BY Deanna Reinhardt
Staff Reporter
If you have ever found yourself struggling with overuse of your phone or have even experienced a change in mood from something seen online, perhaps you would benefit from this discussion.
On Feb. 19, author and professor Donna Freitas spoke to the Sacred Heart community in the University Commons, which was packed to full capacity by students and administration. Her presentation was titled, “Does Social Media Make You Happy?” Freitas’ motivation was the extreme dependency of society on the social media platforms of today.
In addressing this topic, Freitas concluded through her research that it might not always be the healthiest relationship that is held between society and their phones.
“In doing my research, I found that students would say things like, “the online me versus the real me,” which I thought was very interesting,” said Freitas.
Students in attendance responded to this observation made by Freitas, and found that they too, could relate to the false perception that social media allows themselves and their peers to project online.
“We must remind ourselves that there is a difference between a real person and how they present their ideal self on social media, which only displays achievements and constant perfection,” said sophomore Anna Bernasconi.
Furthermore, some of the students felt that social media platforms were a breeding ground for dissatisfaction with one’s own life.
“The presentation explained in depth that the constant use of social media contributes to feeling that one’s life isn’t as ‘cool’ or as ‘fun’ as other people’s,” said Bernasconi.
Aside from these aspects, Freitas also raises the points that our devices are interrupting us all the time, and that we have a difficult time resisting them.
“You struggle sometimes to get your studying done because you keep grabbing for your phone, and you struggle to get your reading done, or your conversations keep getting interrupted with all of your friends or with your significant other,” said Freitas.
“We can relate to this because we spend so much time on social media and our phones. Many of us get very distracted from our work, which can be frustrating as college students. Going forward, I really need to learn to better manage my time,” said sophomore Alyssa Snyder.
“I find myself checking my phone every few minutes while completing work, which makes my work take so much longer to complete than needed,” said Bernasconi.
Stemming from the fabricated images of one’s life on social media and the impediment that they pose to mood, as well as to society’s general ability to be productively managing their time, Freitas drew the presentation back to the overall impact of social media on happiness, and an experiment she conducted with her students.
Freitas led a week-long experiment in one of Adelphi University’s First Year Seminar classes, where students were required to turn their phones into the Public Safety Office for a whole week.
Freitas described the initial anxiety experienced by her students at the thought of having to unplug for such a prolonged period of time. However, at the culmination of the experiment, students didn’t seem to mind the detox and actually found the experience to be freeing and allowed them to build better real-life connections.
Freitas advised that taking a break from social media not only has the power to free your time, but also could lift your mood and increase the number of positive in-person interactions that you share daily.
The presentation ended with Freitas’ overall advice to the audience to understand that someone’s virtual life isn’t necessarily their real one, and to limit usage, which in turn will help to minimize the addiction and dependency that’s running rampant through society.
“I hope I made you think a little bit about your own relationship with your devices and social media,” said Freitas.
