OCNews

Social media is free. Millennials are all social media experts. Businesses have to be available 24/7.

Psychologist Ian MacRae will address these and other social media myths during an upcoming book launch and discussion at Okanagan College in Kelowna on Wednesday, March 25.

The date will mark the international debut for his latest book, Myths of Social Media: Dismiss the Misconceptions and Use Social Media Effectively in Business (published by Kogan Page, 2020), which he co-authored with Michelle Carvill.

“Everyone knows that social media is just for posting pictures of your breakfast, it is full of fake news and it creates filter bubbles, don't they?” muses MacRae. “This book delves into many of those types of misconceptions.”

All told, the book debunks 28 commonly held falsehoods surrounding social media in business.

“We’ve all heard those kinds of messages, but what does the data really tell us? And, most importantly for business owners and social media professionals, whether you’re novice or advanced, what should be considered when choosing your channels, building and implementing your content strategies? These are just some of the types of questions the book explores and that we’ll chat about during the launch.”

Among his more than 100 publications on the psychology of work MacRae has written five books including Motivation and Performance: A guide to motivating a diverse workforce and High Potential: How to spot, manage and develop talented people at work.

His books have been translated into 10 different languages and have been shortlisted for numerous awards. MacRae has been featured on BBC News International, BBC Capital, The Guardian, and GQ. He is also the developer of the High Potential Traits Inventory which has been used to select tens of thousands of leaders around the world.

Prior to taking to the stage for his talk, MacRae will provide a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into the book’s development and share insights with a class of Communications students at the College.

MacRae’s talk on March 25 is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Lecture Theatre in the Student Services (S) building at OC’s Kelowna campus, 1000 KLO Rd. Doors open at 4:30 for mingling and networking; the talk starts at 5 p.m.

The book launch is being sponsored by Sage Transitions and supported by the Okanagan College Alumni Association. To attend and for your chance to win one of two copies of Myths of Social Media, register in advance on Eventbrite here.

Read more about the book here.