FANTASY & REALITY EP 8: Social media pros & cons

SOCIAL MEDIA PROS & CONS — Echo Chambers, Self-Esteem, Online Behavior & Mental Health Explained

Welcome to another episode of Fantasy & Reality, where we conjure compassion and get real about the world we live in. Today, fantasy author ‪@themagiclocker‬​ Elara Dunn and documentary filmmaker & body-image speaker Shannon Malone-deBenedictis dive deep into the complicated world of social media: the good, the bad, and the seriously messy.

In this eye-opening conversation, we explore how social platforms affect:
✨ Self-esteem & body image
✨ Echo chambers & polarization
✨ Algorithms that shape your worldview
✨ Online anonymity & toxic behavior
✨ Trauma content, comparison culture & curated lives
✨ Why social media feels addictive—and sometimes harmful
✨ How to maintain healthy boundaries online
✨ Why real conversations—not screaming matches—build understanding

We break down relatable examples:
🔸 How clicking one cute cat video can trap you in an echo chamber
🔸 Why anonymous posting encourages our worst instincts
🔸 The psychological toll of likes, ratings, curated images & constant comparison
🔸 The pressure on parents, disabled caregivers, and marginalized people online
🔸 How algorithms misread us (and sometimes get hilariously weird)
🔸 Why unfriending everyone who disagrees creates more polarization
🔸 How to keep empathy, dialogue, and humanity in digital spaces

Whether you're dealing with social media burnout, trying to protect your mental health, or just want to understand how platforms influence your thinking, this episode gives you clarity, humor, insight, and practical solutions.

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