SOCIAL MEDIA: Lonely Online with Larissa May

For the third part of the mini-series exploring 'Social Media' we’re joined by the incredible, Larissa “Larz’ May to discuss digital wellness; how to navigate the wild west of social media and stay sane in the process. Larz has an infectious energy and deep insight into this complex subject. She started her project ‘Half The Story’ after experiencing the dark side of social media first hand. Alone and suffering from depression and anxiety with only her Instagram followers for company she realised that what she was experiencing must be happening to many other young people too. Her desire to not only heal herself, but to arm others with the tools to thrive, led to her spending the next 5 years learning all she could about the impact of social media on our mental health and crucially how to take practical steps to protect our minds online. We’re living in the most connected era humankind has ever experienced, yet so many of us feel lonely and isolated. Larz and Floss discuss the difference between connecting online and true meaningful connection. She explains how focusing on our lives and relationships online can be detrimental to our real-life experiences and friendships. And most importantly  how to take back the power and use our platforms with power, purpose and in a way that truly aligns with our values and goals. It’s time to ask if you’re using social media or if it’s using you… and if so what you can do about it! Find Larz on Instagram @livinlikelarz And her incredible projects @halfthestory @globaldayofunplugging Find Floss on instagram and Tik Tok @florencegiven Click here and use the code EXACTLY to get 14 days’ free access to CHEEX - the new and revolutionary membership offering a safe space for sexual entertainment and education. The promo is valid for new customers when selecting the yearly subscription option. Cancel anytime during the trial period. Original theme music by Black Honey. Find them on instagram - @blackhoneyuk Instrumental bed is Black Honey’s song ‘Beaches’. Find the transcript for this episode here: https://somethin-else.github.io/transcripts/exactly/s1e11.txt This is a Somethin’ Else production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices