Strands of Genius: Social Media Doesn't Cause Depression, From Joy To Competition, Romantic Rebuttals
Strands of Genius: Social Media Doesn't Cause Depression, From Joy To Competition, Romantic Rebuttals
Plus: Norah Jones on Tiny Desk
WRITING FROM | Chattanooga, TN
WORKING ON | writing, health, plans
LOOKING AHEAD
Oct 21 - Oct 31 | Chattanooga, TN
Oct 31 - Nov 5 | Beersheba Springs, TN
Nov 5 - Dec 21 | Chattanooga, TN
Dec 21 - Jan 2 | Isla Mujeres, MX
:: WHAT’S NEW & WEEKLY GRATITUDE ::
Oh hey feeling spooky yet or nah?
We had a lovely time last week at a reception for the One Club Brand Side conference and bumped into some old friends - Hey Fernando, Hey Matt, Hey Leslie, Hey James - and met some new ones. Thanks so much to Yash&Co at OneClub and Matt&Holly@RavenPR (Nashville) for hosting.
We bounced back to Chatts straight after because one of Faris’ BFFs (Neil) came to visit with his gf (Chelsea). Despite a lot of jet-lag (he was just back from Japan to plan an art installation for the triennial) lots of fun was had. We went to an art fair and Fire Up The Fields (yet another local micro-festival, very manageable, with a fire sculpture) and generally hung out and messed about.
We just passed 80% of the year mark and it looks like the next couple of months will be spicy. Don’t click on things you aren’t expecting, don’t answer random phone calls, try to manage your social media consumption, try to go for a walk. Living in what feels like a constant state of flux is disorienting isn’t it, we walk on shifting sands it seems. Look for what is solid, what persists, what you want to persist.
:: THE LINKS ::
SOCIAL MEDIA & DEPRESSION
Of late there has been much clutching of pearls about the impact of smartphones and social media. Clearly both things are very important and change lots of things. Haidt has gone all in on phone+social as the primary driver of teenage problems like depression and so. Other academics have suggested his evidence is mostly not causal. Interestingly, this well researched piece points out that increases in suicide rates, as a data point, aren’t constrained to teenagers - it’s true across nearly all demographics in USA. However, the teen statistic is only in the USA: “There hasn't been an increase in teen suicides in other countries, which presumably also have smartphones and social media. According to World Health Organization data, between 2012 and 2019 the suicide rate across Europe as a whole fell by 26%.” (Torment Nexus)
FROM JOY TO COMPETITION: THE REAL FIGHT FOR ATTENTION
The shift in how we think about time, partially caused by the endless drive for productivity from all endeavors, and more technology means we are quantifying more leisure than ever. “He didn’t say it, but the problem that we’re all encountering is shifting joy into competition. The one period of time we’ve dedicated to not tracking performance has become a form of ambition on par with our professional lives. The disconnect from personal to personal gain has completely dissolved…The problem with quantifying everything is that we can’t ever rest. Our end state is a growth state — a philosophy that defines corporate America boardrooms and shouldn’t inhabit our bedrooms or morning coffee.” This results in people on Goodreads looking to Reddit for short books (in length) that will help them meet their goal for the year, rather than asking for recommendations based on authors or books they like. Which just feels sad. (Posting Nexus) (HT Storythings)
ROMANTIC REBUTTALS
One of the key skills of a strategist is to be able to think about problems from several different angles. Rosie has always said strategists are the most fun to debate with, because we can argue either side, and find key points for each. So when she was invited to debate a random topic, unknown to her, she jumped at the chance. In this podcast, Down to Debate, she was randomly assigned to debate romance - specifically flowers on a first date.
Thanks to No Single Individual for the challenge, and for hosting the debate! (Spotify - Down to Debate)
Want to chat, comment, question, compliment?
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:: NORAH JONES ON TINY DESK ::
I mean, how can you not love her?!
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @faris is still “tweeting” while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. We have a distributed team ourselves, an accounting team is based in Tennessee where our company is registered, our admin extraordinaire is based in Playa del Carmen, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)