Part 1: MLA citation
Bailey Parnell. “Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? .” YouTube, Tedx Talks, 22 June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg_9C7gw0o.
Part 2 Summary
In the intro if “ Is social media hurting your mental health” it starts off by saying comments like “im fat” “one more like” things that come to mind while scrolling to tik tok. Bailey Parnell talks about her own personal experience with social media. How she noticed that she found out she was addicted to not only her phone but posting things on her social platforms after a vacation. She felt distracted and 4 days later she started to feel stress and anxious asking to herself how she might not be the only one feeling this. Parnell started researching more about it and noticed how teens are more demographically affected. She mentioned that the center for collegiate mental health found 3 top diagnoses, anxiety, depression, stress. However, Parnell gathers down 4 stressor on social media. Highlight reel is more of collecting best moments and posting them in social media. Making people see a better picture of you and not what really goes on. Parnell uses her friend’s post as an example and shares her first thoughts. However she mentions that she knows her friend and she knows that she probably has tons of homework due but in her post it is more like she is relaxing in her vacation. Social media currency is described as more like a competition for attention. How people are more focused is people like the product, but in this case we, the users, are the product. Removing the picture if it doesn’t receive too much likes just like if they remove a product from the market if it doesn’t sell. Parnell projects many people’s thoughts about social media and asks how many people feel like closing their social media but fears to be left out. Following this, she mentions a third stressor FOMO (fear of missing out). People continue to have their social media just to feel included no matter how bad it affects them. Leading to the 4th stressor which is online harassment. 40% of the people experience online harassment while 73% witness it. Parnell mentions how social media is more a micro moment that over time will turn to a macro problem. However she mentions recognizing the problem is a a way to raise awareness to create a better online experience.
Part 3 Rhetorical analysis
The genre of the Ted talk “Is social media hurting your mental health?” is an educational piece and a self awareness. Bailey Parnell is one of the top 100 most powerful women in canada. She also has won an award for digital marketer, public speaker and businesswoman with a talent for helping people tell better stories. Ted Talk is a non profit organization that shares international talks online. This ted talk is structured in an informative and persuasive way. Parnell uses pathos by engaging with the audience with thoughts they might encounter while using social media. She also uses logic by using her research from the center for collegiate mental health in order to support her informative talk. The intended audience is for any age. She expresses how not only teens but adults can suffer through difficult times while using social media. This video was published in 2017. Even though it is not really current, I chose this video because not only does Parnell point out the bad things but she also brings up ways to improve our time on social media.
Part 4 Notable quotes
“We struggle with insecurity because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel” (4:23-4:27)
“In social media, We are the product. We are letting others attribute value to us we know someone or are someone who has taken down their photo because it didn’t take as many likes as you thought it will ”(5:54-6:06)
“Micro moments over time become macro problems we have to recognize these everyday instances as well because if they go unchecked and the effects unnoticed we are going to have many more Tyler Clementis ”(8:37-8:53)
