SXSW Voting Has Begun! Please Vote for 50 Shades of Social Media: Freeing Sadomasochists

UPDATE 8/22/12: One of the members of our panel has created an awesome video explaining what we are hoping to accomplish with our SXSW presentation. Check it out and don’t forget to vote here:

http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/2864

Original Post:

Is social media helping or hurting us? The standard argument against our current preoccupation with social media preaches that social media is an unhealthy compulsion. Checking Twitter is like eating that first delicious crunchy potato chip – it feels great until we’ve eaten the entire bag. After reading tweets all morning, desperately trolling the internet for that one last morsel of information, we feel bloated by information, tired, and overwhelmed. We beat ourselves up and yet our inner sadomasochist begs for more. In the era of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” light BDSM is very appealing. But there is another narrative: Social media is a healthy compulsion. In our desire to be connected we bring connection and information to people that make our community, profession, and the world a better place. Accessing our inner dominatrix becomes a gift to the world. Join us as we explore and discuss ways that mindfulness techniques can help you accept and enjoy your Fifty Shades of Social Media.

Questions Answered

1. What indicates a serious problem?
2. Why am I torturing myself and is that really a bad thing?
3. Should we seek to limit exposure to technology, or should we seek to develop (new) ways of managing the vast amount of information at our fingertips?
4. Are current approaches to managing stress appropriate to addressing this problem, or does it require a paradigmatic change?
5. What strategies will allow me to achieve Net Freedom? What is it about mindfulness that can help set me free

Speakers

• Mozart Guerrier, Aunt Bertha
• Jonathan Singer, Temple University, Social Work Podcast
• Karen Zgoda, Boston College
• Nancy Smyth, University at Buffalo, Virtual Connections

Voting has begun and ENDS August 31. Voting is very competitive and accounts for 30% of a panel being selected.

Please VOTE NOW at this link – http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/2864

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