Chances are, that photo has positive connotations that lead us to have positive assumptions about this person. These positive images can be in the form of bright lighting, using props such as kittens, or even something as simple as a smile that can trick us into thinking this person is a happy innocent cat lover. In this way, people are marketing themselves by using glittering generalities. By only including what we feel highlights the best of our personality, we get others to see us in a positive light.
Since most people use a profile picture, we are highly dependent on another's appearance to form our opinions. This is a fallacy because the viewer is not acknowledging all of the facts about this person, yet they make a conclusion based on what they think they know about them from a picture. By using this definition, social media perpetuates us to have "hasty generalizations" about people who we might not know at all.
I find myself making hasty generalizations when looking at people's social media accounts. Usually I catch myself in the act but I plead guilty in some cases. I think that it's all that we hear from society (I hate to make that statement but work with me here). There's a saying that your initial thought is what you've been taught to think and the second thought or your correction of the previous thought is your own opinion.
ReplyDeleteI also do agree with Chrysanthe (pardon me if I spelled it wrong) because I also sometimes catch myself making generalizations about other people's social media. Sometimes, I feel that it isn't good to judge others without knowing them, but other times it's like you were the one who chose what you posted, so you're exposing yourself to be judged by what you show others. And, that saying is quite true for me. What my reactions are to most things are based on how I was taught.
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