WEBVTT - Addicted to Scrolling? 3 Small Changes to STOP Feeling Drained After Scrolling Social Media

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<v Speaker 1>Is our destiny coded in the algorithm. If you feel

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<v Speaker 1>addicted to social media, this video is for you. If

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<v Speaker 1>you feel glued to whatever's on your feed and can't

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<v Speaker 1>stop doom scrolling, this video is for you. And if

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<v Speaker 1>you're worried about how social media is rewiring your brain,

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<v Speaker 1>this video is for you. Don't skip it. The number

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<v Speaker 1>one health and wellness podcast Jay Sety Jay Shetty set

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<v Speaker 1>I wanted to start today saying one thing. The algorithm

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<v Speaker 1>isn't as smart as we think it is. But the

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<v Speaker 1>deeper I went into my research, the more I realize

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<v Speaker 1>something unsettling. It's stronger than me, stronger than you, stronger

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<v Speaker 1>than all of us because it knows our weaknesses. But

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<v Speaker 1>here's what I also found. Even the strongest system that

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<v Speaker 1>has a glitch, the algorithm doesn't just know us. It

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<v Speaker 1>depends on us. And if we learn how it feeds,

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<v Speaker 1>we can decide whether to starve it or steer it.

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<v Speaker 1>When you google the words will I ever, the first

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<v Speaker 1>thing that comes up is will I ever find love?

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<v Speaker 1>The second is will I ever be enough? And the

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<v Speaker 1>third is will I am net worth? We go from

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<v Speaker 1>love to worth to money really quickly. But this search

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<v Speaker 1>for love, worth and belonging is what the algorithm exploits,

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<v Speaker 1>but not in the way you think. Picture this, it's midnight.

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<v Speaker 1>Think of a girl named Amelia lies in bed, phone

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<v Speaker 1>in her hand. She posts a photo, nothing dramatic, just

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<v Speaker 1>hoping someone notices. The likes trickle in her friend's comment.

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<v Speaker 1>She taps on another girl's profile, prettier, thinner, more followers,

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<v Speaker 1>She lingers, she clicks, She scrolls of them, pays attention.

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<v Speaker 1>The next night, her feed feels different, more flawless faces,

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<v Speaker 1>more filters, more diets, more lives that look nothing like hers.

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<v Speaker 1>Curiosity turns into comparison. Comparison turns into obsession, and soon

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<v Speaker 1>every scroll feels like it's whispering the same three words,

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<v Speaker 1>You're not enough. Until one night she doesn't see herself anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>She only sees the mirror the algorithm is holding up

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<v Speaker 1>to her. This isn't just a Merelia story. Fifty six

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<v Speaker 1>percent of girls feel they can't live up to the

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<v Speaker 1>beauty standards they see on social media. Ninety percent of

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<v Speaker 1>girls follow at least one social media account that makes

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<v Speaker 1>them feel less beautiful. But here's the real question. Did

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<v Speaker 1>the algorithm build that mirror or did she was it

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<v Speaker 1>coded in Silicon Valley or coded in our own clicks.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's look at the algorithm first. What do algorithms actually do?

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<v Speaker 1>Number one They watch every pause, every click, every like,

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<v Speaker 1>every share, even how long you hover over a video

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<v Speaker 1>or comment. TikTok tracks watch time down to the second.

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<v Speaker 1>If you rewatch a clip, it's a super strong signal.

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<v Speaker 1>Number two. They predict using your history and the behaviors

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<v Speaker 1>of millions of people like you, Algorithms predict what are

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<v Speaker 1>you most likely to engage with. Next. If people who

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<v Speaker 1>watch fitness videos also tend to watch diet hacks, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>probably get diet hacks. Number three. They amplify. The posts

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<v Speaker 1>that get more engagement, especially emotional engagement, are pushed to

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<v Speaker 1>more people. Number four. They adapt. Every click retrains the system.

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<v Speaker 1>Your feed tomorrow is shaped by what you do today.

