Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

Social media addiction – how it changes your brain | Luke Burgis | Big Think

Big Think

784K views 5 years ago

Warm-up Questions

What does the phrase “social media addiction” make you think of?
How do you think social media can change the brain or influence behavior?
What kinds of social media habits do people often want to change?

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Social media addiction – how it changes your brain | Luke Burgis | Big Think

Social media brings everyone into the same space + mimetic desire (00:00 – 01:16)

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1. According to the speaker, what has social media made possible?

Avoiding competition by limiting contact with strangers
Only interacting with people in your local community
Interacting with powerful or distant people and getting responses
Understanding other people’s private lives with certainty

2. What does the speaker mean by “a mimetic machine in our pocket”?

A tool that trains us to memorize information
A machine that prevents us from feeling envy
A phone that contains many people who influence what we want
A device that copies our photos automatically

3. What is “mimetic desire,” as defined here?

Avoiding all social comparison
Wanting fewer things as you get older
Wanting only what you can afford
Adopting another person’s desire as your own

Social media addiction – how it changes your brain | Luke Burgis | Big Think

External vs. internal mediators: why comparison becomes rivalry (01:16 – 02:35)

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1. What is an “external mediator of desire”?

A model outside your world, unlikely to become your rival
A friend who gives you advice about boundaries
Someone in your family who competes with you
A person you follow only for entertainment

2. What is a key feature of “internal mediators of desire”?

They are always fictional characters
They never create conflict because they are distant
They are people you might meet, so rivalry is possible
They only influence your political opinions

3. Who are we more likely to be envious of, according to the speaker?

Someone living on the other side of the planet
A fictional character in a movie
The richest person in the world
A classmate from high school who now seems successful

Social media addiction – how it changes your brain | Luke Burgis | Big Think

Choosing models wisely: boundaries, dopamine hits, and the mimetic landscape (02:35 – 04:51)

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1. What danger does the speaker describe about “keeping up” with very successful people?

It eliminates the need for boundaries
It can become an endless process
It has a clear endpoint once you reach a goal
It always makes you more grateful

2. What does the speaker say we need when someone is an internal model of desire?

More followers
Boundaries
A new phone
Less ambition

3. What contrast does the speaker make when deciding whether a model is good for us?

Travel vs. staying home
Comedy vs. drama
Real fulfillment vs. a dopamine hit
Money vs. education

Social media addiction – how it changes your brain | Luke Burgis | Big Think

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1. What is the main idea of the video?

Social media has no effect on what people want
Only celebrities experience envy on social media
The best solution is to copy every successful lifestyle online
Social media increases mimetic desire by multiplying the number of models we compare ourselves to

2. Why can social media intensify rivalry and comparison?

It makes people stop communicating altogether
It prevents people from seeing other lifestyles
It removes all benchmarks for success
It brings many people “inside our world,” making competition for engagement feel personal

3. Which approach best matches the speaker’s advice?

Focus only on external mediators and ignore internal ones
Assume online lifestyles will make you happy if you achieve them
Choose your models wisely and notice when social media is pushing you toward unhealthy desires
Avoid having any role models at all

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Social media addiction – how it changes your brain | Luke Burgis | Big Think

Do you think social media mainly creates new desires, or mostly amplifies desires we already have? Why?
What are examples of “external mediators” and “internal mediators” in your life? How do they influence you differently?
How can someone set boundaries with social media without quitting completely?
What kinds of online “models” lead to real fulfillment for you, and which ones mainly lead to quick dopamine hits?