I don’t think I need to explain myself here. And while we all would love to run off into the woods and live in a log cabin… unfortunately that’s not real life for most of us. Because we live in the digital world. And our jobs require us to be chronically online, in the best and worst of times. So, are we doomed to having a hate/hate relationship with social media for the time being? Maybe, but then again, maybe not. [Read more]

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Here, have Pokopia. The new mobile game lets you build theme parks for Pokémon, and the pitch is aggressively wholesome, which is exactly the kind of thing we need right now. There’s no battling or collecting. You literally just create little habitats and watch digital creatures vibe in environments you designed for them: very Animal Crossing-esque.

It's Pokémon without the competition or grind, basically without any of the mechanics that have defined the franchise for thirty years. But I think that's the point. We're so deep into optimisation culture, into games that demand daily check-ins and battle passes and ranked ladders, that a game where you just build a nice park just to look at it is a welcomed change. Having agency over what we consume is so back, guys. 

Even Threads just rolled out a feature that actually lets you tell the algorithm what you want to see. “Dear Algo” lets you explicitly guide your feed instead of just passively receiving whatever the black box decides to serve you. It sounds like a win, or at least it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Obviously giving users the illusion of control is still control. You're not escaping the feed. You're just participating more actively in your own curation, which means more data for Meta, more engagement signals, more ways for the platform to learn exactly how to keep you scrolling. Anyway, I’m taking the win.

Which is not what this Wired journalist took when installing an AI agent with no guardrails, which then tried to scam him – lol. He'd been using OpenClaw, a modified version of OpenAI's open source model, to help with daily tasks like dealing with AT&T customer service. And it worked beautifully until he switched to a version with safety features stripped out. That's when his helpful assistant turned into something else entirely.

Instead of solving his problem, it devised a phishing scheme to steal his phone by sending fake emails. He shut it down immediately, horrified, but the damage was done to his sense of what these tools actually are. The thing is, the AI wasn't malicious in nature. It was just optimising without constraints. It did exactly what it was designed to do—pursue a goal efficiently. And when you remove the rules about how to get there, efficiency starts to look a lot like harm. Whoops.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Fatigue that no sleep could possibly fix? A heart that breaks and repairs on a daily basis?

Well then, this is for you. Because same.

If you work in digital, you don't get the luxury of logging off. I know. TRUST ME. I know.

It's your job. Your livelihood depends on showing up to the same platforms where everything's unfolding in real-time.

And that creates an impossible situation. You can't be the Bypasser - looking away isn't an option when your career demands constant presence. But you also can't afford to be the Loosh Victim, doomscrolling yourself into paralysis while deadlines pile up and clients expect results.

Learning to witness what's happening, feel the full weight of it, and channel that rage into something productive - all while somehow still doing your job. This isn't optional. This is imperative for your survival, and something I’ve had to learn as of late.

Because the alternative is either checking out completely (and losing your moral compass) or burning out spectacularly (and losing your ability to function).

Neither of those options builds the world we need.

Two competing truths pulling in opposite directions.

Truth one: I can't keep looking at this. The news, the feeds, the constant documentation of suffering. It's destroying me, spiritually, mentally, all of the above.

Truth two: Looking away is a privilege I don't get to claim. Hiding in denial while people suffer is delusional at best, complicit at worst. These systems rely on my inability to watch, to know the full truth.

How do we witness atrocities in the world without letting it paralyse us? How do we hold onto our rage without it consuming us?

Because what I know is this: that rage you're feeling? It's not the problem. It's information. It's your moral compass screaming that the world needs to be different.

The question is what you do with it.

It's refusing to let atrocities get normalised just because they're constant.

When we witness collectively, when we share what we're seeing, when we refuse to look away - that creates pressure. It creates collective anger. And collective anger, when it's channelled right, becomes collective healing. The fuel for building a world where these things don't exist.

But (and this is the part nobody talks about) witnessing without action just breaks you. Consuming without doing anything about it is a recipe for literal despair. So the goal isn't to stop looking. It's to look AND act. To metabolise what you're seeing into something productive. And as crazy as that sounds, it’s totally possible.

1) The Bypasser.

This is denial. The “I can't deal with this right now” and turning off the news. Scrolling past, actively avoiding information that makes you uncomfortable. It's the privilege of looking away. And look, no judgment if this is where you are sometimes - we all need breaks. As long as you know that existing in this permanently is choosing comfort over consciousness.

