You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself Literary Elements

Non-fiction informative book

The book was set in 2011 in the context of self-improvement.

First-person narrative

Humorous, informative, optimistic, motivating

David McRaney is the protagonist and narrator of the book.

The major conflict is that virtual reality has completely changed the animalistic social nature of human beings. Naturally, human beings are social animals, but digital media platforms have interrupted everything, and now people have changed to unrealistic social media puppets. For instance, one can have over 5000 friends in the face, but none can help you with problems. Consequently, friends on social media are just electronic data, but not real human beings who can never come to your help.

The climax comes when the author insists that human beings must make realistic and healthy connections physically and avoid relying on social media toe hence interactions.

The introduction of Facebook foreshadowed social disconnections between human beings.

The virtual reality of social media platforms is understated. For instance, social media does not only increase the distance between human interaction; it is also addictive, time-consuming and costly. Consequently, people need to realize that social platforms should only be used for profit-generating activities and other meaningful ventures.

The story alludes to illusions of a contended society through the use of digital social media platforms.

The images of the casinos depict sight imagery. For instance, the narrator writes, "Let’s look at casinos, which are temples to priming….” Similarly, the smell imagery is showed when the narrator talks about the smell of freshly baked bread, which increases the demand and prices.

The main paradox is that one can have over 5000 friends on Facebook, but none will help when the need arises.

The virtual reality and false impression of digital media parallel the narrator's daily life.

N/A

Facebook is personified as a replacement for social friends.