The Happiness Effect: How Social Media is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost

Product Description

Sexting. Cyberbullying. Narcissism. Social media has become the dominant force in young people’s lives, and each day seems to bring another shocking tale of private pictures getting into the wrong hands, or a lament that young people feel compelled to share their each and every thought with
the entire world. Have smartphones and social media created a generation of self-obsessed egomaniacs?

Absolutely not, Donna Freitas argues in this provocative book. And, she says, these alarmist fears are drawing attention away from the real issues that young adults are facing.

Drawing on a large-scale survey and interviews with students on thirteen college campuses, Freitas finds that what young people are overwhelmingly concerned with–what they really want to talk about–is happiness. They face enormous pressure to look perfect online–not just happy, but blissful,
ecstatic, and fabulously successful. Unable to achieve this impossible standard, they are anxious about letting the less-than-perfect parts of themselves become public. Far from wanting to share everything, they are brutally selective when it comes to curating their personal profiles, and worry
obsessively that they might unwittingly post something that could come back to haunt them later in life. Through candid conversations with young people from diverse backgrounds, Freitas reveals how even the most well-adjusted individuals can be stricken by self-doubt when they compare their
experiences with the vast collective utopia that they see online. And sometimes, as on anonymous platforms like Yik Yak, what they see instead is a depressing cesspool of racism and misogyny. Yet young people are also extremely attached to their smartphones and apps, which sometimes bring them great
pleasure. It is very much a love-hate relationship.

While much of the public’s attention has been focused on headline-grabbing stories, the everyday struggles and joys of young people have remained under the radar. Freitas brings their feelings to the fore, in the words of young people themselves.
The Happiness Effect is an eye-opening window into
their first-hand experiences of social media and its impact on them.

Review

“Freitas’s book makes us confront our ever-changing society to help our younger pioneers
successfully navigate this technological nuance that is not going away any time soon.”
–
PsycCRITIQUES

“With thick description and compelling accounts from youth, Freitas invites the reader to tour American collegiate life as she showcases how social media exacerbates the pressure that today’s students feel to be happy and successful. The Happiness Effect demonstrates how timeless collegiate
practices are being reshaped by the anxiety and stress students face, asking hard questions about technology and social life.”
– Danah boyd, author of
It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens

“An eye-opening, data-driven look at how young people use social media to craft their images, keep tabs on their peers, and create their identities. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how technology is shaping an entire generation of Americans.” – Scott Westerfeld,
author of
Uglies and Zeroes

“In the age of social media, we live a new state of self: ‘I share, therefore I am.’ Here, media researcher Donna Freitas explores what this means for a generation that has never known another way of life. Or as one young man put is to Freitas, reflecting on a date with his girlfriend: ‘It’s not an
official event until we have taken a selfie.’ What Freitas finds is poignant, disturbing: There is only one way to be in public: smiling. Read this book to better understand the alienations that follow when we validate our private lives in public spaces.”
– Sherry Turkle, Professor, MIT; Author of
Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age and
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

“Attention-grabbing research