On Friday, March 8, the Archdiocese of New York hosted their 3rd annual Student Leadership Conference at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Manhattan. Seven representatives from Student Council participated in the event focused on engaging in the media with a Catholic lens.
Student Council Secretary Augusta Saverimuttu found the conference “extremely eye opening to truly see the impact that social media has on our lives and more importantly its effect on society in general.” Keynote speaker Sister Nancy Usselman, FSP, spoke about the necessity of teens to be mindful in their social media use. President Athina Sonitis and Student Council Representative Marissa Poska echoed these sentiments stating “teens come across thousands of messages every day and it’s hard to tell what is real, fake, or just an opinion,” but “when we like, favorite, or repost something without knowing the whole story, we are falling into this trap.”
These actions actually create media content and contribute to a confirmation culture. “This allows a person to take in the content that confirms or agrees with a belief they already have, [making it] far more difficult to challenge ourselves with different points of view,” Vice President Stella O’Brien declared.
For more information or tips on how to responsibly engage with the media, go to http://www.bemediamindful.org to learn more about the Pauline Center for Media Studies. To read the article by Catholic New York which features an interview with Vice President Stella O’Brien, click here: http://cny.org/stories/