Facebook Fearless: How social media can be good for you | Tracy Alloway | TEDxJacksonville

The ubiquitous use of social media has caused many to fear that these personalized technology platforms are creating a generation that is narcissistic and self-obsessed. But before we dismiss personalized technology as the perpetrator of our current societal ills, Professor Alloway argues that we must take a closer look at how social media can improve not only our memory of events, but also the way in which we observe our own lives and relate to those around us.

Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway is a psychology professor and the Graduate Program Director at the University of North Florida. She was awarded an Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2015 as well as an Outstanding International Leadership Award in 2014. She was also the recipient of the prestigious Joseph Lister Award for outstanding skills in communicating to a non-specialist audience from the British Science Association. Tracy’s research has contributed to the scientific understanding of working memory, and specifically in relation to education and learning needs. She has presented her research to national organizations such as the National Center for Learning Disabilities, and as well as internationally to organizations such as the Japanese Society for Developmental Psychology and the Center on Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk in Germany, among others.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx