Social Media's Negative Effects On College Students

959 Words4 Pages

Look around a large college campus like the University of California, San Diego and you might find several students walking between classes with their heads down scrolling through their phones. Over the years, students are using technology (mobile devices and social media) more frequently in their everyday lives; possibly changing the way they express their happiness. Intellectuals including Sherry Turkle, Hui-tzu Chou, Nicholas Edge, Sophie Reynolds, and Larry Rosen question the advantages and disadvantages of the use technology on happiness, however one aspect that is seemingly overlooked is the ineffective use of time. While college students are steadily becoming more accustomed to checking their phones and social media accounts they tend …show more content…

Some these negative outcomes include anxiety, loneliness, procrastination, and unproductivity. My Public Service Announcement (PSA) should acquaint college students with these negative outcomes and persuade them to take action. By acknowledging such outcomes, college students could potentially reconsider the amount of time they spend with technology and use technology productively. Mobile devices are tools that are used in college students’ everyday lives and are simply too important to completely avoid. Instead of completely avoiding mobile devices, college students should reduce the amount of time spent on their mobile devices by checking social media fewer times throughout the day and by engaging in face to face communication rather than through mobile devices. Limiting usage of mobile devices and social media may help college students improve their overall …show more content…

The two screens will incorporate short clips of everyday scenarios that college students can relate to. Each screen will have a different version of the same activity; one involving the consecutive use of social media and mobile devices while the other minimizes the use. Some activities and scenarios where college students use technology include; waking up in the morning, doing homework, walking to class, sitting around friends, relaxing and even going to bed. Besides the use of these everyday scenarios, occasionally text will appear between video clips to strengthen the claims being made and help persuade college students. In the PSA no active narration will be used, however an upbeat song will be incorporated to positively encourage change to be made. By meeting these expectations my PSA should effectively target undergraduate college students and help them recognize the unfavorable effects of technology on happiness. Instead of simply accepting the negative effects of technology on happiness, college students should gradually put an end to the obsessive use of their mobile devices and social media. By doing so, they could essentially avoid the negative outcomes and start living happier