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<v Speaker 1>YouTube's recommendation engine is called a reinforcement system. It's literally

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<v Speaker 1>designed to learn from your actions in real time. The

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<v Speaker 1>most accurate model is a cycle. First of all, we

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<v Speaker 1>click what feels good, familiar, or emotionally hot. Two, the

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<v Speaker 1>algorithm learns and serves us more of that to keep

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<v Speaker 1>us there. Number three, we become more entrenched and less

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<v Speaker 1>exposed to alternatives, and number four, outraging divisions spread faster

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<v Speaker 1>because anger is more contagious. In plain words, the algorithm

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<v Speaker 1>isn't a mastermind. It's a machine that asks one question,

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<v Speaker 1>over and over again, what will keep you here the longest?

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<v Speaker 1>It's like a maximum security prison. So how do we

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<v Speaker 1>get trapped? First? The nudge think, Netflix, AutoPlay, TikTok, infinite scroll,

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<v Speaker 1>the design that says, don't think, don't choose, just keep watching.

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<v Speaker 1>That's how you start a Korean baking show you didn't

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<v Speaker 1>even know existed, and three hours later you're crying over

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<v Speaker 1>a documentary on penguins. A study found disabling AutoPlay led

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<v Speaker 1>to a seventeen minute shorter average session. Showing AutoPlay measurably

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<v Speaker 1>extends watch time. It's not a choice disappearing. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>choice so well hidden you don't realize you never made it. Second,

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<v Speaker 1>the loop, Yale researchers found when people post moral outrage online,

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<v Speaker 1>people reward them with likes and retweets. That person now

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<v Speaker 1>posts even more outrage the next time. It's not the algorithm,

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<v Speaker 1>it's us. It's real people. As one researcher put it,

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<v Speaker 1>we don't just consume outrage, we start producing it because

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<v Speaker 1>outrage performs better than honesty. And Third, the push Mozilla's

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<v Speaker 1>YouTube Regrets project from twenty found that volunteers who started

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<v Speaker 1>with neutral searches like fitness or politics reported being steered

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<v Speaker 1>toward extremist, conspiratorial, or misogynistic content. Seventy one percent of

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<v Speaker 1>the videos people regretted watching were never searched for they

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<v Speaker 1>were recommended the ucl Kent study from twenty twenty four.

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<v Speaker 1>In a recent algorithmic model study, accounts on TikTok were

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<v Speaker 1>shown four times more misogynistic content on the for you

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<v Speaker 1>page within just five days of casual strolling. What does

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<v Speaker 1>this do to men and women? Women get more insecure

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<v Speaker 1>about their appearance. Men get more exposed to misogynistic content.

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<v Speaker 1>Women experience more anxiety and self doubt. Men become more

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<v Speaker 1>lonely and disconnected. Women compared their lives to others and

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<v Speaker 1>feel their falling behind. Men compared their state to others

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<v Speaker 1>and feel like they're being left behind. Both end up

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<v Speaker 1>in the same place on social media, isolated, exhausted, and

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<v Speaker 1>shaped by the same machine. The algorithm will do anything

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<v Speaker 1>to keep us glued. There is a huge incentive issue

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<v Speaker 1>for the algorithm because in one study where they chose

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<v Speaker 1>not to show toxic posts, users spent approximately nine percent

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<v Speaker 1>less time daily, experience fewer AD impressions, and generated fewer

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<v Speaker 1>AD clicks. The algorithm's goal is not to make us polarized.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not to make us happy. It's to make us

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<v Speaker 1>addicted and glued to our screens. It is showing you

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<v Speaker 1>what people like you are engaging with, assuming you will

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<v Speaker 1>stay as well. We talked about what the algorithm does.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's look at what role we play. Our clicks build

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<v Speaker 1>the cage. False news stories are seventy percent more likely

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<v Speaker 1>to be retweeted than true stories are. It also takes

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<v Speaker 1>true stories about six times as long to reach fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>hundred people as it does for false stories to reach

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<v Speaker 1>the same number of people. Algorithms don't see truth or lies,

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<v Speaker 1>They only see clicks from people like us want to

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<v Speaker 1>make a real difference This giving season, this December on

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<v Speaker 1>Purpose is part of Pods Fight Poverty podcast, teaming up

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<v Speaker 1>to lift three villages in Rwanda out of extreme poverty.

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<v Speaker 1>We're doing it through Give Directly, which sends cash straight

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<v Speaker 1>to families so they can choose what they need most.

