Our Observed Need for Connection: Is Social Media Ruining Our Lives? | Emily Schultz | TEDxDenisonU

This talk’s main objective is to discuss why we feel obligated to engage with social media platforms, the emotional voids such usage may be filling, and how we might partake in social media more responsibly.

Emily Schultz is a senior Educational Studies major here at Denison and has had numerous international study experiences. This past fall, she studied abroad at Oxford University, where she will soon return to complete a master's degree in Education. Her time outside of the United States allowed her to disconnect from and analyze her inner rejection of social media usage and her compulsion to stay ‘connected.’ This led Emily to question: Why are we so compelled to use social media sites when we know that using them has incited problematic social tendencies and behavioral norms? Emily began doing research and interviewing academic professionals in the field of social media marketing. Her distaste for the performativity and self-marketing aspects of social media was met with critique. Emily’s main objective was to learn about why we feel obligated to engage with social media platforms and how we might partake in social media more responsibly.

[ryancharles]

what are you missing in your 'offline' life that you are seeking to find through social media platforms? It's a good question to ponder on.

[katiedalebout]

this is so amazing!!! great work Emily!!