Psychology of Media & Technology

From the biological response to grooming behaviors and ASMR response to three-minutes or less narrative arcs with the most charming participants, watching sheep shearing on TikTok is like a NatGeo Zen experience with Mr. Rogers.  If you don't love Katie McRose after watching how lovingly she treats her sheep, something's seriously wrong.  And what a treat to focus on a happy story!  #positivemedia #mediapsychology #sheepshearing #TikTok

Don't fall into the trap of thinking the conspicuous showing off is all because of social media.  Social media didn't invent bragging.  For parents, there is a continual struggle to raise children with any form of privilege or affluence and to avoid a sense of entitlement that will damage their future relationships or undermine a healthy sense of self.  Wealth without effort can negatively impact self-esteem and make teens and young adults especially vulnerable to being ‘liked’ on social media.

The response to this TikTok video are not about the couch guy.  The video is like a Rorschach test of the viewers' self-esteem, perspective, experiences and fears.   A parasocial relationship is where someone feels they know a someone in the media because of the investment in time the person spends watching, commenting, interacting about the parasocial object.  People form parasocial attachments to celebrities they see often and fictional characters in stories and programs they love.  It is experienced by the viewer as a relationship with emotional attachment, even though it is one-sided.  

It's more a parasocial relationship with the "event" than with couch guy.  However, people are definitely activated by the video and making their own interpretation as if they more information that a few seconds of video.  While all parasocial relationships are about meaning making, the cough guy commenters are invested in their own interpretations of what they think they see in ways that reaffirms their worldview or worries and lets them  increases their self-image by “sharing their wisdom.”  For those who are getting some satisfaction or self-aggrandizement out of sharing their negative interpretation and "advice",  it's just trolling.  #parasocial #couchguy #TikTok #trolls #truecrime #mediapsychology