Temple Professor Explains Psychological Impact Of Social Media After NFL Draftees Twitter Blunder
By Alexandria Hoff
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Less than 24 hours after University of Mississippi Offensive Lineman, Laremy Tunsil slid to the 13th draft position, the social media slip-up that likely got him there upstaged most all of the night's franchise picks.
A video tweet from Tunsil's account, posed just minutes before the draft was set to begin, likely lost the interest of several top teams and the tens of millions in extra earning that would have come with them.
"It's become so clear that anyone can get unmasked," said Temple University Professor, Frank Farley.
In this case, Tunsil was unmasked by what appears to be a marijuana gas mask.
On top of that, during a post-draft interview as a newly selected Miami Dolphin, an Instagram picture of a text conversation immediately prompted a question about Tunsil receiving money from Ole Miss Officials. Tunsil confirmed the inquiry on the spot.
It is the opposite of instant gratification. So, does the constant risk of being exposed provide any positives? Will it demand more honesty out of social media users in the long run?
"It should because it's true. You can be revealed to the world so therefore honesty would become the best policy then you have nothing to hide," said Farley, who is the former President of the American Psychological Association.
He adds that the pendulum of inhabited self-expression could swing the other direction. Perhaps the constant fear of being captured in an unflattering photo or video could lead to a paranoia of-sorts.
"I worry about building walls around ourselves and we will end up living in silos because we are afraid of our personal lives being exposed," said Farley.
Before that happens, social media users will continue to discover how to safely mitigate the risks of having both an online and actual persona.
As for Tunsil, he will still make millions, apparently not as many as if he was selected higher up in the draft; making the error both costly, and illegal.