The Happiness Effect
How Social Media is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost
Donna Freitas and Foreword by Christian Smith
From Our Blog
Each year, the International Day of Happiness is celebrated on 20 March. First celebrated by the United Nations in 2013, this day is now celebrated by all member states of the United Nations General Assembly to recognize happiness and well-being as a 'fundamental human goal.' Celebrations on this day in the past included ceremonies held by Ndaba Mandela and Chelsea Clinton, as well as the creation of the world's first 24-hour music video with Pharrell Williams.
Posted on March 20, 2017
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"Unplugging" from social media does not necessarily equate to quitting. As The Happiness Effect author Donna Freitas found out, the decision to temporarily quit social media is a common among university students. Some students quit because they feel "too obsessed" or "addicted," while others cite online drama as their reason to take a break.
Posted on March 3, 2017
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Engaging in status competitions is nothing new. It's common, especially when we're young (though adults are certainly not exempt). We compare our looks, our hairstyles, our opportunities, our friends, our successes and failures, where we've traveled (or haven't), where we've gone to school, where we're from, our clothes, and all sorts of material objects. The list goes on and on. We seek approval and affirmation all the time.
Posted on March 12, 2017
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Most students feel that they are in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. They worry about whether future employers might find an offending photo or post attached to their names. But many of them also worry about what happens if they have no social media presence at all for their future employers to scrutinize and dissect. If they are completely absent from social media, this might seem suspicious, too
Posted on February 25, 2017
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From the moment Jennifer sits down for our interview, I know I'm in for a treat. She's a bright, bubbly senior at a conservative, southern, Christian university. A pretty redhead with freckles, she talks enthusiastically about all the things she loves about her studies, her experience at college (she's made two 'lifelong friends,' she immediately tells me), and how, during her four years here, she's been 'pushed in the best of ways.'
Posted on February 8, 2017
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The same dread that college students feel about online dating'the sense that meeting someone with whom you have no prior real life connection is reckless'applies to Tinder as well. Students may indeed want to have sex and hook up, but they do not want to have sex and hook up with anonymous strangers. They want to have sex and hook up with that hot guy from American lit, or that hot girl from chemistry class.
Posted on February 14, 2017
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