Impact of Social Media on Youth | Katanu Mbevi | TEDxYouth@BrookhouseSchool

Summary

Katun Bevy's talk delves into the unintended mental health consequences of excessive social media use, highlighting three main stressors: insecurity from comparing personal struggles to others' highlights, the social currency of likes and shares affecting self-worth, and the fear of missing out (FOMO) leading to social anxiety. She proposes an action plan to transform social media use into a value-added experience by building a strong value system, engaging in collaborative creativity, and encouraging authenticity, reminding us that we are perfect just as we are, regardless of social media validation.

Takeaways

• 💡 Social media is having unintended consequences on our mental health.
• 📊 More than 60% of Kenyan youth are active social media users, with many spending over two hours a day on it.
• 🔍 Excessive social media use can lead to long-lasting effects on individuals, often unnoticed.
• 🧠 Today's youth, heavily influenced by social media, are tomorrow's future.
• 🚨 Three major stressors caused by social media: insecurity, social currency, and FOMO (fear of missing out).
• 😟 Insecurity stems from comparing personal struggles to others' highlight reels on social media.
• 💰 Social currency involves valuing oneself based on likes, comments, and shares, leading to self-worth issues.
• 😰 FOMO can turn into social anxiety and withdrawal symptoms when deprived of social media.
• 🛠 Social media can be used positively by building a strong value system, collaborating creatively, and being authentic.
• 💖 Self-worth should not be based on social media metrics; individuals are perfect as they are, regardless of likes or comments.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the speech by Katun Bevy?

The main topic of the speech is the unintended consequences of social media on mental health.

According to Katun Bevy, what percentage of Kenyan youth are active social media users?

More than 60% of Kenyan youth are active social media users.

How much time does Katun Bevy mention that some people spend on social media daily?

Some people spend two or more hours a day on social media.

What does Katun Bevy believe is the impact of excessive social media usage on today's youth?

Katun Bevy believes that excessive social media usage can lead to insecurity, social currency issues, and the fear of missing out, potentially causing mental health problems.

What is the term used to describe the constant comparison of one's life to others' highlight reels on social media?

The term used is 'insecurity', which stems from the highlight reel effect on social media.

How does Katun Bevy define 'social currency' in the context of social media?

In the context of social media, 'social currency' refers to the likes, comments, and shares that attribute value to a person's posts and, by extension, to the person themselves.

What is the term Katun Bevy uses to describe the anxiety caused by not being able to access social media?

The term used is 'FOMO', which stands for 'Fear of Missing Out'.

What is the first step in the action plan suggested by Katun Bevy to transform one's social media experience?

The first step is to build a strong value system that guides actions, decisions, and behavior.

What does Katun Bevy mean by 'collaborative creativity' in the context of social media?

'Collaborative creativity' refers to working together with others, such as inspiring individuals or communities, to achieve common goals, raise awareness, or educate others through social media.

What is the final step in the action plan proposed by Katun Bevy?

The final step is to be yourself, not letting the number of likes, shares, or comments define your self-worth or life.

What message does Katun Bevy want the audience to remember from her talk?

The message Katun Bevy wants the audience to remember is to be themselves and not to doubt their self-worth based on social media interactions.

Outlines

00:00

📱 The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Katun Bevy discusses the unintended consequences of social media on mental health, noting that over 60% of Kenyan youth are active users. She highlights the pervasive nature of social media and its significant impact on individuals, whether noticed or not. Bevy identifies three main stressors caused by excessive social media use: insecurity, social currency, and fear of missing out (FOMO). Insecurity arises from comparing one's behind-the-scenes to others' highlight reels, leading to self-doubt. Social currency involves the value attributed to likes, comments, and shares, tying self-worth to social validation. FOMO, or the fear of missing out, can escalate to social anxiety when deprived of social media access. She urges awareness and action to mitigate these negative effects, proposing that social media, if used correctly, can be transformative.

05:01

🌟 Transforming Your Social Media Experience

Bevy introduces an action plan to convert social media usage into a positive experience. She emphasizes the importance of building a strong value system to guide decisions and actions on social media. Making choices based on personal values can help navigate the problems mentioned earlier and define the purpose of social media use. Collaborative creativity is the second step, encouraging users to engage in meaningful collaborations, like supporting movements or spreading awareness. Lastly, she stresses the importance of authenticity, urging individuals to be themselves and not let social media define their worth. Personal value shouldn't be based on likes or shares, as each person is unique and perfect as they are.

