1
00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,400
Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

2
00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:16,360
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

3
00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,680
Speaker 1: tip is to use social media as a way station,

4
00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:25,600
Speaker 1: not a destination. Facebook and other platforms can be great

5
00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,160
Speaker 1: for helping you feel more connected to others, as long

6
00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,360
Speaker 1: as you use them as a means to an end,

7
00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:38,400
Speaker 1: rather than as an end in and of themselves. Today's

8
00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:44,120
Speaker 1: tip comes from behavioral neuroscientist Stephanie Kecopo. In a recent

9
00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,760
Speaker 1: New York Times article, she noted that social media can

10
00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,800
Speaker 1: be a source of disconnection as people compare their actual

11
00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:56,760
Speaker 1: experiences to other people's social media posts. Now, that is

12
00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,840
Speaker 1: probably not news to anyone listening to this, but social

13
00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:05,560
Speaker 1: media isn't all bad, as she explains, if people can

14
00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:09,160
Speaker 1: use social media as a way station rather than as

15
00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,600
Speaker 1: the destination, that could really help. She goes on to

16
00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,520
Speaker 1: say social media can be a great tool to form connection.

17
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,800
Speaker 1: It all depends on how you use it. When we

18
00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:26,600
Speaker 1: use social media as the destination, we may focus our

19
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:31,640
Speaker 1: attention there, spending hours scrolling around and feeling lonely as

20
00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,200
Speaker 1: a result. But when we use it as a way station,

21
00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,520
Speaker 1: we embrace the power of the tool. To help us

22
00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,759
Speaker 1: connect to people in real life. I think you can

23
00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,200
Speaker 1: see how this would play out. Maybe you've moved to

24
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,360
Speaker 1: a new town. Sites like meet up could help you

25
00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,440
Speaker 1: find new friends. I've seen friendships form among people in

26
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,000
Speaker 1: the Patreon group for my other podcast, Best of Both Worlds,

27
00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,080
Speaker 1: as people post on the forum that they live in,

28
00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,240
Speaker 1: say Boston, and decide to meet up with others who

29
00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,000
Speaker 1: live there too. If you are doing something out of

30
00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:13,880
Speaker 1: the ordinary, like raising triplets, there might not be that

31
00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,760
Speaker 1: many people in your town experiencing the same thing, but

32
00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,480
Speaker 1: you could meet someone in a Facebook group for parents

33
00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,120
Speaker 1: of multiples and gather at a playground an hour from

34
00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,680
Speaker 1: each of you where your broods can play and you

35
00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,760
Speaker 1: can bond. You meet like minded people online and then

36
00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:37,080
Speaker 1: use that ability to find people to establish real life connections.

37
00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,440
Speaker 1: Social media can also be a way station, not a destination,

38
00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,160
Speaker 1: when it helps you keep up with what's going on

39
00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,640
Speaker 1: with the people in your life. The key is to

40
00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,639
Speaker 1: do more than just like a post about say someone

41
00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:57,160
Speaker 1: finishing up a busy season at work. Engage with their news,

42
00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,160
Speaker 1: perhaps by suggesting a get together with the friends to

43
00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,400
Speaker 1: schedule has just eased up. Another way social media can

44
00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,560
Speaker 1: be a waystation is if you use it to rally

45
00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,400
Speaker 1: friends to participate in an in person activity you are planning,

46
00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,480
Speaker 1: whether it's a one off experience like going to an

47
00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,480
Speaker 1: art fair, or maybe an ongoing activity like a book club.

48
00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,239
Speaker 1: Mention that it looks interesting and see who else is

49
00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,360
Speaker 1: up for it. It takes a lot of effort to

50
00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,440
Speaker 1: email or call fifty people who might potentially be interested,

51
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,400
Speaker 1: but it takes almost zero effort to mention that to

52
00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:38,160
Speaker 1: close friends online if you have been reasonably careful about

53
00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:42,960
Speaker 1: who you've friended and how much information you share. When

54
00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,440
Speaker 1: we treat social media as a destination where we focus

55
00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,280
Speaker 1: all our social energy, we can feel disconnected from life.

56
00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,120
Speaker 1: But when we think about social media as a way station,

57
00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,200
Speaker 1: a stop on the road to live connection, can make

58
00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:05,880
Speaker 1: the most of the opportunities it presents. How do you

59
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,480
Speaker 1: use social media to pave the way for real connection?

60
00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,560
Speaker 1: You can let me know at Laura at Laura vandercam

61
00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:20,200
Speaker 1: dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

62
00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:31,000
Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks

63
00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:35,159
Speaker 1: for listening to before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

64
00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,680
Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

65
00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:48,200
Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

66
00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,719
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

67
00:04:53,000 --> 00:05:05,720
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.