bleary's review against another edition
4.0
A fairly solid compilation of survey data and 1-to-1 interviews with today's college kids about their social media and smartphone usage. It doesn't contain anything particularly revelatory, which is probably why there has been a slightly half-baked sociology theory bolted onto it. "The Happiness Effect" is the idea that social media forces young people to present themselves positively online at all times, which may be true to some degree but isn't vigorously argued here and is entirely absent from some chapters.
Basically, this is a reference work more than anything else, best enjoyed by those who want to read about social media usage in fine detail.
Basically, this is a reference work more than anything else, best enjoyed by those who want to read about social media usage in fine detail.
mveldeivendran's review against another edition
3.0
In short, Can we become better consumers of social media so that it doesn't consume us?
Having interviewed more than 200 students conducted surveys of more than 700 and had more than 100 informal conversations with students, faculties, parents over the years, the author has got something very clear notions displayed through this book.
Lot of acquaintances on recently trending apps like Snapchat, Yik Yak and many more with which my generation is more obsessed. About 75 % of the book is all about about students' and young adults' opinions and views on social media obsession interviewed, surveyed by the author and some of which were really quite intriguing and thoughtful, and the remaining things were explained in a quite repetitive way. I felt the book targeted more to elder people in order to understand this obsession possessed by your adults these days though it's essential to find one's own weaknesses. I felt the Introduction and conclusion is more insightful as those opinions and views are familiar amongst my generation adults (not probably kids).
Worth trying the book as understanding the influence of social media on this modern era logically and philosophically where we are at the verge of becoming narcissistic pioneers oblivious of the ill effects of them.
"We may need to stop social media as a place to measure, judge, evaluate. We may simply need to acknowledge that none of us is perfect."
I'm grateful to Netgalley and Oxford University Press, USA for this advance copy in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Having interviewed more than 200 students conducted surveys of more than 700 and had more than 100 informal conversations with students, faculties, parents over the years, the author has got something very clear notions displayed through this book.
Lot of acquaintances on recently trending apps like Snapchat, Yik Yak and many more with which my generation is more obsessed. About 75 % of the book is all about about students' and young adults' opinions and views on social media obsession interviewed, surveyed by the author and some of which were really quite intriguing and thoughtful, and the remaining things were explained in a quite repetitive way. I felt the book targeted more to elder people in order to understand this obsession possessed by your adults these days though it's essential to find one's own weaknesses. I felt the Introduction and conclusion is more insightful as those opinions and views are familiar amongst my generation adults (not probably kids).
Worth trying the book as understanding the influence of social media on this modern era logically and philosophically where we are at the verge of becoming narcissistic pioneers oblivious of the ill effects of them.
"We may need to stop social media as a place to measure, judge, evaluate. We may simply need to acknowledge that none of us is perfect."
I'm grateful to Netgalley and Oxford University Press, USA for this advance copy in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
notyourhijabi's review against another edition
5.0
Huge thanks to Oxford University Press for provding an e-ARC via NetGalley.
Another version of this review can be found here.
I knew I had to read this book as soon as I set my eyes on it for two reasons. One, I've always been fascinated by social media and how it affects us for better or for worse, and two, at the time this book went up on NetGalley I had already started thinking of my research for my final year at uni and this seemed to be a good starting point to dig deeper into something I've always been interested in. In fact, I even did a project in high school loosely based on how technology affects kids of this generation where I explored the effects of social media too. So once I set my eyes on this there was no way I'd have let this pass, and when I got approved to read and review this book on NetGalley, I was over the moon.
However, due to TBR problems and what not, I couldn't get to this as soon as I would have liked, and I've been quite caught up with lots of things these days and me picking this book up got delayed and delayed until early this week when I realized it was high time I read it. Even though my research topic for uni ultimately changed to something else, I still was incredibly excited to delve into this.
In The Happiness Effect, Donna Freitas draws attention to what's most important when it comes to social media- the real issues faced by those using them. Not the attention-grabbing, clickbait-worthy headlines propagated on a daily basis. The author sheds light on all sorts of issues faced by young adults in this book, backing everything with research done on students of college campuses. While this research is based on the US, it's largely relevant to anyone and everyone who finds their time consumed by social media. This book provides enough food for thought that you'd find yourself questioning everything you do on social media and thinking about how you're unwittingly letting it all affect you in ways you never imagined.
