JJFit Book Club: “You Are What You Click”

Thanks to my good friend Sarah I recently got a library card and visited San Francisco’s main public library to get my hands on a copy of “You Are What You Click: How Being Selective, Positive, and Creative Can Transform Your Social Media”. (The reason we went to the library is a whole other post for another day. But the short version is I’m trying to get out on field trips with friends more and more). 

I don’t want to give too much away. But you’d have to be living under a rock not to know there are issues with overconsumption of social media. I chose this book because its author, Brian Primack, is an MD, PhD and clinical researcher focused on social media. He quickly and convincingly (to me) demonstrates the negative side effects of social media (depression, loneliness, etc, etc) are not simply correlated; it’s causational meaning increased consumption (frequency especially) leads to negative outcomes. BUT, his premise is not to throw the baby out with the bath water. He acknowledges the many potential benefits of social media and lays a foundation for how to use it more wisely to capitalize on the positive and minimize the negative. 

Everyone is different so if you’re looking for the magic number (i.e. how many minutes/day is healthy versus not healthy) you won’t find that. But you will find helpful ways of thinking and best practices based on data, experience and science to help you find your right “dose”. 

I’ve been less active on social media in the past few months. It happened organically for me. But I found this book helpful. I’m not convinced of the positive as much as the author is (and that’s ok!). My brain is programmed more toward abstinence than harm reduction. But I really appreciated his insights and am contemplating my own relationship with social media and creating a space for dialogue about it with my clients. 

You can order the hard copy, listen to the audio book or borrow it from the library (once I return it!).