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The Center for Collegiate Mental Health found that the top three diagnoses on University campuses are anxiety, depression, and stress. And numerous studies from the US, Canada, the UK, you name it, have linked this high social media use with these high levels of anxiety and depression. But the scary thing is that high social media use is almost everyone I know: it's my friends, it's my family, my colleagues. 90% of 18- to 29-year-olds are on social media. We spend on average two hours a day there. We don't even eat for two hours a day. 70% of the Canadian population is on social media. Our voter turnout isn't even 70%. Anything we do this often is worthy of critical observation. Anything we spend this much time doing has lasting effects on us. So let me introduce you to four of the most common stressors on social media, that if go unchecked have potential to become full-blown mental health issues, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. Number one: the Highlight Reel. Just like in sports, the highlight reel is a collection of the best and brightest moments. Social media is our personal highlight reel. It's where we put up our wins, or when we look great, or when we are out with friends and family. But we struggle with insecurity because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reels. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. And yes, this was happening before social media, with TV and celebrity, but now it's happening all the time, and it's directly linked to you.

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The Center for Collegiate Mental Health / found / that the top three diagnoses / on University campuses / are anxiety, / depression, / and stress. // And numerous studies from the US, / Canada, / the UK, / you name it, / have linked this high social media use / with these high levels of anxiety / and depression. // But the scary thing is that / high social media use is almost everyone I know: / it's my friends, / it's my family, / my colleagues. // 90% / of 18- to 29-year-olds / are on social media. // We spend on average two hours a day there. // We don't even eat for two hours a day. // 70% / of the Canadian population / is on social media. // Our voter turnout / isn't even 70%. // Anything we do this often / is worthy of critical observation. // Anything we spend this much time doing has lasting effects on us. // So let me introduce you / to four / of the most common stressors on social media, / that if go unchecked have potential to become full-blown mental health issues,// and this is by no means an exhaustive list. // Number one: / the Highlight Reel. / Just like in sports, / the highlight reel is a collection of the best and brightest moments. // Social media is our personal highlight reel. // It's where we put up our wins, / or when we look great, / or when we are out with friends and family. // But we struggle with insecurity because we compare our behind-the-scenes / with everyone else's highlight reels. // We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. // And yes, / this was happening before social media, / with TV and celebrity, / but now it's happening all the time, / and it's directly linked to you. //

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Here's a perfect example I came across in preparation for this talk. It's my friend on vacation: 'brb, nap ...' Wait, why can't I afford a vacation? Why am I just sitting here in my PJ's watching Netflix? I want to be on a beach.' Here's the thing, I know her very well. I knew this was out of the ordinary for her. I knew she was typically drowning in schoolwork. But we think, 'Who wants to see that?' The highlights are what people want to see. In fact, when your highlights do well, you encounter the second stressor on social media. Which is number two: Social Currency. Just like the dollar, a currency is literally something we use to attribute value to a good or service. In social media, these likes, the comments, the shares, they've become this form of social currency by which we attribute value to something. In marketing, we call it the 'Economy of Attention'. Everything is competing for your attention, and when you give something a like or a piece of that finite attention, it becomes a recorded transaction attributing value. Which is great if you are selling albums or clothing. The problem is that in our social media, [WE are the product.] We are letting others attribute value to us. You know someone or are someone that's taken down a photo because it didn't take as many likes as you thought it would. I'll admit, I've been right there with you. We took our product off the shelf because it wasn't selling fast enough. This is changing our sense of identity. We are tying up our self-worth of what others think about us and then we are quantifying it for everyone to see.

Let's follow Bailey Parnell...

Here's a perfect example I came across in preparation for this talk. / It's my friend on vacation: / 'brb, nap ...' // Wait, / why can't I afford a vacation? // Why am I just sitting here in my PJ's watching Netflix? // I want to be on a beach. // Here's the thing, / I know her very well. // I knew this was out of the ordinary for her. // I knew she was typically drowning in schoolwork. // But we think, / 'Who wants to see that?' // The highlights are what people want to see. // In fact, / when your highlights do well, / you encounter the second stressor on social media. // Which is number two: // Social Currency. // Just like the dollar, / a currency / is literally something we use to attribute value to a good or service. // In social media, / these likes, the comments, / the shares, / they've become this form of social currency / by which we attribute value to something. // In marketing, / we call it the 'Economy of Attention'. // Everything is competing for your attention, / and when you give something a like / or a piece of that finite attention, / it becomes a recorded transaction / attributing value. // Which is great if you are selling albums / or clothing. // The problem is that in our social media, / [WE are the product.] // We are letting others attribute value to us. // You know someone / or are someone that's taken down a photo because it didn't take as many likes as you thought it would. // I'll admit, / I've been right there with you. // We took our product / off the shelf / because it wasn't selling fast enough. // This is changing our sense of identity. // We are tying up our self-worth of what others think about us and then we are quantifying it for everyone to see. //