This research has brought forth something very interesting indeed: the importance of appearing happy on social media. The "happiness effect" that's mentioned in the title is what the author describes as the tendency of people, especially students in this case, to become masters of appearing happy, at significant cost. Social media has produced a world where everyone feels pressurized to present the best virtual presentations of themselves, oft obsessively, in a quest to be "Liked." The author has presented various point of views of students and how they feel social media has made them behave online, and it's quite very surprising to note that many actually do feel they have been made to put up facades to convince their "audiences" that all is always well. In the words of one of the students,
"People share the best version of themselves, and we compare that to the worst version of ourselves."
How true this is! This is something I've noticed on a personal level, and however aware I am of it, I still haven't been able to resist comparing myself to what I see online at times. It was incredibly fascinating to read about various students and their individual struggles dealing with this on a daily basis. The author notes a significant common theme in most social media users: the need for one to carefully craft, cultivate, and curate public profiles at all times. The author has also done a great job at explaining how the pressure to appear happy all the time can even warp how students see themselves, as successes or failures.
Various other topics are explored, including but not limited to, the professionalization of Facebook, "the Selfie Generation", expressing religious and political views online and the effect of religiousness on social media usage, racism and misogyny on social media, sexting and the hookup culture, anonymity, bullying, and smartphones. The author also talks to students on how and why they take timeouts from social media and how this helps them, and ultimately provides tips and suggestions on how we can step back and rethink about the effect social media has on our capacity to be vulnerable. In this gem of a book, Donna Freitas manages to present to us an unbiased look at how social media has changed all our lives to a great extent in such a small span of time, and it's definitely a must-read for all of us who spend a significant amount of our time online.
Final rating: 5/5
Another version of this review can be found here.
I knew I had to read this book as soon as I set my eyes on it for two reasons. One, I've always been fascinated by social media and how it affects us for better or for worse, and two, at the time this book went up on NetGalley I had already started thinking of my research for my final year at uni and this seemed to be a good starting point to dig deeper into something I've always been interested in. In fact, I even did a project in high school loosely based on how technology affects kids of this generation where I explored the effects of social media too. So once I set my eyes on this there was no way I'd have let this pass, and when I got approved to read and review this book on NetGalley, I was over the moon.
However, due to TBR problems and what not, I couldn't get to this as soon as I would have liked, and I've been quite caught up with lots of things these days and me picking this book up got delayed and delayed until early this week when I realized it was high time I read it. Even though my research topic for uni ultimately changed to something else, I still was incredibly excited to delve into this.
In The Happiness Effect, Donna Freitas draws attention to what's most important when it comes to social media- the real issues faced by those using them. Not the attention-grabbing, clickbait-worthy headlines propagated on a daily basis. The author sheds light on all sorts of issues faced by young adults in this book, backing everything with research done on students of college campuses. While this research is based on the US, it's largely relevant to anyone and everyone who finds their time consumed by social media. This book provides enough food for thought that you'd find yourself questioning everything you do on social media and thinking about how you're unwittingly letting it all affect you in ways you never imagined.
This research has brought forth something very interesting indeed: the importance of appearing happy on social media. The "happiness effect" that's mentioned in the title is what the author describes as the tendency of people, especially students in this case, to become masters of appearing happy, at significant cost. Social media has produced a world where everyone feels pressurized to present the best virtual presentations of themselves, oft obsessively, in a quest to be "Liked." The author has presented various point of views of students and how they feel social media has made them behave online, and it's quite very surprising to note that many actually do feel they have been made to put up facades to convince their "audiences" that all is always well. In the words of one of the students,
"People share the best version of themselves, and we compare that to the worst version of ourselves."
How true this is! This is something I've noticed on a personal level, and however aware I am of it, I still haven't been able to resist comparing myself to what I see online at times. It was incredibly fascinating to read about various students and their individual struggles dealing with this on a daily basis. The author notes a significant common theme in most social media users: the need for one to carefully craft, cultivate, and curate public profiles at all times. The author has also done a great job at explaining how the pressure to appear happy all the time can even warp how students see themselves, as successes or failures.
Various other topics are explored, including but not limited to, the professionalization of Facebook, "the Selfie Generation", expressing religious and political views online and the effect of religiousness on social media usage, racism and misogyny on social media, sexting and the hookup culture, anonymity, bullying, and smartphones. The author also talks to students on how and why they take timeouts from social media and how this helps them, and ultimately provides tips and suggestions on how we can step back and rethink about the effect social media has on our capacity to be vulnerable. In this gem of a book, Donna Freitas manages to present to us an unbiased look at how social media has changed all our lives to a great extent in such a small span of time, and it's definitely a must-read for all of us who spend a significant amount of our time online.
