1 . Social media is taking over our lives: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and now, TikTok. These social media platforms have transformed from a way to stay connected to an industry where even kids can make money off their posts. While this may seem like another opportunistic (机会主义) innovation, it’s really full of hidden false realities.

The median income (中位收入) recorded in the United States of America was about $63,000 in 2018. TikTokers can make anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 for a TikTok brand partnership, and TikTokers with over a million followers can make up to $30,000 a month — $360,000 a year. They are making more than the average person trying to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads, simply by posting a 15-second video. 

This is mad in more ways than one. Not only is it an overpaid “job”, it promotes undeserved admiration from viewers and a false sense of reality. Many of these famous TikTokers are still teens, and the effects of fame at such an early stage in life might cause issues later in life, such as mental illness. Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 make up 27% of TikTok viewers, who can be easily influenced by what they are watching. They can put a false sense of self-value into who they look up to and what they represent: money, fame, being considered conventionally attractive.

While TikTok has become a great tool for marketing, it’s important to understand how this content affects young viewers. If we’re constantly consuming content that shows us all we need to do to be successful is be conventionally attractive and post a 15-second video featuring a new dance, it will challenge our knowledge of what really makes someone successful and will in turn affect our individual work ethics (伦理). What about the people who miss birthday and family holidays due to their jobs and aren’t getting paid nearly as much as these TikTokers? 

Richard Colyer, president and creator of Metaphor, Inc, had his own view on this issue. “It sounds great to make money for doing the latest dance moves in a 15-second video, but we should feed the minds of kids and not just their bank accounts. TikTok can be great if used properly. Money alone is not good, technology alone is not good and connectedness can be bad if it’s only online.”

Again, as a fellow consumer of TikTok, I do enjoy the app when I have some time to kill and need a good laugh. I’ m not against someone making a living on entertainment, but what does getting famous of a 15-second video teach young people?

2 . Imagine this: You’re at a movie theater food stand loading up on snacks. You have a choice of a small, medium or large soda. The small is 83. 50 and the large is $5. 50. It’s a tough decision: The small size may not last you through the whole movie, but $5. 50 for some sugary drink seems unreasonable. But there’s a third option, a medium soda for $5. 25. The medium might be just right for you, but the large only cost a quarter more. If you’re like the majority of people, you end up buying the large.

If you’re wondering who would purchase the medium soda, the answer is almost no one. Actually, there’s a good chance that the marketing department purposely priced the medium soda as a decoy (诱饵), making you more likely to buy the large soda rather than the small.

I have written about this unique human nature previously with my friend Dan Ariely, who, after noticing pricing for subscription (订阅) to The Economist, studied this phenomenon widely. The digital subscription was 859, the print subscription was $125, and the print plus digital subscription was also $125. No one in their right mind would buy the print subscription when you could get digital as well for the same price, so why was it even an option? Ariely ran an experiment and found that when only the two “real” choices were offered, more people chose the less-expensive digital subscription. However, the bad option increased people’s likelihood of selecting the expensive print plus digital option.

Brain scientists call this effect “asymmetric dominance (非对称优势)” and it means that people are hooked to the option that is closest to an obviously inferior (较差的) option.

Marketing professors call it the decoy effect, which is certainly easier to remember. It works because of the way our brain assigns value when making choices. Value is rarely absolute; rather, we decide an object’s value relative to other choices. If more options are introduced, the value equation (方程) changes.

7 . Empathy (同理心) is one of those strange qualities—something almost everyone wants, but few know how to truly give or receive it. In a world where self-satisfaction is emphasized, it is in short supply but high demand. This is all the more reason to teach the next generation what it means to have empathy for those around them.   

What Is Empathy? — Many people confuse sympathy and empathy, but they are two distinct values. Empathy is not just the ability to understand someone's feelings; criminals often take advantage of people by appearing to understand their feelings and finally gaining their trust. Empathy is more than that. Not only is it the ability to recognize how someone feels, but it also values and respects the feelings of another person. It means treating others with kindness, dignity, and understanding.

Kids Need To See Adults Show Empathy — While some children are gifted with naturally kind hearts, in most cases kids need to see empathy modeled by the adults around them. It begins with the way parents relate to their children. Parents who show an interest in the things that matter to their kids and respond to emotions in a positive and caring way are teaching the skill of empathy.

Meet Emotional Needs —When children have their emotional needs met, two things happen. They learn how to meet the emotional needs of others and they are anchored in what they are receiving, meaning that they are secure enough to give to others when the need arises but first they need to receive. An empty jug cannot fill a cup.

It's a good idea to talk to kids about emotions and how other people experience them. Give their emotions names (for example, jealousy, anger, and love) and teach them that these are normal. Talk to them about how to handle emotions in a positive way and point out situations where other people are experiencing emotions. Teach them about respecting the emotions of others and show them how to act in a situation where a response is required.

What’s Good About Social Network

Do you remember when social media felt good? When friends got reunited years after graduation? But then came all the fake news, targeted advertising, and fear of leaking personal information. You began questioning yourself why you       1     (spend) all the time on it. This was     2     happened to many, including me. Though social media was always something I needed, the life when it was needed for sheer entertainment has gone.

But occasionally, I     3     (remind) how powerful a tool it always is. It remains unparalleled (无与伦比) in its original, uncommercialized mission     4     (serve) as a connector of people and a facilitator of friendship. I haven’t seen my friend Rob since I was 16. We fell out of touch because he lived in Scotland while I lived in London. But last month I ran across something when I was browsing through Facebook. It was a photo of a little girl,     5     I didn’t know, winning first prize in a school talent show. A photo unusually,     6     (post) by Rob, which was his first post on Facebook, was tagged with the name of the school his daughter attended, which was not in Scotland, but just five miles from my house.

Were it not for social media, I     7     (know) that Rob had moved to my neck of the woods. Both of us were amazed at how incredible it was that we’d spent years living so near without ever bumping into each other. Truth is, although we had, I’m not sure I would have recognized him without his profile picture. So     8     all the considerations and criticisms about how social media disturbs our lives, it is nice to know that, it’s still worth     9     (press) Like. Anyway, social media is     10     (replaceable) to us.