Cancel Culture

Cancel culture has become a popular term to describe ending someone’s career abruptly and “with cause”. Social media cancel culture can ruin a person’s career and change public perception of them swiftly. In this blog, I’m gonna be talking about the negatives and positives that come with the cancel culture. 

My friends and I use the term “you’re cancelled” whenever somebody does something we don’t like although it’s just a joking expression to express distaste for something or someone, I think it is essential to acknowledge how fast we make assumptions based on things we see on social media and this can be especially dangerous when we aren’t doing our due diligence in fact-checking. Here is a blog on the benefits of cancel culture. 

There are two sides to the coin with cancel culture people are able to call out others behaviours that are problematic and that they disagree with but also the people being cancelled don’t often get a chance at redemption or to explain their actions or make amends. With social media letting us hide behind our screens we sometimes forget that everyone is a person and to treat them with kindness and give the same grace that most would give somebody in real life. When we don’t have in-person connections with the people were interacting with or viewing online we don’t have the same compassion to see them as a person. I think this is where cancel culture gets a little sticky especially when people are not required to back up all their data with fact-checked sources. Here is an article that I found interesting surrounding cancel culture and if we have taken it too far as a society. 

Politics Voting GIF By Bryson Williams

I think people are super eager to shame people for their views when they don’t align with their own and cancel culture is a tool that makes it so free speech isn’t so free anymore. When people don’t feel safe to share their opinions or own stories without the fear of being cancelled, I think that creates a very narrow-minded environment where people only feel comfortable sharing what fits within societal norms. And although there are instances where people’s views are extremely harmful to another party I think that many people are leading with love when they want to share their own experiences or opinions and for them to be pariahs in doing so I don’t think we’re creating an inclusive environment for the social media space.

Don’t get me wrong I fully agree that we should call out people who preach hateful things and hold people accountable for their crimes, but I think we take it a step too far when people are being cancelled or shunned from social media for having views that are different from social norms. We are all human and make mistakes and I think that it is important that we let people learn from and move on from them. 

What are your thoughts on cancel culture? Let me know in the comments!

Check out my blog on cancel culture #Cancelculture —-> http://bit.ly/3SlILJ7

You’re Cancelled. Check out my blog http://bit.ly/3SlILJ7

Is the Switch to Online Here to Stay in a Post-Pandemic World?

Since Covid things have moved from in-person to online at a fast pace. Many services can now be found online (excluding things like open heart surgery, however, I am sure there is a step-by-step guide on how to perform it somewhere in the online sphere.)

You can gain access to healthcare providers – your own if you have one, or pay for a service such as Maple. You can book consultations with dog trainers, fitness coaches, yoga instructors, and almost any professional you want to work with can now be accessed through your computer. You’re able to connect with friends in a group online, and you could have a game night with apps. You can date online. You can get educated- from either a post-secondary institution or something that is becoming very common since the pandemic is for professionals in many industries to offer courses that you can do online- many of these aren’t regulated or official but are something that is gaining traction.  Businesses are able to attract a much broader audience than ever before, you are able to reach clients that are across the world like never before through the use of social media and online shoppes.

The rise in working from home and also working hybrid from home as well as some days in person is something that looks like it is here to stay. Here is an article describing how many employees are much happier working from home than in person. 

If you live in a city you don’t even have to go grocery shopping yourself, you can have groceries delivered right to your door. And if you don’t want to be in charge of a meal you can order a meal kit. Is that too much effort? There’s also uber eats, a meal right to your door.

As someone who is introverted I like being able to have necessary appointments and entertainment from the comfort of my home, it makes them feel less daunting and it saves commute time. So I am thankful that these services have gained popularity and seem to be sticking around in a post-pandemic world. 

Here is an in-depth policy brief that explores the activity of online-platform usage during the Covid if you want to explore this topic further. 

In the comments let me know what you prefer, online or in person?

Money Apply GIF By ING Romania

Check out the blog I wrote on the switch from in-person services to online since the Covid pandemic. —>bit.ly/3XnDrpP

Are online services here to stay even after the pandemic? Check out my blog on this at bit.ly/3XnDrpP

Delicious Viral TikTok

A small business in Peterborough, called Tastely Box, has gathered quite a large following (2 million) for itself by harnessing the power of TikTok to show off products. After being influenced, I decided to check them out in real life and they had a cute little storefront with many imported candies that you would have a hard time finding anywhere else in Canada.

They are specifically known for their freeze-dried candies on TikTok. They had a whole rack dedicated to their freeze-dried candies, and I just had to try them, let me say, they were some of the most interesting sweets I’ve ever tasted, they had a fluffy but crunchy texture, it is very hard to describe but I would highly recommend finding some freeze dried treats, they were 10/10. 