Final rating: 5/5
jessica42980's review against another edition
5.0
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Yik Yak, and ChatRoulette... (The last two I have never heard of until this book).... There are so many social media tools out there and it can be overwhelming. And it is overwhelming for Millennials and younger.
Donna Freitas interviews various college students all over the country to get their opinions on social media. Reading what they thought in their own words was something! I learned so much while reading The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost. I realized how much I didn’t know was out there. That was a wake up call for me. I told my husband if we have children one day that he will have to stay up to date on all the social media tools that are out there. (He knew about the social media tools that I did not know about. He is much more familiar with all of that than I).
I found it hard to comprehend how much Millennials think about social media: What to post, who can see what they post (They make groups so they can decide what that group will or won’t see!), how many friends do I have and does so and so have more?. The number of friends is apparently very important too. And most importantly: Never post anything that could be considered bad or negative; that looks bad on your “online image”. You MUST appear happy. That was hard to believe how they feel everything has to be happy even if you aren’t. It was hard to comprehend what how much some think before they post. “If it won’t get a like then I won’t post it!”, Or if they post it and don’t get likes, they remove it! Some spend hours thinking about what they will post!! And they won’t post controversial as they could be looked upon as negative and they can’t have that.
I also found it interesting that college students in fraternities/sororites are monitored and if a post is/ or appears possibly negative for that fraternity/sorority, they will be forced to remove it.
Even before they are in college they think about what they post in case a college admissions person looks at their social media, which could affect their future enrollment. And college students are careful to what they post so they aren’t affected by future employment. (I do this myself- I also do not list where I work on my social media).
Also interesting was how often Millennials think about getting rid of social media- for a short amount of time or longer. Some can’t even put their phones down for two minutes, they have to constantly check their social media for that ever important post. It was interesting to learn how they feel that they must be available 24-7.
Granted, not every Millennial is like this. There are some Millennials that do not use social media at all. They are the minority.
As I read this book, it got me thinking about how I use social media, specifically Facebook. I hope to not use it as much in the future.
This was a good read and again, I learned so much. I recommend everyone to read The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost. It could be an eye opening read.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Donna Freitas interviews various college students all over the country to get their opinions on social media. Reading what they thought in their own words was something! I learned so much while reading The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost. I realized how much I didn’t know was out there. That was a wake up call for me. I told my husband if we have children one day that he will have to stay up to date on all the social media tools that are out there. (He knew about the social media tools that I did not know about. He is much more familiar with all of that than I).
I found it hard to comprehend how much Millennials think about social media: What to post, who can see what they post (They make groups so they can decide what that group will or won’t see!), how many friends do I have and does so and so have more?. The number of friends is apparently very important too. And most importantly: Never post anything that could be considered bad or negative; that looks bad on your “online image”. You MUST appear happy. That was hard to believe how they feel everything has to be happy even if you aren’t. It was hard to comprehend what how much some think before they post. “If it won’t get a like then I won’t post it!”, Or if they post it and don’t get likes, they remove it! Some spend hours thinking about what they will post!! And they won’t post controversial as they could be looked upon as negative and they can’t have that.
I also found it interesting that college students in fraternities/sororites are monitored and if a post is/ or appears possibly negative for that fraternity/sorority, they will be forced to remove it.
Even before they are in college they think about what they post in case a college admissions person looks at their social media, which could affect their future enrollment. And college students are careful to what they post so they aren’t affected by future employment. (I do this myself- I also do not list where I work on my social media).
Also interesting was how often Millennials think about getting rid of social media- for a short amount of time or longer. Some can’t even put their phones down for two minutes, they have to constantly check their social media for that ever important post. It was interesting to learn how they feel that they must be available 24-7.
Granted, not every Millennial is like this. There are some Millennials that do not use social media at all. They are the minority.
As I read this book, it got me thinking about how I use social media, specifically Facebook. I hope to not use it as much in the future.
This was a good read and again, I learned so much. I recommend everyone to read The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost. It could be an eye opening read.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
missdalope's review against another edition
5.0
Do you have a smartphone? Are you a social media participant, whether it be on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook? Ever feel like social media is taking over your life and happiness and how you look at yourself? And even if not, are you a parent concerned with how social media is—or will be—affecting how your children’s lives and self-image are being shaped? In The Happiness Effect, Donna Freitas addresses so many issues that are so prevalent today as we continue living in the digital age. There is no denying that much of our daily lives today, especially young adults, are ruled by the use of social media—and it will be like this for quite a long time. But perhaps it doesn’t have to be.
