Erin Walsh, spoke at St. Paul Academy on Nov. 19 about social media, making choices wrapped around posting, and the power of the digital revolution. In response to the digital revolution this current generation is part of “media isn’t inherently good or bad, it is powerful, and good or bad depending on how media is used,” Walsh said.

Erin Walsh, of the National Institute of Media and the Family, spoke at St. Paul Academy on Nov. 19 about social media, making choices wrapped around posting, and the power of the digital revolution. In response to the digital revolution this current generation is part of, “media isn’t inherently good or bad, it is powerful, and good or bad depending on how media is used,” Walsh said.

The presentation was not given to create guilt or fear, but to enforce mindfulness and responsibility when using social media. It was also to spread awareness that though posts are usually viewed by followers, they can be seen by anyone.

“In one study, they asked people to describe their online lives and unfortunately there were far far far more negative words that showed up in interviews with hundreds of young people across the country…the best way to think about what social media does to our offline lives is it holds up a mirror to us and it magnifies existing dynamics…at the end of the day the best thing we can do is take a look in the mirror and think about how is this magnifying the things and the dynamics that we are already seeing in our offline lives,” Walsh said.

Choice:

Magnify the good.

Change the Conversation.

In addition to addressing views on social media, Walsh addressed “thinking about who you are online compared to when you are offline” and how that relationship can be very tight.

“Who we are online reflects our offline lives in really exciting ways,” Walsh said.

For some people they are more themselves online than they are offline, for others the opposite and “is that tether becoming frayed?” She wondered for some if it felt as if they lived two different lives, one of the outcomes that is new to the digital world.

Choice:

When and where are you your best self?

Be that. Online and offline.

Sophomore Lark Smith doesn’t use social media.

“I have a facebook but I only have it so colleges don’t think I have anything to hide,” Smith said.

Which statistic is most surprising to you?

• 8-18 year olds spend an average 53 hours a week with entertainment
• 4 out of 5 people sleep with their cell phone on and near the bed
• 28% of babies under 2 years old have a TV in their bedroom
• Youth send an average of 3,500 texts a month

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Since, Smith doesn’t use social media, she didn’t find it the presentation helpful. She thought for students who do use social media it may have been more helpful. “I don’t think the social media presentation will change people’s views on how they use [social media] because people are so accustomed to using it a certain way,” Smith said. Her favorite part of the presentation was that Walsh made the presentation interactive with the audience.

Freshman Bailey Donovan uses social media and found the presentation very informative on phone usage.

“I was most surprised to learn that 28% of babies under 2 years old have a TV in their bedroom,” Donovan said.

She believes the presentations will change how people use social media because “if they learn about how often people use social media then maybe they will try to lower that number,” Donovan said.

Senior Milo Wittenberg uses social media and thought Erin Walsh was very informative. The presentation did not change Wittenberg’s view on his usage, because his personal usage is very limited.

“I think that [the presentation] will not necessarily change people’s views because they are used to using it a certain way,” Wittenberg said, “or people say they should change their ways but they won’t.”

Walsh finished off her presentation by saying “at the end of the day it’s not about the tools, it’s about us and how do we answer theses questions: where are we going to be? and how are we going to show up? Every study that I have read says that if we answer ‘I am going to show up with integrity, courage, and kindness.’ that media is only unleashing great opportunities, and when we let them undermine those same things that’s when we start to see the news headlines that facebook is a mindless waste of time.”