Celebrity, Conspiracy, Internet, Social Media

Pete Evans: out of the (Fb) frying pan and into the (dumpster) fire

Pete Evans: Activated Almonds to Alternative Health

The first time I ever paid any attention to Pete Evans, it was when he’d done a “day in a plate” type interview and he spoke about “activated almonds”. I learned that these were almonds that were soaked and then dried. Wet nuts that became dry nuts. I found this hilarious, but over the intervening years he has gone from a bit of a joke to downright alarming. I got blocked from his Facebook page when I questioned why he was anti fluoride and frankly, he’s gotten even weirder since. Continue Reading

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Parenting, Social Media

Facebook Parenting Groups, What A Wild Ride

FACEBOOK PARENTING GROUPS A WOMAN LOOKING AT A LAPTOP WITH A SHOCKED EXPRESSION

Facebook Parenting Groups

I’m not even kidding. Parenting groups on Facebook are one of the wildest rides you can take while staring at your phone on your daily commute. Or, you know, whenever it is you do your scrolling. The bigger the group, the wilder the ride. Which makes sense; the more members, the more diverse the crowd. I’ve been in dozens of these groups over the years and I think there’s a handful of characters that are common to each and every one.

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Opinion, Social Media

Social Media is Not the Devil!

Social media: How bad is it?

My social media feed is, quite ironically, littered with posts about the apparent trash-fire that is social media. I get it. It’s not all sunshine and roses. I would know, having spent far too long in the stranger corners of it in the name of research and morbid curiosity. I’ve been in Facebook groups for Doomsday Preppers, groups devoted to vicious arguing under the guise of debate, Flat Earth groups and more. There are many hours that I’ll never get back, reading forums, tweets, posts and pins peddling conspiracy theories, fear, pseudoscience and dangerous quackery.

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Humanity, Opinion, Social Media

The Humans of Facebook Community Groups

Facebook Community Groups

I’ve been conducting an unofficial little survey on my personal profile about Facebook Community Groups. Your local area noticeboard style group on Facebook- is it a civilised, helpful group to trade recommendations and discuss what’s on in your area or is it a cesspit of bigotry and never-ending arguments? There’s always a bunch of “regular” people in them, the kind that avoid conflict or serious discussion and just want to find out what time the fireworks start at the Christmas Carols. They probably make up the majority of these groups but you’d hardly know they’re there. They aren’t the ones making all the noise!

via GIPHY

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