Keywords

💡Social Media

Social media refers to digital platforms that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. In the video, it is highlighted as a significant part of modern life, with a focus on its impact on mental health. The speaker discusses how excessive use of social media can lead to negative consequences such as insecurity and social anxiety.

💡Mental Health

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is the central theme of the video, as the speaker explores how social media usage can unintentionally affect mental health, potentially leading to stressors and insecurities among teenagers.

💡Insecurity

Insecurity, as discussed in the script, is a lack of confidence stemming from comparing oneself to others. The video explains how social media's highlight reel effect can cause users, particularly teenagers, to feel insecure by constantly comparing their lives to the curated best moments of others.

💡Highlight Reel

A highlight reel is a collection of the best or most impressive moments. In the context of social media, it represents the selective sharing of positive experiences, which can create a distorted view of reality and contribute to feelings of insecurity when users compare their everyday lives to these highlights.

💡Social Currency

In the video, social currency is likened to traditional currency but applies to social media interactions, such as likes, comments, and shares. It is a measure of social value and can influence self-worth, as people may feel validated by the quantity of social interactions their content receives.

💡FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

FOMO is the anxiety that an individual might miss out on an enjoyable experience or event that others are having. The script describes how the constant connectivity of social media can exacerbate FOMO, leading to social anxiety and a fear of being disconnected from the experiences of others.

💡Action Plan

An action plan in the video is a proposed strategy to transform the negative impacts of social media into positive ones. It includes building a strong value system, engaging in collaborative creativity, and being true to oneself, aiming to guide users towards a healthier social media experience.

💡Value System

A value system comprises the principles and beliefs that guide an individual's actions and decisions. The video suggests that establishing a strong value system can help individuals make deliberate choices on social media that align with their personal values, thus mitigating negative mental health effects.

💡Collaborative Creativity

Collaborative creativity involves working with others to achieve a common goal, often resulting in innovation or social change. The speaker encourages using social media as a platform for collaboration, such as spreading awareness about social movements or learning from inspiring individuals.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity is the quality of being true to oneself, regardless of external validation. The video emphasizes the importance of being authentic on social media, suggesting that one's self-worth should not be tied to the number of likes, shares, or comments one receives.

💡Utopia

Utopia represents an ideal or perfect society. While not explicitly defined in the script, the term is implied in the discussion about using the internet to build a better future, contrasting with the current misuse of social media that contributes to self-destruction and negative mental health.

Highlights

Social media has unintended consequences on mental health.

More than 60% of Kenyan youth are active social media users.

Spending two or more hours a day on social media can have a lasting effect on users.

Social media usage should build skills and knowledge for a better future, not destroy it.

Three major stresses caused by excessive social media use: insecurity, social currency, and fear of missing out (FOMO).

Insecurity arises from comparing one's struggles to others' highlight reels on social media.

Social currency is the value given to likes, comments, and shares, tying self-worth to others' opinions.

Fear of missing out (FOMO) leads to social anxiety when not having access to social media.

Understanding the negative effects of social media is the first step to mitigating them.

Social media can be life-changing if used for positive purposes.

An action plan to transform social media experience includes building a strong value system.

Making decisions based on values can lead to healthier social media use.

Collaborative creativity involves working together to achieve positive goals, such as raising awareness.

Educating others and spreading positive information is a form of collaboration.

Being yourself is crucial; self-worth should not be tied to social media metrics.

