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Michael Mercier is Founder and President of Screen Education, which conducts research, and provides training and consulting services, on the impact of information technology on human wellness.
Mr. Mercier has conducted 18 research studies on digital addiction with teens, college students, summer campers, parents, Millennials, and full-time employees. His research has examined the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical consequences of digital addiction, as well as its impact on academic performance and workplace productivity, safety, and conflict. He also has studied the benefits people derive from digital detoxes. He has spoken on smartphone addiction to schools, corporate audiences, colleges and summer camps, as well as at numerous conferences, including educational technology, library, mental health, summer camp, mindfulness, workplace safety, and marketing conferences. |
His research partners have included EMI Research Solutions, Stark Statistical Consulting, Camp Kern, Camp Ernst, Camp Livingston, The Jewish Community Center Association of North America, Hiram College, BOLDFISH, and Calvert Catholic High School.
Mr. Mercier has presented his research to US Congressmen Jim Jordan and Brad Wenstrup, and to the legislative staffs of US Senators Brown, Hawley, Markey, Portman, and Sasse. Congressman Wenstrup made a House floor speech about his findings on cyberbullying, and he co-organized with the Congressman a roundtable discussion with educators on the role that social media plays in bullying and school violence. During the 2020/2021 academic year he will be teaching several seminars on tech addiction at Cincinnati State’s Workforce Development Center. He has been interviewed on a variety of radio and television shows. He holds a BA in Psychology from Vassar College, an MBA in Marketing from the University of Michigan, and an MS in MIS from the University of Cincinnati. |
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Mr. Mercier's interest in tech addiction stems in part from personal experience.
He enjoys camping on Lakes Michigan and Superior in the summer, where he enjoys the privilege of escaping the Internet. It was during a camping trip in August, 2014, that he decided to trade his Droid in for a flip phone. He went through serious withdrawal for 3-4 weeks, but once he got through that he never looked back. |
It was during another camping trip in August, 2017, that he decided to get off of Facebook. He accomplished this by essentially deconstructing his profile --- by unfriending all of his friends (after private messaging them to explain what he was doing), and unjoining all of his groups. While he still maintains a profile in order to partake in the occasional Scrabble game, he hasn't posted anything in over 3 years.
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