Kara Alaimo
How To Convince Your Staff To Put Down Their Phones AND Have A Great Summer
About Kara
Communications Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, CNN Contributor, and Award Winning Author
Kara Alaimo, PhD is a communication professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she created the university’s academic programs on the topic of social media. Her book, Over The Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls — and How We Take It Back, was published in March of 2024, and discusses how social media is affecting every aspect of the lives of women and girls. She contributes analysis pieces for CNN. She was a former spokesperson for the Obama Administration, and a communicator at the United Nations. She speaks frequently to educators, students and parents on handling the social media use of children. In 2017, she received the Titan of the Future award at the World Communication Forum gala in Geneva, and was named one of the 50 “game-changers” in the field of public relations by PR News.
Kara’s Presentations
How To Convince Your Staff To Put Down Their Phones AND Have A Great Summer
Pre-Conference Closing Presentation
In this session, social media expert Kara Alaimo, PhD will explain how to convince your staff to put away their phones while they’re at camp. She’ll start by explaining why it’s simply unsafe to be on our phones while we’re watching children. Then she’ll tell you how to make the case for why a summer with smartphones is good for staff themselves: they’ll practice the art of being fully present in their surroundings, getting comfortable with their thoughts and even experiencing boredom. Nixing phones will also allow them to invest more in relationships with the humans around them. She’ll explain why doing so will be good for their physical and mental health and even fun — leaving them with skills and relationships that will serve them throughout their lives.
How to Teach Your Campers to Protect & Empower Themselves on Social Media
Breakout Presentation
In this session, Kara Alaimo, PhD, a communication professor and social media expert, will tell you how to run a session for campers teaching them how to protect and empower themselves on social media. She’ll address the critical kids things need to know, such as why they shouldn’t compare their lives and bodies to the glamorized pictures they see on Instagram, what to do when they or someone they know is bullied online, why they shouldn’t believe everything they see online, and how to protect themselves from dangers including catfishers and predators. She’ll also talk about how to teach kids to find healthy content and communities online and why it’s so important to seek out opportunities for offline friendships and activities. She’ll give you a script for running a rainy-day session that will be appreciated by campers (and their parents!) and for answering questions that often come up when we develop relationships with young people.