Polly Laneville, the owner, says in an article that she doesn’t know how they have gone viral so many times and her best guess is that people love seeing before and after videos of her making the candies. Her “before” videos show her picking out the candies to freeze dry and the “after” videos show her taking them out of the dryer and trying and rating how good they taste. I think that this is very plausible as to why her videos have done so well, I personally like watching before and afters, they are very entertaining and give you a little cliffhanger at the end of part one to entice you to go to the second part and in getting you to go to another video you are interacting with their account making it more likely it will appear on your page again as well as boosting it up the for you page. If you want to learn how the TikTok algorithm works here is a helpful article.

@tastelybox

Unicorn poop is a weird name but a necessary name considering how they look 👌🏻🙃🦄 #tastelybox #candy #candyshop #candystore #ptbocanada #ptbocandy #freezedried #freezedriedcandy #freezedriedadventures #foodexperiment

♬ Witch Familiar (Classical) [Classic](143628) – dice

TikTok by @tastelybox

I think it is super cool that this small business that is local to me has been able to use TikTok to help their store grow. Polly, the owner, said in the same Toronto Life article that the first time they went viral they made $1700 in sales, since then they have gone viral quite a few more times. That is such a crazy sale out of the blue for a small business. I think Polly’s secret key to success is posting consistently and having fun with her niche in her videos. 

What strategy can you think of that might be useful in going viral on TikTok? 

&

What kind of candy would you freeze dry if you could? 

Let me know your answers to these questions in the comments!😃

Check out this TASTY blog on a local business’s success on #TikTok #TastelyBox—> bit.ly/3RfSO20

Check out this article on a Peterborough candy shop’s viral TikTok —> bit.ly/3RfSO20

Correlation Between Social Media and Mood

Recently I’ve been on a journey to become as self-aware as possible and in doing so I have discovered that what I consume through social media has a direct effect on the way I am thinking and feeling. You may have just rolled your eyes and said “DUH” but knowing something and consciously looking for it on a daily basis is very different. Strategically consuming media and being aware of the direct correlation to the mood I’m in before during and after partaking in social media has been very insightful for my curious brain. 

My timelines for all my social media are vastly different and they elicit different emotional responses for me. I have found that I am a bit different than others in the way I use my social media, it could be the dislike I have of being perceived by so many that makes me very tactical in the way I post and who has access to my accounts. In this blog, I will take you through the way I use social media, what I consume, and how I feel when using these platforms. 

Tiktok is so mindless for me. It’s like the algorithm knows exactly what to do to keep me watching and entertained enough that I don’t feel the need to put down my phone for quite some time. Somehow the short videos seem so important and filled with knowledge in the moment but as soon as a scroll to the next video the previous has been completely tuned out. I find that by the end of a scrolling session, I am feeling down on myself and disappointed in my time management skills. I also feel like there is a cynical/ judgemental tone to many TikToks that while entertaining become disheartening (and that may very well be of my own doing as the fyp is very personalized- but still it’s not good for me to constantly be exposed to negative thinking). 

I use Facebook as a way for me to feel involved in a lot of cool groups. I am in so so many Facebook groups it is scary, they all are so niche and informative I could never narrow them down. From book recommendations to dog carting to community groups, there are just so many groups that I love being a part of. The best thing about these groups for me is that regular people are able to comment and start a discourse on anything related to the group and you end up seeing many opinions you wouldn’t get anywhere else. Overall the mood after I’m finished scrolling Facebook is one of curiosity and I find that I don’t get sucked into scrolling for too long on there. 

Social Media Love GIF By Lumps https://www.lumps.design/

Instagram is the most social app I use-it is how I communicate with friends on social media. After having my public Instagram hacked in 2020 I lost all my posts and followers but honestly was relieved to not have a looming dread of many acquaintances and strangers viewing pictures and thoughts of mine. I had an account just for close friends as well and I just switched to using that primarily. When I did, I found that I felt free in my expression, I could post what I wanted without the thought that it would be viewed wide scale and without the thought that maybe my next employer wouldn’t hire me for posting something. Having just close friends- everyone on there someone that I would feel comfortable having a long conversation with or asking for a favour- really gave me perspective on what relationships in real life I should be nourishing and focusing on in the absence of impressing strangers with my cool new pics. My mood on here is one of expansion because usually I just post a quick photo and see maybe 1 or 2 recent pictures my friends posted and catch up with a dm or 2 and I’m off the app in 5 to 10 minutes, feeling like I’ve contributed something by posting my own picture and catching up with people I care for. 

I don’t think I am going to do anything with these observations other than try and limit my social media intake in general and specifically for the socials that leave me worse off by scrolling them. I implore you to be a tad more mindful of how you feel using your own social media, even if it’s just for a day, maybe it will make you a bit happier. If you are interested in learning a bit more about using social media mindfully click here this is an article from mindowl.org that might be helpful if the thought of spending less time on socials overwhelms you.

Feeling down? 🧐 Perhaps your mood is being affected by social media. Read more at bit.ly/3ZTeTHy #socailmedia #blogging

With the increasing use of social media in everyday life, I have decided to take a step back and analyze the way my moods change with different social media such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Read more 👉🏻 bit.ly/3ZTeTHy