Communication and Mental Health Book Review:
Growing up, I always knew what technology was. Every year that I got older, technology got bigger. Every birthday, and every Christmas, technology was always on the top of my list for Santa. I knew the effect that technology had on our world, but I didn’t know the effect that technology would have on me. I decided to read “Logged in and Stressed Out” written by Paula Durlofsky. The main point of this book was to highlight the idea that social media is a useful tool when used correctly and that media literacy is incredibly important in this day and age.
To summarize, this book emphasizes the idea that social media is going to only constrict our lives more. That being said, we must learn how to cope and live with the evils that are attributed to social media. The author talks about how social media is used to project a personality to the world. We use these technological platforms to ensure that we are in control of other people’s perceptions of us. She then goes on to analyze different case studies to support her thesis that YES, social media is a fantastic tool we can utilize within our everyday lives. Nevertheless, it can be used as an unhealthy coping mechanism or a scapegoat for real-life problems that people face. In the end, this will cause fuel to be poured on the declining mental health fire and will create internal chaos.
The novel was structured in a way that I was unfamiliar with. Each chapter had an overarching theme that social media has the ability to decline our mental health, but each chapter also included mindfulness tools to attack these issues head-on. In my opinion, this was my favorite part of the book. It added a “the grass is greener” type of theme to the book which I thoroughly enjoyed. It made it easier to want to keep reading and keep learning which I appreciated.
Not only did the novel include helpful mindfulness tools, but she included real-life examples of different lifestyles. For example, she discussed how living alone can be difficult, and how social media can be abused as an escape. I resonated heavily with this, as this year has been the most difficult year that I have ever experienced in 21 years of living. When I was reading her novel, it was almost like that part was written for me to read, because the end of the chapter included her mindfulness tools which were perfectly tailored to my thoughts, and feelings. It was reliving.
Durlofsky continued to highlight concepts such as “the digital age” and “love versus isolation”, and lightly discussed these ideas throughout the entire novel to drive the idea of embracing a safe digital environment for oneself at all times.
As I read the novel I had to remind myself to trust the author, as Durlofsky is a psychiatrist. I felt as though the novel was not only interesting, and compelling to read, but it was something that I will continue to look back on as technology and social media continue to expand.
Created on May 5th, 2021. This book review assignment addressed our ability to read a novel and reflect on it regarding class material. I created this book review to reflect on technology and how it affects our mental health. The target audience is my professor (Dr. Toni Morgan), along with anyone who utilizes social media.
Small Group Communication Leadership Reflection:
Created on November 4th, 2022. This leadership reflection discussion post helped me identify my leadership style through the utilization of course content. I created this discussion post to better understand myself as a leader, and to facilitate discussion on the matter as well. The target audience was my Small Group Communication class, along with my professor, (Dr. Kim Smith).
Communication Research Methods Article Literature Summary:
Created on February 6th, 2020. The learning objective of this Article’s Literature Summary was to compile relevant information about an empirical research article to assist us in our research process. The target audience of this assignment was my professor, (Dr. Kim Smith).
Principles of Mass Communication Poster Project:
Created on May 5th, 2020. The learning objective of this poster project was to be able to research using an Imperial journal article, identify major takeaways from that article, and display that information visually. In this instance, the article researched was about media multitasking, and the effects that it may have on young adults and kids. The target audience of this project is anyone who uses media, young adults, kids, and my professor, (Dr. Valerie Kretz).
Intergroup Communication Infographic:
Created December 1st, 2020. The learning objective of this infographic project was to understand how intergroup competition arises through social media and envy. Various empirical articles were pulled to research social theories, intergroup communication, social media, and envy. The target audience of this infographic was primarily teenagers, and my professor, (Dr. Anna Antos).
Technology at Work Discussion Thread ft. Dr. Kim Smith:
Created June 14th, 2021. The learning objective of this discussion thread was to decipher the pros and cons of the utilization of social media in the workplace. A journal article was referenced within the text, along with a textbook reference. As one can tell, questions are being asked and answered by the student (Katrina Counter), along with the professor (Dr. Kim Smith). The target audience of this discussion post is anyone who utilizes social media for work or entertainment, classmates, and my professor (Dr. Kim Smith).
Family Communication News Article + Response:
Created September 10th, 2021. The learning objective of this news article and response was to take course content and apply it to real-world scenarios. In this example, I related transactional family relationships with online relationships and “catfishing”. Above is the news article that I used. The target audience of this assignment is anyone using social media, anyone with a family that is not blood-related, along with my classmates and my professor, (Dr. Toni Morgan).
Crisis Communication Article Analysis:
Created January 6th, 2022. The objective of this assignment was to multi-task with various news articles and apply them to various Crisis Communication Theories, specifically Image Repair Discourse Theories. The target audience of this assignment was my professor, (Dr. Mark Glantz).
Communication Theory Capstone Project:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Le4cbxQVE7AC8T-EoAv3v8xN_PRAcnlD?usp=share_link
