By Tyra Forde
You Are What You Click by American author Brian A. Primack, MD, PhD, is a guide to getting the best out of your social media usage while shielding yourself from anything less. True to the subtitle of “How being selective, positive, and creative can transform your social media experience,” Primack walks you through several easy-to-follow steps or easy-to-implement habits that will redefine how social media impacts your life. With five parts that are broken down into 39 short chapters in just over 230 pages, the book teaches you how to form a social media strategy that is beneficial rather than detrimental, which is solidified through Primack’s million-dollar question of “how do we balance the challenges of technology with the benefits?”
Primack emphasizes the importance of establishing social media usage that is suited to individual circumstances and lifestyles. Regardless of circumstance, he makes a convincing argument for the dangers of social media due to its correlation to mental health. He discusses the dehumanization of media, body image, “Mean World Syndrome,” and FOMO (fear of missing out) and how creating a social media pyramid, much like the food pyramid, can help create a balanced social media diet. A personality quiz is a unique feature that helps you identify one of the “big five” (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion) personality traits that you most identify with, which in turn impact social media consumption.
How social media influences everyday life is also discussed. Primack examines social media literacy, how media impacts addictive tendencies, and how tragedies are remembered and altered through the social media landscape. Where social media can positively impact the ability to maintain friendships, Primack doesn’t shy away from the pitfalls of social media, including when it infringes on professional reputation. Throughout the book, he stresses the importance of being intentional with how social media is used and ends the guides with a fitting comparison to the mindfulness applied to meditation practices. Various pop culture references balanced with scientific studies make the book well-referenced yet also highly relevant to many different demographics, as social media has undoubtedly impacted most, if not, all of them.
I don’t hesitate to say that You Are What You Click is a book that will change your life because I have seen in my own experience and the experience of others close to me how tightly social media consumption is interwoven with happiness. Through his guide, Primack encourages you to be honest and selective with the social media you consume and to prioritize what media serves you based on your own unique circumstances and personality traits. I read this book quickly as even though the content is heavily researched, it is presented in a way that is more engaging than academic and easy-to-digest. This book has sparked conversations with my friends and family about social media habits and has regularly inspired me to review my usage based on pre-existing, uninformed habits. You Are What You Click is my favourite read of 2021 so far.
*Thank you, Wunderkind PR, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!