Transcripts

[Music]

what is social media why is it so

important to us

and finally what effect do you think

it's having on the mental health of all

of us ladies and gentlemen my name is

Katun bevy and I'm here today to talk to

you about the unintended consequences

social media is having on your mental

health did you know a collection of

Kenyan University say that more than 60%

of our youth active social media users

some of us spent two or more hours a day

on social media and I'm certain that

anything we do for this long

anything we pay this much attention to

has an ever lasting effect on us whether

we notice it or not you see the problem

with the excess usage of social media is

today's youth is tomorrow's future and

we ought to be using the Internet to

build ourselves to be well equipped with

the skills knowledge and trades required

to build a utopia for all but instead

we're using it to destroy ourselves and

each other and the worst part is we

don't even notice it today I'd like to

introduce you to three stresses that I

believe are all caused by the excess

usage of social media these factors are

commonly known and faced by almost a

hundred percent of all teenagers today

and if we aren't careful these chances

could easily turn into full-blown mental

health problems so let's begin the first

one is insecurity as I'm sure you know

and Security's basically wants a lack of

confidence in themselves and now you

must be asking yourself how the social

media calls insecurity well I'll tell

you how each and every one of us here

have a highlight reel and just like in

sports

my reel is a collection of your best and

brightest moments now social media is

your own personal highlight reel you

always want to show off your wins best

looks amazing holidays and unforgettable

meals and even though appreciating the

good things in life isn't a bad thing

the highlight reel is the cause of most

teenagers insecurities today and that's

because we're always comparing our

struggles or behind the scenes to other

people's highlight reels you look at a

picture of your best friend on the beach

and think why can't I go on holiday why

isn't my skin as clear or my body as

toned you see all this insecurity comes

from the constant comparison between you

and the people you follow the second

stressor we encounter while going

through our social media is a social

currency now just like the Kenya

shilling a currency is something we use

telgu sorry to achieve it value to a

product or service now in social media

the likes the comments the shares this

has become this form of social currency

by which word should be valued to

something and the products with the

problem is this is we on the product so

when you look for the perfect photo to

post and you get a like comment or share

and return it becomes a recorded

transaction attributing value I'm sure

more than half of us in this room have

taken down a post because it didn't get

as many likes as you thought it would

and I'll admit I've been right there

with you

you see we took our product off the

shelf because it wasn't selling fast

enough I want you to understand why this

is such an epidemic we are tying up our

self-worth with what others think of us

and then we're quantifying it for

everyone to see

the third stressor we encounter were

going through our social media is formal

or the fear of missing out this is a

phrase that's thrown around lightly by

so many teenagers and so many of us have

experiences for more that has become

normal first to ignore and even make

jokes about what we don't realize is

when we don't have access to social

media or our phones this formal very

quickly turns into a social anxiety

that causes irrational withdrawal

symptoms now that we're aware of some of

the negative effects social media can

have on us we need to figure out exactly

what we're going to do about it you see

even though social media can be

dangerous

it can also be life-changing if we use

it for the right things it's important

to remember that your social media

experience could be completely

transformed into a healthy screen time

if you wanted to today I'd like to

introduce you to this action plan that I

believe could help you transform your

social media experience into something

that adds value to your life

and to those are to enter the lives of

those around you the first step is to

build a strong value system values

describe what is important to you in the

way that you live your life they are the

very foundation of your beliefs and by

nature influence your actions decisions

and behavior when we begin to make

decisions based off our values we start

making very deliberate choices that

reflect what is important to us in our

lives and not only will these values

direct you when it comes to dealing with

some of the problems that I mentioned

above but they will guide you when it

comes to deciding exactly how and what

you use your social media for the second

step is what I call collaborative

creativity collaboration refers to two

or more people working together to

achieve the same thing I'm sure we've

all heard of inspiring individuals like

Greta Sandberg Lupita Nyong'o or Wangari

Maathai who have worked tirelessly to

starting movements raising awareness and

making differences so why not use your

time on social media to collaborate with

some of these individuals now don't get

me wrong I'm not saying the only way you

can use the social media positively is

by starting a movement or doing

something out of the ordinary but even

just learning about these movements and

spreading the information is

collaboration educating those around you

and how

raise awareness is collaboration there

is so much that you as an individual can

do to make a difference the third and

final step be yourself if there's

nothing else you're planning to take

away from this talk today at least

remember this do you for my 19th

birthday the other day my grandmother

bought me this t-shirt to remind me that

the simple fact that nobody's me makes

me perfect don't ever doubt yourself or

yourself worse

based on the number of likes you did or

didn't get social media doesn't have to

define you or your life you are perfect

as you are

likes or no likes shares or no shares

comments or no comments you are perfect

thank you

[Music]