallout of Trump's flamethrower approach. It creates a need for safety that overrides reason. Across social media, people are no longer willing to tolerate differing opinions,...
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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.