As a twenty something year old myself living in the digital age, I knew before going into this book that it will be not only relatable, but also highly educational. The Happiness Effect promises to dig into ‘how social media is driving a generation to appear perfect at any cost,’ and it did just that—and more. Donna Freitas conducted almost 200 in-depth interviews amongst (diverse) students at multiple different college campuses (some religious, some nonreligious) to put this book together, and the result was nothing short of stunning and eye-opening.
I noticed in the beginning of this book how slightly repetitive it became. And fast. This, however, just goes to show how alike most of us young adults are when it comes to what we have to say about social media and how it is affecting us as a user and as well as a human being in general. Although educational, hearing what these interviewed students had to say about what the internet has done to their self-esteem and self-image was also heartbreaking and concerning, to say the least. I’m not going to sit here and act as though social media has never and does not affect me in the way that it has affected more than half of the students in this book. As a matter of fact, this book initially interested me for that very reason. I’m a very active social media user and the changes that it has brought onto my life is undoubtedly immense.
With how many different students Freitas interviewed in this book, you—as a reader—are bound to find at least one person that you can relate to. In a way, this book became personal for me. It opened up some of my long forgotten “wounds,” like having to deal with bullying, racism and sexism online and even losing self-esteem because of the ill side of social media. These are only a portion of what you will learn and get a first-hand look of in The Happiness Effect. As I read on, I started to realize that a lot of the things that I had to deal with when it came to social media (that I thought I was alone in going through) are/were also happening to a lot of other young adults. I must admit that it became a little difficult at times to keep reading as the truth that spilled from the pages of this book was just so disheartening. At the same time, however, I knew that it was exactly why I had to keep reading—no matter how difficult. We need not only be aware but also educated on something that is so prominent in our lives today: social media and all that comes with it, both good and bad.
Social media was initially invented and used so that we could better “connect” with people. But you’d be surprised (or maybe not) just how “detached” and “disconnected” we actually have become because of the use of social media. Now, this book does not only address the issues that come up when we talk about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tinder, and even Yik Yak and etc., it also provides us a closer look on how we could possibly utilize social media a lot better without hurting others and most importantly ourselves and our own self-esteem and image. Just one example that Freitas suggests to take control back from our devices: perhaps have a certain time at home dedicated to not having any phones out, like having a basket readily available where each family members can surrender their devices in. Another example from the many that Freitas provides would be for faculty to ban all devices in classrooms if this can help everyone better focus and learn. There are multiple ways we can take back our control from being so manipulated and affected by the negatives that come from living in the digital age today. We just need to be willing and consistent.
This book did more than just open my eyes for me. It made me reflect. I have, time and time again, thought about laying off social media (if not permanently then at least temporarily) but just never had the heart or courage to do so. The Happiness Effect, however, convinced me that perhaps the healthiest thing for me to do right now after all is to focus on my real self and not who I would like to be on social media. I cannot stress enough how liberating it feels to not have to constantly feel ruled by my accounts online (with the exception of the bookish community I am a part of, like this blog and “bookstagram” of course, because they really are an extension of my true self). I encourage all people of ages—whether you are a young adult or a parent of one, or even a grandparent of one—to add The Happiness Effect on to your “to-be-read” pile. You may think social media is frivolous, but it is affecting so many young adults’ lives not only for the better anymore, but also for the worse. It is something that we all need to be more mindful of and educated about. It is the reality that we live in today. We are living in the digital age and we need tools to help remind us that we are the users of social media and not the other way around. We are not meant to be the one feeling used by social media.
*ARC provided by Oxford University Press in exchange for an honest review*
As a twenty something year old myself living in the digital age, I knew before going into this book that it will be not only relatable, but also highly educational. The Happiness Effect promises to dig into ‘how social media is driving a generation to appear perfect at any cost,’ and it did just that—and more. Donna Freitas conducted almost 200 in-depth interviews amongst (diverse) students at multiple different college campuses (some religious, some nonreligious) to put this book together, and the result was nothing short of stunning and eye-opening.
