WEBVTT

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I think that social media
does make people more fake.

2
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Who's happier, who's richer,
who...

3
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Who appears to be the best?

4
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I would say that it's okay
to post a version of themselves

5
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that's not 100% real.

6
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Yeah, I post things
that I want other people to see.

7
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I do think that social media
has an effect

8
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on how people act in real life.

9
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Carries a lot of weight.

10
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I do not believe in filters,
Photoshopping, Facetuning,

11
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none of that.

12
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Yes, I think some people tend

13
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to obsess
over their social media.

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It kind of loses the meaning

15
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of what the intention
of social media was--

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to, like, connect
with other people.

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I spend a lot of time
being really careful

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about what I post
on my main account.

19
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Mostly because there's people
that I don't know that well

20
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who are going to see it.

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My spam account, however,
is just a bunch

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of really terrible pictures
of me.

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It's okay to play a little game
of pretend,

24
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to, you know, show off,
impress your friends.

25
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I'm always thinking, in my mind,
like,

26
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for validation
from other people.

27
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But at the same time, I know

28
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that none of that
is really worth it in the end,

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As I've grown as an individual,

30
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I don't see the likes
as comments

31
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as anything important.

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I feel like they don't help
verify me as an individual.

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I started counting my likes
on my posts,

34
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and I realized soon enough

35
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that that was giving me anxiety.

36
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So I stopped doing that.

37
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But now I've learned
to just post them

38
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just for my memories.

39
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When I look back
on, like, my social media page,

40
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I kind of relive
these memories.

41
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I'm also wondering
if people will, like,

42
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enjoy the content
just as much as I do.

43
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When it comes to likes, I never
really think about that stuff.

44
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I don't think I feel pressured
to post certain things.

45
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I feel the opposite.

46
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I feel pressured
not to post certain things.

47
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Sometimes I can be pressured
to post certain things,

48
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but I try not to, because
I like to be my own person.

49
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I don't like to...
I don't like for people

50
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to tell me what to do.

51
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I only post things
that portray me

52
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as the young African-American
scholar that I am.

53
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Even if that's not true
all the time,

54
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that's the only thing
I'm going to post about.

55
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They have one image
of themselves,

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and it's not an entire picture
of who they are as a person.

57
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How I look and how
I'm portrayed in society,

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I'm already expected
to act a certain way.

59
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So when I put myself out
on social media,

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I really have
to watch how I carry myself.

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Social media,
with the internet,

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you're able to pick and choose

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what people see.

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And it has its pros and cons.

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I'm an athlete,

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and I'm going to attend college.

67
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With that in mind, I have
to pay attention to scouts.

68
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I have to pay attention
to college...

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other colleges and teachers
and other opportunities

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that might be coming my way.

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I would say
that curating your social media

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can be positive.

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People can see
the very best life

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that you're living.

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And people can see you
being happy all the time.

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It kind of gives you the power

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to be who you want to be,

78
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and only let people see
what you want them to see.

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It can turn negative
really fast.

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If you are constantly displaying
yourself as always happy,

81
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it can create a lot
of anxiety and depression,

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just a lot of stress.

83
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When I post something,
I'm checking it very frequently

84
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to see how it's doing
compared to my other pictures.

85
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If it's not getting as many
likes as my other pictures,

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I might delete it.

87
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We only see the greatest moments

88
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or the happiest moments
of people,

89
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and we don't know what happens
beyond those moments,

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or what they've done
to get to those moments.

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I think if someone's posting,

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like, fake, like, Photoshopped
photos

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or, like, something
that's not actually them,

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I don't think that's okay.

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Models online, like,

96
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sometimes they tend to promote
unhealthy beauty expectations

97
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for teenagers like us,

98
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because teenagers,
we're just trying to fit in.

99
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And sometimes these beauty
expectations, they do get to us.

100
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There are definitely photos

101
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where I've, like,
put filters on it,

102
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or, like, edited it in some way

103
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where I look
skinnier or prettier,

104
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or have less freckles,
or whatever it is.

105
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My friends are obsessed.

106
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"Oh, how do I look
in that picture?

107
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"Oh, my body looks weird
in that picture,

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I shouldn't post it."

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I'm, like, "Why does it matter?"

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There's these people

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who always look so perfect,

112
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and they always have
the cutest lattes,

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and they're always traveling
with the hot boyfriend,

114
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and that's all they ever post.

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You expect that
to be your real life?

116
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You have
all these opportunities

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to tell people
about who you are,

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and people tend to edit that
because they want to be liked.

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I tend to edit that
because I want to be liked.

120
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I also definitely think
it's possible to overthink it.

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If you just feel
comfortable with yourself,

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I think it's okay to post
what you want to post.

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Not only does it affect
how we are online,

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but it also affects
how we hold ourselves,

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and our self-importance
in real life.

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That person who you see
living that perfect life

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is kind of curating
what they do,

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so they're not showing you
all of them,

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so don't try to live up

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to that very small part
of their life.

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