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<v Speaker 1>Donate at GiveDirectly dot org forward slash on purpose. First

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<v Speaker 1>time gifts are matched, doubling your impact. Our goal is

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<v Speaker 1>one million dollars by year's end, enough to lift seven

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<v Speaker 1>hundred families out of poverty. Join us at GiveDirectly dot

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<v Speaker 1>org forward slash on purpose. Number two. False news spread

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<v Speaker 1>six times faster than true news because shocking content sparks

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<v Speaker 1>more clicks and shares from us, so the algorithm promotes

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<v Speaker 1>it further. The content must already have emotional potency. An

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<v Speaker 1>algorithm won't manufacture depth or resonance from nothing. It can't

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<v Speaker 1>make it go viral. Number three. For major media outlets,

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<v Speaker 1>each additional negative effect word in a post is associated

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<v Speaker 1>with a five to eight percent increase in shares and

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<v Speaker 1>retweets from US and four Facebook studies showed that even

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<v Speaker 1>when given the opportunity, users click links confirming their bias

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<v Speaker 1>far more often than opposing one. Liberals chose cross cutting

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<v Speaker 1>news twenty one percent of the time, conservatives thirty percent

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<v Speaker 1>of the time. Here's the twist. The algorithm doesn't pick

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<v Speaker 1>sides we do. It just learns our choice and builds

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<v Speaker 1>a fortress around it. The danger is in that we

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<v Speaker 1>have no choice. It's that we don't notice when our

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<v Speaker 1>choices are being shaped for us. So let's do a

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<v Speaker 1>thought experiment. Why don't we create a social media platform

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<v Speaker 1>without these incentives, one that doesn't play these games with us.

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<v Speaker 1>They already tried that, and when I'm about to share

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<v Speaker 1>with you shocked me the most. A new study out

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<v Speaker 1>of the University of Amsterdam tested this by creating a

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<v Speaker 1>stripped down social network, no ads, no recommendation algorithms, no

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<v Speaker 1>invisible hand pushing content. Researchers released five hundred AI chatbots

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<v Speaker 1>onto the platform, each powered by Open Ai, and gave

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<v Speaker 1>them distinct political and social identities. Then they let them

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<v Speaker 1>loose across five separate experiments amounting to ten thousand interactions.

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<v Speaker 1>The bots began to behave exactly like us. They followed

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<v Speaker 1>those who thought like them. They've reposted the loudest, most

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<v Speaker 1>extreme voices. They gravitated into echo chambers, not because an

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<v Speaker 1>algorithm pushed them there, but because that's where they chose

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<v Speaker 1>to go. It also found that users who posted the

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<v Speaker 1>most partisan content tended to get the most followers and reposts.

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<v Speaker 1>Researchers tried interventions dampening virality, hiding follow accounts, even boosting

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<v Speaker 1>opposing views, but nothing cracked the cycle. The most they

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<v Speaker 1>managed was a six percent reduction in partisan engagement. In

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<v Speaker 1>some cases, when they started hiding user bios, the divide

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<v Speaker 1>actually grew sharper, and the most extreme posts gained even

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<v Speaker 1>more traction. The implication is chilling. Maybe it isn't just

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<v Speaker 1>the algorithms that wop us. Maybe social media itself is

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<v Speaker 1>wired against our better nature. Think about it like a

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<v Speaker 1>funhouse mirror. It doesn't simply reflect who we are. It

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<v Speaker 1>stretches our fears. It magnifies our biases and turns our

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<v Speaker 1>flaws into a spectacle. As humans, we can live consciously

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<v Speaker 1>or unconsciously. We can choose our stronger selves or our

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<v Speaker 1>weaker selves. When we choose our weaker self, humans are

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<v Speaker 1>not just curious. We're programmed to measure ourselves against others.

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<v Speaker 1>Comparison is our oldest survival instinct. Envy is the emotional fuel.

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<v Speaker 1>The algorithm didn't invent it, but it does exploit it

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<v Speaker 1>when we're tired, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Humans are not ruled

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<v Speaker 1>by curiosity. We're ruled by comparison, and envy is the

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<v Speaker 1>price of admission. The algorithm didn't create envy, it just

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<v Speaker 1>turned it into an economy. Now why do we do this?

