You Are What You Click: How Being Selective, Positive, and Creative Can Transform Your Social Media Experience

Brian A. Primack

Sep 2021 · Chronicle Books

About this ebook

An empowering, forward-thinking solution for creating intentional and healthy social media habits from an expert on media, technology and health.

Internationally acclaimed behavioral scientist and social media expert Brian Primack, MD, PhD, believes we do not need to swear off social media, delete all our online accounts, or give up our phones to live healthier, happier lives. In You Are What You Click, he offers a new approach to digital wellness, and a realist's perspective on how what we consume online affects our well-being. In response, he presents a "social media pyramid" that personalizes our tech diet so we can enjoy a fruitful, balanced relationship with social media.

While many of us turn to social media looking for a sense of connection and comfort, the data show that it may paradoxically leave us feeling more alone and depressed. Drawing on over twenty years of original research, Dr. Primack explains the fascinating nuances of our relationship with social media, its impact on our mental health, and the dangers of social media using us instead of the other way around. He empowers us to take back control with a simple method: being more selective, positive, and creative with our lives online.

Dr. Primack introduces surprising strategies you can use right away to fine-tune your online experience and discover your definition of digital balance. Through short, actionable chapters, you'll learn how to:

• Tailor your social media use to your personality.
• Select positive relationships over toxic ones.
• Overcome comparison syndrome and the fear of missing out.
• Fill your feed with meaningful, humorous, and uplifting content.
• Optimize your news intake and resist doomscrolling.
• Improve your sleep, create "tech holidays," and more.

With innovative strategies for managing technology, you'll transform your relationship with tech and discover how to make social media work for you.

You Are What You Click offers a science-backed approach from a credentialed doctor: Dr. Brian Primack has an MD and a PhD in Education and Behavioral Science. Primack is the go-to expert on this topic. His work on the intersection of media and health has been cited nearly 6,000 times in peer-reviewed scholarly literature, and he has been featured in major media outlets across the world.

FOR WELLNESS READERS, PARENTS, AND ANYONE WHO USES SOCIAL MEDIA: Dropping off the digital map or deleting all our social media accounts isn't the only option—and often isn't something we feel ready to do. Rather than digital abstinence, with Primack's 3-step plan, tech lovers will be able to understand how to regulate their online social platforms in healthier ways.

A BALANCED PERSPECTIVE ON TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN A POSITIVE LIGHT: Almost every book in this genre portrays technology in a negative or even scary way. With this book, readers will learn how to adjust and balance their presence online with a personalized plan they can use across all platforms, no matter what new social media app goes public next. Primack offers an empowering solution that is forward-thinking, and will continue to be relevant as technology becomes more immersed into our lives.

QUICK, PRACTICAL ADVICE: You Are What You Click is broken into short, actionable chapters that allow readers to understand the research, take action, and see results—perfect for short attention spans whittled down by Facebook and Instagram stories, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok!

FOR FANS OF PERSONALITY BOOKS: Fans of books like The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery and The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles that Reveal How to Make Your Life Better will love the personality quiz and personalized solutions Primack offers for being selective, creative, and healthy with social media use.

About the author

DR. BRIAN PRIMACK is an award-winning expert who developed a multimillion-dollar research program focused on how media and technology influence health. He holds a BA from Yale, a master's in education from Harvard, an MD from Emory, and a PhD in behavioral science from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Primack is now dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, where he also serves as a professor of public health and medicine. His work has been highlighted by the New York Times, Rolling Stone, the Atlantic, Today, CBS News, the Washington Post, the BBC, NPR's All Things Considered and Here and Now, the Huffington Post, and many more.