WEBVTT - A way station not a destination

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to use social media as a way station,

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<v Speaker 1>not a destination. Facebook and other platforms can be great

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<v Speaker 1>for helping you feel more connected to others, as long

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<v Speaker 1>as you use them as a means to an end,

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<v Speaker 1>rather than as an end in and of themselves. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip comes from behavioral neuroscientist Stephanie Kecopo. In a recent

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<v Speaker 1>New York Times article, she noted that social media can

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<v Speaker 1>be a source of disconnection as people compare their actual

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<v Speaker 1>experiences to other people's social media posts. Now, that is

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<v Speaker 1>probably not news to anyone listening to this, but social

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<v Speaker 1>media isn't all bad, as she explains, if people can

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<v Speaker 1>use social media as a way station rather than as

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<v Speaker 1>the destination, that could really help. She goes on to

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<v Speaker 1>say social media can be a great tool to form connection.

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<v Speaker 1>It all depends on how you use it. When we

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<v Speaker 1>use social media as the destination, we may focus our

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<v Speaker 1>attention there, spending hours scrolling around and feeling lonely as

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<v Speaker 1>a result. But when we use it as a way station,

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<v Speaker 1>we embrace the power of the tool. To help us

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<v Speaker 1>connect to people in real life. I think you can

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<v Speaker 1>see how this would play out. Maybe you've moved to

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<v Speaker 1>a new town. Sites like meet up could help you

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<v Speaker 1>find new friends. I've seen friendships form among people in

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<v Speaker 1>the Patreon group for my other podcast, Best of Both Worlds,

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<v Speaker 1>as people post on the forum that they live in,

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<v Speaker 1>say Boston, and decide to meet up with others who

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<v Speaker 1>live there too. If you are doing something out of

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<v Speaker 1>the ordinary, like raising triplets, there might not be that

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<v Speaker 1>many people in your town experiencing the same thing, but

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<v Speaker 1>you could meet someone in a Facebook group for parents

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<v Speaker 1>of multiples and gather at a playground an hour from

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<v Speaker 1>each of you where your broods can play and you

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<v Speaker 1>can bond. You meet like minded people online and then

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<v Speaker 1>use that ability to find people to establish real life connections.

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<v Speaker 1>Social media can also be a way station, not a destination,

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<v Speaker 1>when it helps you keep up with what's going on

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<v Speaker 1>with the people in your life. The key is to

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<v Speaker 1>do more than just like a post about say someone

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<v Speaker 1>finishing up a busy season at work. Engage with their news,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps by suggesting a get together with the friends to

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<v Speaker 1>schedule has just eased up. Another way social media can

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<v Speaker 1>be a waystation is if you use it to rally

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<v Speaker 1>friends to participate in an in person activity you are planning,

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<v Speaker 1>whether it's a one off experience like going to an

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<v Speaker 1>art fair, or maybe an ongoing activity like a book club.

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<v Speaker 1>Mention that it looks interesting and see who else is

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<v Speaker 1>up for it. It takes a lot of effort to

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<v Speaker 1>email or call fifty people who might potentially be interested,

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<v Speaker 1>but it takes almost zero effort to mention that to

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<v Speaker 1>close friends online if you have been reasonably careful about

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<v Speaker 1>who you've friended and how much information you share. When

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<v Speaker 1>we treat social media as a destination where we focus

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<v Speaker 1>all our social energy, we can feel disconnected from life.

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<v Speaker 1>But when we think about social media as a way station,

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<v Speaker 1>a stop on the road to live connection, can make

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<v Speaker 1>the most of the opportunities it presents. How do you

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<v Speaker 1>use social media to pave the way for real connection?

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<v Speaker 1>You can let me know at Laura at Laura vandercam

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening to before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

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