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<v Speaker 1>The first is negativity bias. Evolution tuned us to notice

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<v Speaker 1>threats more than opportunities. Missing a bery was fine, Missing

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<v Speaker 1>a snake was fatal. Number two, outrage is social currency.

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<v Speaker 1>Expressing outrage signals loyalty to your group. It tells others

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<v Speaker 1>I'm one of us, and in polarized contexts, this isn't

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<v Speaker 1>just emotion, its identity signaling. Clicking rage is clicking belonging.

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<v Speaker 1>Number three cognitive efficiency. Negative content is often simpler. This

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<v Speaker 1>is bad. They're wrong, We're threatened. The brain prefers cognitive

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<v Speaker 1>ease over nuance. Complex balanced content demands more effort. Negativity

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<v Speaker 1>feels immedia, digest and actionable. So what do we do

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<v Speaker 1>about this? Doom Scrolling increases cortisol, anxiety, and learned helplessness.

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<v Speaker 1>In that state, people feel like they have no agency,

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<v Speaker 1>which can reinforce the sense of doom. So we have

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<v Speaker 1>an incentive issue for the platforms because they're just trying

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<v Speaker 1>to keep us glued, and we have a lack of

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<v Speaker 1>mental resilience for us. Put those both together, that's what

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<v Speaker 1>we're experiencing. Right now. So what do we do about

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<v Speaker 1>the incentive issue? People often ask me if I think

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<v Speaker 1>AI will ever have a soul, and my response is,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if AI will ever have a soul.

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<v Speaker 1>I just hope that people building AI have a soul.

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<v Speaker 1>The people who created these algorithms will lose millions or

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<v Speaker 1>billions if they adjusted the algorithm. Would they do that,

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<v Speaker 1>Will they recognize or think they have a responsibility. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a really interesting thing to think about because it's almost

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<v Speaker 1>like we're making something that is becoming us. It's almost

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<v Speaker 1>like Frankenstein, that idea that whatever system we build has

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<v Speaker 1>a part of us in it. If you build a company,

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<v Speaker 1>it has a part of you in it. There's an

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<v Speaker 1>energetic exchange as well. So what does that feel like

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<v Speaker 1>when you're building a platform that millions and billions of

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<v Speaker 1>people use. The truth is we can't afford to just

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<v Speaker 1>diagnose the problem. And I get intrigued by that sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>when people just want to diagnose the problem. But we

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<v Speaker 1>need to find solutions, and here are three changes social

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<v Speaker 1>media companies could try. The first is platforms should offer

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<v Speaker 1>chronological feeds by default, not buried in settings, and give

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<v Speaker 1>users transparent control to toggle between chronological and algorithmic. Facebook's

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<v Speaker 1>own studies show chronological feeds reduce political polarization and misinformation exposure,

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<v Speaker 1>though engagement does drop. The second thing they can do

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<v Speaker 1>is actually probably my favorite. Add friction before sharing. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>read before retweet prompts, share limits, cooling off periods on

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<v Speaker 1>viral posts. Imagine you couldn't share something until you add

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<v Speaker 1>read it in full. Imagine you can share something until

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<v Speaker 1>you'd what's that video in full? Twitter's twenty twenty read

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<v Speaker 1>before retweet experiment led to a forty percent increase in

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<v Speaker 1>people opening articles before sharing. WhatsApps forwarding limits dramatically slowed

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<v Speaker 1>misinformation in India. This could actually make a difference because

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<v Speaker 1>not only are we misinforming others, we're underinformed ourselves. If

0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:11.199
<v Speaker 1>you're retweeting something just based on the headline and have

0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:15.040
<v Speaker 1>no idea what's inside of it, we're now propelling ideas

0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:19.160
<v Speaker 1>that we don't fully grasp and understand. And number three

0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:25.440
<v Speaker 1>require algorithmic transparency and independent audits. Companies must publish how

0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:31.880
<v Speaker 1>recommendation systems prioritize content and allow external researchers to study

0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:36.919
<v Speaker 1>the impacts. The EU's Digital Services Act is already moving

0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:42.000
<v Speaker 1>this way, requiring large platforms to open their algorithms to scrutiny.

0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:46.000
<v Speaker 1>Now what do we do about the human nature issue?