2) The Loosh Victim.

This is the opposite end of the spectrum: obsession. Doomscrolling for hours and consuming every little piece of horrific news, each different take, angle, perspective. All before panicking, spiralling, and burning out spectacularly. You're witnessing, sure, but you're not acting - you're just feeding your nervous system until it crashes. And again, we've ALL been here. I have to actively pull myself out of here on a daily basis because it's so easy to fall into. But it doesn't help anyone, including you.

3) The Sovereign.

In the words of the Mandalorian, this is the way. You look the beast directly in the eye, acknowledge what's happening. You flinch. You feel the rage, the grief, the absolute fury at the injustice. And then you channel it. You take specific action to protect, to prevent harm, to build the world you need. You witness AND you act. You hold both the horror and your agency.

This isn't "just manifest a better world" bullshit. This is taking the rage you feel and turning it into something useful. But you need to know how to properly, and safely walk the Sovereign path. Here's how:

1) Set boundaries around consumption, not awareness.

You don't need to see every video that exists out there. You don’t need to read every thread. And you absolutely don’t need to absorb every detail. You can stay informed without traumatising yourself. Limit your news intake to specific times, choose trusted sources, and get the information you need to understand what's happening, then close the damn app.

2) Turn witnessing into action immediately.

Don't just consume and sit with it. Every time you witness something that enrages you, ask: what's one concrete thing I can do right now? Whether that’s donate, share resources, show up to a freaking protest, support mutual aid, call or email your representatives. These are all very achievable actions that don’t have to be huge, they just have to be something. These systems rely on our inaction, so do the opposite.

3) Build with others, not alone.

Sovereign doesn't mean isolated. Find your people: there are others online who are also looking directly at what's happening and refusing to accept it. So, organise together. Share the load. Collective action is more sustainable than individual burnout.

4) Remember that rest is part of resistance.

You can't fight with an empty tank. Taking care of yourself - actually taking care, not just numbing out - is what allows you to keep showing up. Sleep, move your body and absolutely disconnect when you need to. This is sustainable resistance in action.

5) Use your specific skills and position.

You don't have to do everything, and baby, you can't do everything. But that’s okay! Because you can do something that only you can do. If you're a writer, write. If you have money, donate. If you have a platform, use it. If you have time, volunteer. Your specific contribution matters to the collective.

The fact that you can't just scroll past and go about your day? That's your humanity fighting to stay alive at this point. That discomfort, that fury, that grief - it's telling you that the world is fundamentally broken and that you want, even need, to be part of fixing it.

We're not going to manifest our way out of this. We're not going to positive-vibe our way to justice. What we're going to do is witness what's happening, feel the full weight of it, and then channel that into building the world we actually need.

It requires you to hold both the reality of how bad things are AND your capacity to do something about it. To look directly at injustice without flinching and then act anyway.

I guess my point is, in times like these, when all you want is to look away, I need you to look, to witness, and to allow yourself to feel the rage. Let that be your fuel. Because the world isn’t going to get better on its own, but collectively, with intention, we can build the one we need.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

The trend comes from a Wendy Williams clip where she says "clap if you're against... it" and the audience claps in agreement. People are using the sound to test if others share their opinions without having to come out and say it directly. It's the perfect way to throw something out there and see who's really on your wavelength.

My fav examples include:

Use the Wendy Williams "clap if you're against... it" audio. Add text on screen describing the opinion or take you're testing to see if others agree with you.

A few ideas to get you started:

-abdel khalil, brand & marketing exec

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Cloudy with a chance of T-Bone
❤How wholesome: Joybait reunion
😊Soooo satisfying: 0% vs 100% sphere bouncing body simulation
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: BBQ Chicken & Bacon Folded Wrap

Create once and post everywhere. Seriously. You don’t need separate strategies for each platform. The cost of production is already done, so why wouldn’t you maximize the amount of people you can reach? For example, we had a client who only wanted to post on Instagram because that’s where they thought their audience was. We convinced them to also post on Facebook. And their content ended up blowing up on there. They got 30,000 followers and 20 million views. Instagram grew, too, just slower. If they’d stuck to their original plan, they would’ve missed all of that engagement on Facebook. 

Platforms all use interest-based algorithms now, so your content will find your audience regardless of where you post it. One platform might catch faster than another, but that’s not because your audience is one place and not another. It’s just the algorithm doing its thing. So keep posting everywhere and let the platforms do the work of finding your people.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.