Do what you love, love what you do.♥
(but most importantly, be a nice human online and off, and lift eachother up because sometimes work is hard, and the internet can be mean, and damn - lets all take a moment to appreciate one another.
Happy February friends! This week is nothing short of a whirlwind start with, well… this.
Shakir and JLo aside, the warm weather in NYC has me feeling refreshed and ready to rock and roll in the coming months, and taking time this month to recognize why we love this crazy tech / social / journalism world, and how fortunate we are to work in it.
Which, I know, seems crazy… it’s a time of more media layoffs than ever (check Columbia Journalism Reviews Layoff Tracker) pay discrepancies in media (NYTimes story here, and the live updating google sheets doc here), it can be hard to be optimistic about this industry.
So here’s my virtual love letter of things that are going right in the tech/media/social/journalism world.
if you like it, you probably should share it.
Superbowl: advertising style
If you follow the prolific @dongdraper account on twitter, you may have noticed the slack channel that popped up during the time of the Superbowl, and DAMN, this was the most fun I’ve had watching the Superbowl in a while. It was fun to have a comparison of what ad-people thought of ads vs. what “civilians” think of the advertisements, and one of the notable highlights? How certain local regions saw a Scientology ad played during the local ads section.
The takeaway: the internet gives us a future of groups that provide access to communities other than ever before. Stay tuned for how we can see this evolution happen across other industries, and create your own virtual watch parties online.
For the love of freelancing
One of my favorite personal newsletters is that of Jenny Stallard, a freelance journalist who runs the Freelance Feels newsletter + podcast. Her latest issue involves the comparison of freelancing to dating, and honestly, its something that I relate to so so so so so often.
As much as there’s some un-fun parts (dealing with your own taxes, the ebb + flows of it, navigating clients and subcontractors, following up on invoices, and wrangling loose ends), there’s also some very fun parts (determining your own schedule, selecting clients that work best for you, and being able to turn down clients that are not a good fit, and then working with clients that are more like friends and family).
And personally, I worked hard to set myself up in a position that the clients I’m working with in 2020, bring me the most joy — clients who may be reading this, this one is for you. 🍻
“The biggest thing about freelancing and the dating analogy is that we choose to be in it. Just like I did with dating, I have made a conscious effort to say I’ll put myself out there, have those ‘dates’, go to events, and keep hustling for a ‘match’. I’ll deal with the ghosting because it can lead to good things if I find the non-ghosters.” - Jenny Stallard writes
And this is very much my experience, it takes time to determine who are the good ones, and who are the ones you’d rather not navigate with. I’ve had to learn, sometimes in a trial by fire, but learn what works, and what doesn’t. And now, I’m working on some really cool things, like creating optometry influencers and researching all about what game theory has to do with user flows.
TikTok tackles serious issues.
Damn, does TikTok get a bad rap at times. Seriously, so many of you on the internet (and my parents) are quick to dismiss the greatness that is TikTok. Why am I hooked? Well, it’s more than the fact that my cat is on its way to his first 1000 followers (he’s at an iconic 666 at time of writing this) but actually rather how the platform tackles issues that are tough to talk about in a lighthearted, intelligent humor sort of way.
Don’t believe me? Watch some TikToks tackling serious issues and form your own opinion:
Mama Doctor Jones tackles what constitutes physical and emotional abuse
Jess Anderson has been teaching me a lot about axolotls (seriously I’m fascinated)
In an article from the Lily, the idea that teens are using the platform to gain a voice-only continues to further grow. While concerns of privacy and creeps still exist — this shouldn’t take away from the fact that the platform excels at some of these tough conversations
“Tiktok, perhaps more than any other platform, allows its huge youth audience to articulate not just the see-me and hear-me aspects of socialising, but also a visual representation of the rituals and markers of youth.” In the same piece, Andrew Gauthier, head of video on Kamala D. Harris’s (D-Calif.) campaign, likens the platform to “a look into teenage id.”
The story of this particular viral video is a case in point: It showcases young women in all their random, irreverent, teenage glory.
The important takeaway? Tough conversations are taking new forms. Don’t hesitate to experiment and play around with them, you never know what resonates best with an audience.
Quick Links
In case you need to see Shakira and JLo again… HERE IT IS
Google released a tool to help identify deepfakes — fact-checkers rejoice! or do they?
There’s a quickly growing subreddit r/toastme — where people give random compliments on the internet (and this is what gives me hope about the internet!)
If you enjoyed reading this, I am asking you to do two things!
Please hit the ❤️ button below, and then share this with a friend or to social media! Send it out to someone who works in this technical industry, loves tech, or sends you questionable Facebook game requests.
Help us expand our reach and make the internet better one user, creator, strategist, or internet friend at a time!
but until next time — see you on the internet my dudes! 👋