0:17:46.520 --> 0:17:48.360
<v Speaker 1>I want to share with you one of my favorite stories.

0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:52.840
<v Speaker 1>A student once asked the Buddha, what do you gain

0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:57.760
<v Speaker 1>from meditation? He said nothing. The student asked them, why

0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:01.600
<v Speaker 1>do you meditate if you gain nothing? The Buddha replied,

0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:05.720
<v Speaker 1>I don't meditate because of what I gain. I meditate

0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:10.520
<v Speaker 1>because of what I lose. I lose anger, I lose envy,

0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:15.160
<v Speaker 1>I lose ego. If the algorithm is made of us,

0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:21.600
<v Speaker 1>then changing it doesn't start with code, It starts with character.

0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:26.359
<v Speaker 1>We have to remember that we are wired for generosity

0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:32.360
<v Speaker 1>but educated for greed. When will we finally start teaching

0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:37.159
<v Speaker 1>emotional mastery in schools? How long before we start teaching

0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:41.720
<v Speaker 1>critical thinking at an early age. Maybe the real test

0:18:42.359 --> 0:18:46.920
<v Speaker 1>isn't to build a happier network, it's to build happier users.

0:18:47.480 --> 0:18:50.639
<v Speaker 1>We built a machine to know us, and it became

0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:54.440
<v Speaker 1>us when we started on purpose. There are only three

0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:58.200
<v Speaker 1>things that went viral, cats and dogs. Sorry to put

0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:01.400
<v Speaker 1>them in the same group, babies and people taking their

0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:06.000
<v Speaker 1>clothes off. I had the innocent intention the naive vision

0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:10.879
<v Speaker 1>of making wisdom go viral. Today, we do over five

0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:16.280
<v Speaker 1>hundred million views across platforms every month, not playing into

0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:19.159
<v Speaker 1>rage bait, not trying to get pivot at be angry.

0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.800
<v Speaker 1>What does it show me? It shows me that people

0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:26.760
<v Speaker 1>will choose healthier options if they're available, if it's presented

0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:30.399
<v Speaker 1>to them in a digestible way. People will choose a

0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:33.159
<v Speaker 1>salad if they know why it's better for them, and

0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:36.920
<v Speaker 1>if it's available and has a great dressing. It's our

0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:40.040
<v Speaker 1>role to not play into the fear and find ways

0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:44.160
<v Speaker 1>to make love more attractive and accessible. It's so easy

0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:48.160
<v Speaker 1>to sell fear, It's so easy to sell negativity, it's

0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:52.040
<v Speaker 1>so easy to sell gossip. But the truth is, why

0:19:52.160 --> 0:19:56.960
<v Speaker 1>sell the things that sell people short? Why not provide

0:19:56.960 --> 0:20:01.800
<v Speaker 1>them with alternatives that are healthy, strengthening, empowering, that give

0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:03.919
<v Speaker 1>them the tools to make a difference in their life.

0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:09.280
<v Speaker 1>Here's the good news. Algorithms do not fully decide your fate.

0:20:09.960 --> 0:20:14.400
<v Speaker 1>They're predictive, not deterministic. They rely on your past clicks.

0:20:14.840 --> 0:20:19.160
<v Speaker 1>But you can override them by searching, subscribing to diverse sources,

0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:23.800
<v Speaker 1>and consciously engaging with content outside of your bubble. So

0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:25.479
<v Speaker 1>I want you to take a look at a new account.

0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:28.280
<v Speaker 1>I started in the for you page. The for you

0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:34.159
<v Speaker 1>page is pretty simple. It's beautiful imagery. It's introducing me

0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:37.720
<v Speaker 1>to a couple of scenery, and as I scroll down,

0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:40.400
<v Speaker 1>you start to see more of what the average person

0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:42.400
<v Speaker 1>would see. The for you page as you go deeper

0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:48.040
<v Speaker 1>shows you everything from political podcasts, shows me people working out,

0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:51.359
<v Speaker 1>shows me influencer content. Now I'm going to show you

0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:53.640
<v Speaker 1>how easy it is to change your for you page

0:20:54.200 --> 0:20:56.280
<v Speaker 1>because this page is so visual. I'm going to do

0:20:56.320 --> 0:20:58.760
<v Speaker 1>it through finding quotes and also, you know I love quotes,

