Connection: That is the key to keeping temperatures down – Dr. Plastic Picker
 

Connection: That is the key to keeping temperatures down

| Posted in Climate Advocacy (AAP/Climate Reality/ClimateHealthNOW)

My daughter on her ceramic’s instructors social media account.

July 23, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

Yes, I am on social media. I’ve learned a lot from social media, and I admit I need to be off it a bit more. But it’s a thing and it’s here to stay. The most important part is that it is fundamentally connecting a lot of us that need to be connected to address the climate crisis. I know I may be living in my own echoing chamber, but honestly I don’t think I am. Social media is like going to the mall or grocery store, you see people and meet people. But you can tell a lot about them by the images they share, their captions and the general “vibe” of their account.

It’s a scary and dangerous thing as well, because there is a lot of darkness out there. There is glorification and self objectification. It’s taught me to be wary of some people, and some paths I thought were possible. But it’s also shown me some beautiful hearts and minds. Yes, we can all be manipulated but we can be manipulated in real life as well.

I think for me social media is helpful when it is the accounts of actual people I know and I will be working with in our region. I have no need to have more followers /friends than I have now. There are tricks to the social media game, when people “buy followers.” Yes, it is a thing. This occurs when that account or person is trying to usually make money off you, or trying to exert influence that they don’t have. I’m just a pediatrician who is trying to help stop the climate crisis. I’m a real person.

And my daughter is real too, and I saw this on my ceramic teacher’s instagram story. It’s fine and appropriate, but at least I know what is going on because I am where the youth are – on social media.

Isn’t her ceramics cool????!!!! I’m so proud of her. She’s actually not on social media that much. She’s very much in the real world making amazing things with her own hands and skills. It’s been a busy and quieter summer than she expected. She’s 16 and pretty, and rather than growing in her social relationships – she’s actually unexpectedly grown in her art quite a bit. I don’t think she’ll fully realize how important this summer will be to her development artistically and professionally until years down the line. I am so grateful to social media because I learned about many of these opportunities for her because I was looking around and curious about the world in general.

Today I have to continue to move the climate work forward mostly through being connecting with folks. I need to talk to my mentor Bruce Bekkar about something, I’m not sure. I need to talk to Dr. Christine James about 3 projects. I need to talk to Dr. Mel Fiorella about a different project. I need to talk to Angela Kim from UC Berkeley about PHAC OC/LA. I need to talk to Aneesah Grayson also about PHAC OC/LA. I need to talk to several people about H3SD Summit. I basically need to talk to a lot of people. And I’m hoping to have some time to talk to my daughter when she has time for me. She’s really busy creating art.

She’s really pretty! But she’s older now and has her own social media and controlling her own image. But every time I see her, I only have one thought. She’s pretty. That’s pretty much it. I’m kind of superficial in that way.

Hope you are all well! My charts are actually miraculously almost all closed and I’m starting this morning fresh and energized for clinic! Being happy makes a huge difference with doctoring.


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