All my happy friends

How well do social media posts show real life? What is the impact of social media posts on how we feel about our lives? Watch this thought-provoking short film by Paul Howard Allen on the topic of social media and mental health.

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercise. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Preparation

Transcript

Woman1: Yeah, they were smashed. Dave stole this hat from a hen party, nearly got into a fight. Yeah, that was a washout. Never mind.

Woman2: This shot shows how much I’m enjoying being a mother. I’m really treasuring every little moment. And here we all are ... all together … a family.

Man1: It’s just a typical Tuesday meal for us. It shows how healthy and balanced my life is. Made it myself.

Woman3: This photo clearly shows how advanced Millie is. I mean, writing up to five, at her age, is incredible.

Woman4: I mean, look at that beach! That’s what you call white sand, isn't it?

[singing] Three, two, one … Happy New Year!

Woman5: What a New Year’s! If next year is half as good as this one has been, then ...

Woman1: I just don’t know why I’m feeling like this.

[baby crying]
Woman1: This is the life, nothing better than relaxing with a takeaway over New Year’s. Oh, what a night! Another typical evening for me, clearly enjoying myself but then that’s the sort of fun, carefree life I lead.

[baby crying]

[singing] People tell me how I’m a-losing my mind but I tell people you just in my car. Oh, time moves faster than me, can’t you see all this job you been working I’ve been a-running free.

© 33 Story Productions

Task 1

Discussion

Download
Worksheet364.82 KB
Average: 4.4 (23 votes)

Submitted by Chel Zin on Fri, 15/03/2024 - 10:31

Permalink

 I think the social media posts influence the people's lives ,mostly the teenagers'. It also affected my mood and I felt jealous and happy when I see the great things of theirs as well as I felt insecure  

Profile picture for user vladimierlouiss

Submitted by vladimierlouiss on Wed, 14/02/2024 - 10:41

Permalink

Has a social media post ever affected your mood? How can we protect ourselves from this problem?
Sometimes, I realize that social media post has affected my mood. When it showed the happy things, I became a happy person. When it showed the sad things, I also became a sad person. However, I must know what I fell and do not let every social media post affected my mood.

Profile picture for user noura-elkhwanky

Submitted by noura-elkhwanky on Sat, 16/12/2023 - 20:37

Permalink

Personally I assume social media can be the worst thing at our lives if we can’t control it. Occasionally these posts effective on my mood negatively especially when I be at bad mood.when I compare my day troubles with others by their posts. Therefore I’m trying to do useful things such as doing workouts,learning something new or hanging out with some friends instead of following these influencers or celebrities . Because that can change bad influence that can do at my day. Especially 90%of their posts are not real. They do that for reason may be earn money through sharing posts with us. They just force us to follow their fake lives.

Submitted by Rivka Zohar on Mon, 16/10/2023 - 18:11

Permalink

I just LOVED the video!
I think it shows clearly the bad effect social media has on our mood.
Social media made it easier for us to compare ourselves and our lives to other people life but in a very biased way. People show on social media the best moments of their lives/day. And when you compare your everyday life to someone elses best moments, you're probably gonna lose.
Personally, I found having no social media apps on my phone helps me lead more balanced life. From time to time I download Instagram for a few days and than delete it because of the bad influence it has on my life and the massive waste of time it cause me.

Submitted by ximenan75 on Wed, 04/10/2023 - 16:44

Permalink

Actually I don’t allow the social media posts affect my mood. I like see the social media posts, but I think, most of the time, the people post anything, without think how can affect to other people, therefore a just read but I don’t take for me the meaning of the post.

And for protect ourselves it’s simple. Just read and don’t think about the issue.

Submitted by noah4225 on Mon, 28/08/2023 - 08:18

Permalink

We think it is an advanced video showing how easily influenced we are by social media. And how it is all a pretend game. You always want what you dont have. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Submitted by Martin07 on Mon, 08/05/2023 - 19:27

Permalink

From my point of view, social media seemsto be fairytyle, but in the end is just a tyle. It´s key to bear in mind that real life is out there, off the mobile phone. I believe that as a society, we are tangled in this fictional world and we don´t value what´s truly important in life, which is nowhere near to be instagram. The thing is that this issue is affecting a large number of young people who were born with a tablet on their hands thanks to their parents, who seek out any solution if the child misbehave. Eventually they become addicted to the screen and is too late. it´s both a social and educational problem that should be tackled differently, at first acting with the example, and lastly to make the new generations understand what are the important things in life, such as love, respect, self-esteem. etc.

Profile picture for user Bamo

Submitted by Bamo on Mon, 27/03/2023 - 18:59

Permalink

Guess it affected everyone but I'm more worried about the younger generation - since I belong to those who were born in 1980's. Folks nowadays are very competitive to each other let alone teens have complex issues but social media is magnifying the issue. The reward system in the brain shifted from achievement and accomplishments to likes and reactions on your 'filtered manipulated' photos and your copied sophisticated line of thought so everyone can think you're an extraordinary intellectual personality. I was so confused when first my people started using Instgram. Like when I see their posts and look at them in real life I'd tell myself, this cannot be real. A completely different personality. Who are we trying to impress?. It remains a puzzle for me

Submitted by Alcinara on Thu, 02/03/2023 - 19:03

Permalink

Social media already affected me. Nowadays I don´t use social media that much. When we see happy moments of people we use to believe that it´s the only way that they are, happy forever. We use to compare this moments, specially if we are sad or something like this. But photos are only moments.
I believe that trying to use less social media could help with this. Having more face-to-face conversations with people, spending more time with friends, talking about everything. People will see that real life is about happiness and sadness too, and it´s alright. We are human beings.

Submitted by Maria Helen Pe… on Fri, 10/02/2023 - 22:45

Permalink

Do someone know what a "takeaway" mean on the transcript context?