0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:02.240
<v Speaker 1>So I'm going to go follow some quotes. I'm going

0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:06.000
<v Speaker 1>to like some quotes, going to like another quote, I'm

0:21:06.040 --> 0:21:07.879
<v Speaker 1>going to hover over it for a while. This is

0:21:07.920 --> 0:21:11.960
<v Speaker 1>really important to actually hover over the quote, to actually

0:21:12.040 --> 0:21:14.520
<v Speaker 1>read it, to actually be present with it. And now

0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:16.439
<v Speaker 1>I'm even going to share a quote with a friend

0:21:17.200 --> 0:21:18.840
<v Speaker 1>who's now going to think they have an issue because

0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:22.320
<v Speaker 1>I just shared some wisdom with them. When I refresh

0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:27.280
<v Speaker 1>check out my for you page, it's pretty much all quotes.

0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:32.399
<v Speaker 1>Through three to four simple steps, I transformed my for

0:21:32.560 --> 0:21:36.719
<v Speaker 1>you page. This is almost a cleansing, filtering process that

0:21:36.760 --> 0:21:39.960
<v Speaker 1>I recommend you do. It's simple. I want you to

0:21:40.000 --> 0:21:45.119
<v Speaker 1>follow five people you wouldn't usually follow. Agency isn't eliminated,

0:21:45.640 --> 0:21:49.880
<v Speaker 1>it's eroded by habit. People who intentionally curate their feeds,

0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:56.240
<v Speaker 1>limit usage, or diversify inputs show significantly less polarization. The

0:21:56.320 --> 0:21:58.720
<v Speaker 1>second thing I want you to do is hover over

0:21:59.200 --> 0:22:02.920
<v Speaker 1>and comment on five pieces of content you want to

0:22:02.960 --> 0:22:06.840
<v Speaker 1>see more of your offline life still matters. Real books,

0:22:06.880 --> 0:22:11.560
<v Speaker 1>real conversations, and communities can counteract the digital echo chamber.

0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:14.760
<v Speaker 1>And number three, I want you to share five pieces

0:22:14.800 --> 0:22:18.920
<v Speaker 1>of content you wouldn't usually and see how that changes

0:22:18.960 --> 0:22:22.480
<v Speaker 1>your algorithm. Number four, don't look at your phone first

0:22:22.480 --> 0:22:25.679
<v Speaker 1>thing in the morning. It's like letting one hundred strangers

0:22:25.720 --> 0:22:29.159
<v Speaker 1>walk into your bedroom before you've brush your teeth or

0:22:29.280 --> 0:22:32.240
<v Speaker 1>washed your face. You would never do that in real life,

0:22:32.800 --> 0:22:36.840
<v Speaker 1>don't do it online. And five be present with joy.

0:22:37.560 --> 0:22:42.440
<v Speaker 1>Celebrate your friend's wins and accomplishments. Stop overreacting to negativity

0:22:42.960 --> 0:22:47.720
<v Speaker 1>and underreacting to joy. We remember the bad times more

0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:51.280
<v Speaker 1>than the good times, because when we lose, we cry

0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:54.639
<v Speaker 1>for a month, and when we win, we celebrate for

0:22:54.680 --> 0:22:57.920
<v Speaker 1>a night. Here's what I want you to remember when

0:22:57.920 --> 0:23:02.240
<v Speaker 1>you like something. You're telling the algorithm show me more

0:23:02.280 --> 0:23:06.280
<v Speaker 1>of this. When you hover over something, you're saying to

0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:10.000
<v Speaker 1>the algorithm, I pay attention when you show me this.