I noticed in the beginning of this book how slightly repetitive it became. And fast. This, however, just goes to show how alike most of us young adults are when it comes to what we have to say about social media and how it is affecting us as a user and as well as a human being in general. Although educational, hearing what these interviewed students had to say about what the internet has done to their self-esteem and self-image was also heartbreaking and concerning, to say the least. I’m not going to sit here and act as though social media has never and does not affect me in the way that it has affected more than half of the students in this book. As a matter of fact, this book initially interested me for that very reason. I’m a very active social media user and the changes that it has brought onto my life is undoubtedly immense.
With how many different students Freitas interviewed in this book, you—as a reader—are bound to find at least one person that you can relate to. In a way, this book became personal for me. It opened up some of my long forgotten “wounds,” like having to deal with bullying, racism and sexism online and even losing self-esteem because of the ill side of social media. These are only a portion of what you will learn and get a first-hand look of in The Happiness Effect. As I read on, I started to realize that a lot of the things that I had to deal with when it came to social media (that I thought I was alone in going through) are/were also happening to a lot of other young adults. I must admit that it became a little difficult at times to keep reading as the truth that spilled from the pages of this book was just so disheartening. At the same time, however, I knew that it was exactly why I had to keep reading—no matter how difficult. We need not only be aware but also educated on something that is so prominent in our lives today: social media and all that comes with it, both good and bad.
Social media was initially invented and used so that we could better “connect” with people. But you’d be surprised (or maybe not) just how “detached” and “disconnected” we actually have become because of the use of social media. Now, this book does not only address the issues that come up when we talk about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tinder, and even Yik Yak and etc., it also provides us a closer look on how we could possibly utilize social media a lot better without hurting others and most importantly ourselves and our own self-esteem and image. Just one example that Freitas suggests to take control back from our devices: perhaps have a certain time at home dedicated to not having any phones out, like having a basket readily available where each family members can surrender their devices in. Another example from the many that Freitas provides would be for faculty to ban all devices in classrooms if this can help everyone better focus and learn. There are multiple ways we can take back our control from being so manipulated and affected by the negatives that come from living in the digital age today. We just need to be willing and consistent.
This book did more than just open my eyes for me. It made me reflect. I have, time and time again, thought about laying off social media (if not permanently then at least temporarily) but just never had the heart or courage to do so. The Happiness Effect, however, convinced me that perhaps the healthiest thing for me to do right now after all is to focus on my real self and not who I would like to be on social media. I cannot stress enough how liberating it feels to not have to constantly feel ruled by my accounts online (with the exception of the bookish community I am a part of, like this blog and “bookstagram” of course, because they really are an extension of my true self). I encourage all people of ages—whether you are a young adult or a parent of one, or even a grandparent of one—to add The Happiness Effect on to your “to-be-read” pile. You may think social media is frivolous, but it is affecting so many young adults’ lives not only for the better anymore, but also for the worse. It is something that we all need to be more mindful of and educated about. It is the reality that we live in today. We are living in the digital age and we need tools to help remind us that we are the users of social media and not the other way around. We are not meant to be the one feeling used by social media.
*ARC provided by Oxford University Press in exchange for an honest review*
mybookishlifestyle's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read. I was not sure what it was going to be about at first but I loved the way Donna incorporated the interviews of college students into a story. Some of it was a bit slow but the overall topic and discussion made me think a lot about my own social media usage. I think all parents/teaches/professionals should read this book! #mayernikkitchen
caidyn's review
So, I got this book from Netgalley a while ago. And I sat down tonight to start reading it, then I chose to look at some reviews of this book. You know, to sort of see what I might expect since this isn't a topic I typically read about. Yes, I'm in the generation she talks about in this book. Yes, I use social media. But I don't try to appear perfect "at any cost". I think that premise is bull. The people who try to appear perfect at any cost would be doing so in other ways if there was no social media. It's a new way to try it.
However, I skimmed about 6% of the book. Even though I knew it wasn't going to be the best idea. And, yeah. No. I got through some of the first story -- Emma who is in some sorority -- and, you know what? Again, it's just like any other generation before mine. There are always people who want to appear perfect at any cost. Pretty sure that's the hallmark of every single person from middle school through high school and into college.
So, thanks but no thanks.
However, I skimmed about 6% of the book. Even though I knew it wasn't going to be the best idea. And, yeah. No. I got through some of the first story -- Emma who is in some sorority -- and, you know what? Again, it's just like any other generation before mine. There are always people who want to appear perfect at any cost. Pretty sure that's the hallmark of every single person from middle school through high school and into college.
So, thanks but no thanks.
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