FB and the happiness arms race

December 29th, 2011 § 0 comments

Facebook encourages a sort of ‘happiness’ arms race, where most people seek to convey the brightest possible interpretation of their own lives to match the same projections they see in others…
The reason this hits the [Harvard Business Review] crowd particularly hard is because it adds another, ubiquitous front to the battle of positive image. It used to be, you only had to be an assertive, bright, shining star when you were around people or talking on the phone. Then you could go home, pour yourself a belt of Glenlivet, and be miserable for a while to blow off steam. Now you have to keep it up ALL of the time, on a medium that’s everywhere and never stops. It hits hard, particularly when you’re a hard charger whose career depends on being perceived as relentlessly successful and upbeat.
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— from HN; discussion otherwise unexceptional.

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