0:23:10.600 --> 0:23:13.639
<v Speaker 1>When you comment on something, you're saying, this is really

0:23:13.680 --> 0:23:17.639
<v Speaker 1>important to me. And when you share it off the platform,

0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:23.640
<v Speaker 1>you're saying, fill my feed with this. You're co creating

0:23:23.920 --> 0:23:28.080
<v Speaker 1>your algorithm. You're actually coding it. One of my favorite

0:23:28.080 --> 0:23:32.840
<v Speaker 1>thoughts comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald. He said, the test

0:23:32.880 --> 0:23:36.840
<v Speaker 1>of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold

0:23:37.320 --> 0:23:42.040
<v Speaker 1>two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time

0:23:42.920 --> 0:23:48.639
<v Speaker 1>and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example,

0:23:48.720 --> 0:23:52.240
<v Speaker 1>he said, be able to see that things are hopeless

0:23:53.160 --> 0:23:58.399
<v Speaker 1>and yet be determined to make them otherwise. That second

0:23:58.480 --> 0:24:02.440
<v Speaker 1>part is so needed right now, That's what our stories need,

0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:07.320
<v Speaker 1>accepting that things are tough, things are really hard, and

0:24:07.400 --> 0:24:10.800
<v Speaker 1>at the same time reminding each other that you can

0:24:10.920 --> 0:24:14.240
<v Speaker 1>make a change, You can transform your life, you can

0:24:14.320 --> 0:24:18.840
<v Speaker 1>take accountability, you can take action, you do have agency.

0:24:19.680 --> 0:24:24.159
<v Speaker 1>Reminding the world that extraordinary things have always been achieved

0:24:24.640 --> 0:24:27.879
<v Speaker 1>by a group of ordinary people. I'll leave you with this.

0:24:28.880 --> 0:24:32.200
<v Speaker 1>Imagine you walk into a party. At first, it looks fun,

0:24:32.480 --> 0:24:36.439
<v Speaker 1>people laughing, music playing, stories being told. But then you

0:24:36.520 --> 0:24:40.919
<v Speaker 1>notice something strange. Everywhere you turn, someone's doing better than you,

0:24:41.640 --> 0:24:45.880
<v Speaker 1>someone richer, someone prettier, someone with more friends, more followers,

0:24:45.920 --> 0:24:49.720
<v Speaker 1>more success. You walk into another room, and this one

0:24:49.720 --> 0:24:53.800
<v Speaker 1>feels worse. The room is full of arguments, everyone's shouting,

0:24:53.840 --> 0:24:57.639
<v Speaker 1>no one's listening, and the louder and angrier someone is

0:24:57.920 --> 0:25:01.720
<v Speaker 1>the bigger the crowd around them. That's when it hits you.

0:25:01.720 --> 0:25:04.400
<v Speaker 1>You never chose to come to this room. You were

0:25:04.440 --> 0:25:08.840
<v Speaker 1>invited by the algorithm. That's the cruel genius of social media.

0:25:09.520 --> 0:25:13.080
<v Speaker 1>It doesn't force us into comparison. It discovers we're already

0:25:13.160 --> 0:25:17.280
<v Speaker 1>drawn to it. It doesn't create division, It learns that

0:25:17.400 --> 0:25:21.840
<v Speaker 1>anger holds our gaze longer than joy. The algorithm didn't

0:25:21.880 --> 0:25:27.159
<v Speaker 1>create outrage. It turned outrage into entertainment. And here's the

0:25:27.240 --> 0:25:31.359
<v Speaker 1>question only you can answer. When you pick up your

0:25:31.359 --> 0:25:37.320
<v Speaker 1>phone tonight, are you walking back into that same party

0:25:37.480 --> 0:25:41.240
<v Speaker 1>or will you finally leave? Thank you for listening. I

0:25:41.280 --> 0:25:44.760
<v Speaker 1>hope you've subscribed. Share this episode with someone who needs

0:25:44.800 --> 0:25:47.919
<v Speaker 1>to hear it, And remember I'm forever in your corner

0:25:48.440 --> 0:25:51.560
<v Speaker 1>and I'm always rooting for you. If you love this episode,

0:25:51.680 --> 0:25:55.080
<v Speaker 1>you will also love my interview with Charles Douhig on

0:25:55.200 --> 0:25:59.080
<v Speaker 1>how to hack your brain, change any habit effortlessly, and

0:25:59.119 --> 0:26:02.879
<v Speaker 1>the secret to making better decisions. Look, am I hesitating

0:26:02.880 --> 0:26:05.359
<v Speaker 1>on this because I'm scared of making the choice, because

0:26:05.359 --> 0:26:07.560
<v Speaker 1>I'm scared of doing the work, Or am I sitting

0:26:07.560 --> 0:26:10.280
<v Speaker 1>with this because it just doesn't feel right yet