Why the "Social Media Crisis" Doesn't Add Up | Dr. Chris Ferguson #031
Sitting In Podcast | Ep. 031 - Dr. Chris Ferguson | Dr. Chris Ferguson is a psychology professor, expert on "moral panics", and author of Catastrophe!: How Psychology Explains Why Good People Make Bad Situations Worse
In recent years, social media has been labeled as a primary reason for many of the ills we've seen increasing among young people: depression, anxiety, and self-harm. But, does the data actually illustrate a causal link? It's good to be concerned about potential bad impacts of a phenomenon, but what happens if that goes too far?
In today's episode, you can expect to learn:
- What a Moral Panic actually is
- Why social media's impact on youth mental health might be overstated
- What an "ecological fallacy" is
- How we can start to improve the challenges facing young men
and much more!
Check out Dr. Ferguson's work on his Substack, and his books on Amazon and other retailers:
Substack:
https://grimoiremanor.substack.com/
Catastrophe:
https://www.amazon.com/Catastrophe-Psychology-Explains-People-Situations/dp/1633887952/ref=sr_1_1?crid=V5TFBSN061H1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.46ldyDubuSjK06G4qUS0HfForO-oN6B3ALZw7YILoEwF8ScY8n8_88pzg-FUIey6iogaJ88zei4lmUaFG-1Zfq0GtdJ_AwYG_RfxLlDcgm_WBW27jispWenVJamSbN5yZB7Ecst42LWKRYPnQ3x5i7WL21DzxKa5UfY9lls7NXcqgz4xTsnf-bgdGwS_bg1WnsndYBahIlaElFSeiwd3061-ULwHZPHTOw90ttk3dyc.P93ZzT-E9Uu_qDtdC2YI0gkNnHLRLLnKetxIjtknCCY&dib_tag=se&keywords=catastrophe+ferguson&qid=1790176261&sprefix=catastrophe+ferguson%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-1
Secrets of Grimoire Manor:
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Grimoire-Manor-Christopher-Ferguson/dp/1509255990/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T2CF8X769NVN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.acvO_vL_5CreZm8PXx2Ef9ulUIZcTUettDdEaqK-QAwNoM6PIwSnd9AZsvooUvDMwAN8PAuiBo0IBbstRbrz6X1j_G-LohWmEG0YAkMTfTd3Sp2KS8RdPoGWRWO3u-kIGHa5xEYG68_a-2LMw-2M5FiRO4g8iG32qFEyFlWNMZuGsCTlAvwr7NfuIVgAxv0d8_-b_p7wxORYSvl6eNSZZSAzE4z_QHf9ZpPtQamHtVY.wNdoz0VvxKqqXx_ghKuY4t-h6oSpB7esXWlUitOICMQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+secrets+of+grimoire+manor&qid=1790176290&sprefix=the+secrets+of+grimoire+manor%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1
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00:00 Intro
00:46 What is a "Moral Panic"?
01:46 Who is actually pushing these panics?
02:48 A few examples
06:31 The difference between real concern and a moral panic
08:35 Appearance vs intent
09:17 How do you tell if you're in a moral panic? (the danger of "statistically significant" effects)
10:12 Examples of misleading science and other signs of a moral panic
13:31 What is a time Chris changed his mind?
16:48 Just how easy is it to misrepresent statistics?
19:08 More examples!
20:26 How do we "get ahead of the curve" without causing a moral panic? (The Precautionary Principle)
28:51 How does bad science actually end up happening?
32:22 Pre-publishing research methods (pre-registering)
34:12 Comparing the moral panic about Video Games vs Social Media
35:34 Youth mental health is improving? (analyzing Australian data)
41:08 Ecological fallacies (with some funny examples)
42:58 The Social Media problem 'FEELS' really true... why doesn't the data align?
44:29 Why does it 'feel' bad?
48:25 Do the Europeans actually have it right? (the French)
49:28 Is America becoming more European?
52:17 What are psychologists misunderstanding about young men?
54:50 Education favors female behaviors
01:00:30 What can parents do to help children grow into men?
01:04:50 What can a 20 year old do to help themselves?
01:07:58 Mentorship, honoring your mother and father
01:09:41 Another perspective on the social media problem
01:14:19 Short form content's effect on polarization/misinformation
01:16:40 Not all universities are overrun by extreme left-leaning beliefs!
01:19:17 A discussion on Columbus Day
01:21:24 What would Chris beg a young person to do sooner than he did?