Kindness | Page 4

Using the lessons from living with television to address social media usage and its impact on users .

Following the Third Parent :

Using the lessons from living with television to address social media usage and its impact on users .

By John Dearie ’ 95

After hearing that kindness would be the school year ’ s theme , I immediately began thinking about possible Chapel Talks which would capture the theme and connect it to the boys ’ daily lives . Seeking inspiration , I began scouring my “ go to source ” for all things content and information : the Internet . Once online , I found a video , a TikTok video to be precise . I watched it several times . The video was hosted by @ Julian de Medeiros . Now , to qualify . I have not fact checked the video or done a deep dive on the host ’ s background . But , the content of the video itself is what is most important here . He spoke of the author Tolstoy and his take on kindness . After a number of views , I took a proverbial step back and put on my Media Studies and Literacy “ hat .”

The video hit all of the right marks . It resonated with my outlook on life ( i . e ., being kind is a very good thing ), it reflected my values , and the presenter himself appeared to be “ smart ,” and thoughtful . His whole style , appearance , manner of speaking , and general approach ( close up with a tilted camera ) made me like him , feel like I was having a conversation with him and , most significantly , trust everything he said . The last piece is the key goal of any good social media influencer : to earn trust . If I were a greater user of social media , there would have been a very good chance that I would follow , like , subscribe or friend this “ influencer .” Ultimately , I appreciated that he was sharing content for the intellectually curious and reflective , offering something , on the surface at least , which was much more than vapid entertainment .
4 • Saint David ’ s Magazine