Wait. What? Low GPAs cause increased social media use? That doesn't make any sense--or does it? A recent study in the journal Emerging Adulthood reports findings on the relationship between media use and GPA. The researchers’ findings suggest that high social media use, in contrast to, say, media like books... read more →
Apr
23
Apr
20
Selfies are pictures you take of yourself tagged with #selfie or just with #me. They are showing up all across social networks like Facebook or Instagram—often but not exclusively posted by women. As the numbers and frequency of selfies increase, the phenomenon has garnered attention. In our globally connected 24/7... read more →
Jan
25
The 2008 Obama Presidential campaign made history. Not only was Obama the first African American to be elected president, but he was also the first presidential candidate to effectively use social media as a major campaign strategy. It’s easy to forget, given how ubiquitous social media is today, that in... read more →
Jan
19
Moving on emotionally after a break-up is hard, with or without social media. But the easy access and speed of social media sites, like Facebook, can make it easier to torment yourself and harder to move on. When relationships don’t go as we expected, planned or hoped, we want to... read more →
Jan
18
In spite of Facebook’s prominence in the social media ecosystem, Twitter is becoming a central source for breaking news. From natural disasters to political campaigning, Twitter delivers real time messaging that have a sense of immediacy. But the characteristics of Twitter also open the doors to a new type of... 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.