Will ChatGPT Take All Of Our Jobs?
As we stand at the crossroads of artificial intelligence and natural language understanding, the potential of ChatGPT to revolutionize communication, problem-solving, and creativity appears boundless.
Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI innovation, where human interaction and technology seamlessly converge to shape the fascinating trajectory of ChatGPT's future. As we stand at the crossroads of artificial intelligence and natural language understanding, the potential of ChatGPT to revolutionize communication, problem-solving, and creativity appears boundless.
The above paragraph was written by ChatGPT itself (surprise) when I asked it to “write an introduction for a blog on the future of ChatGPT!” - I was going to ask it if it was going to come after all of our jobs but got a bit paranoid and felt this softer approach was the safer option. Much like Covid19, ChatGPT seemed to come out of nowhere and spread just as quick! It now has people in marketing, publishing, education and wider professions rushing to use it while claiming that our world as we know it is about to change!
But should we be worried? Is this just the latest internet tool to make our lives that little bit easier? Or will it eliminate the need to employ talented humans when there is a free ready-made consultant, resident expert on *insert topic* and strategist only a few clicks away? With similar ArtAI, VideoAI and PhotoAI platforms now being rolled out, it’s clear that AI will be a flashpoint in the coming years with huge implications for creativity, intellectual property and copyright laws also.
As we’re still in the infancy of a potential AI Era, here’s my own personal experience and thoughts on ChatGPT through my use of it in my marketing role. There’s already hundreds of so called ChatGPT gurus on social media already, so I’ll also draw on some of their observations to see if we really are heading to a Terminator style apocalypse.
What is ChatGPT?
According to the OpenAI website, they introduce the tool as a “model which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit it’s mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests”. What this translates to for marketeers in particular, is a tool that can crawl the web to deliver copywriting, blogs, ad copy, strategy, market research and more.
As a marketeer with over 8 years’ experience, I’m always cynical of the latest tool, software or magic pill that will automate X, result in Y and essentially streamline both my own role and wider business operations. These tools usually come attached to a sales company, a friendly account manager and multiple demos before a long training induction and internal roadmap.
What makes ChatGPT and similar OpenAI platforms different, is that they’ve come out of nowhere and are free to use (for now) in the same way that Google is. When I say free I mean you still have to at least sign up with your email and register before agreeing to their terms. There’s also an option to buy the premium version (naturally) which is $20p/m and includes a more powerful version with even faster response times.
It's Very Impressive
So what is it like to use? Well after playing around with the tool, you can’t help but be impressed. It’s the speed at which it delivers on your requests that makes it hard to fathom just how it works. It’s simple and dynamic in the way that you can ask it to delve deeper into certain elements of its answer, rewrite parts more succinctly or even take a different approach to your current problem.
Parts of its responses sometimes come across as robotic or don’t flow in the way something that’s generated by a human would, but the quality of these responses usually give a good basis for whatever it is you need to produce. Having worked in many social media focused roles, a simple example of a test request I gave the tool was to “Devise a Social Media Strategy for a Luxury Jewellery Brand”
The above image shows just the first three steps of a twelve step strategy that does cover all of the key best practices that social media managers would use. It also uses data to suggest the most effective platforms to leverage (in this case Pinterest). It then notes the key considerations like luxury being tied into exclusivity, the need for educational content on product features and the importance of community management and reviews.
This is all great information, but in reality this would just work as a roadmap or reference point for a social media manager or team to execute. It’s like researching the latest studies or receiving the latest best practices/algorithm update from a Facebook Business Newsletter. The data itself is useless, if you don’t have the humans to deliver on it.
It’s All In The Prompts
Questions are one thing, but where things start to get really interesting with ChatGPT is when you learn how to give the tool better “prompts”. More specific prompts will start to deliver you more specific and niche outcomes. There are already AI Gurus online who will give you the ultimate template or tricks or tips to get the best from this new technology. So lets put these to the test.
To take my earlier question, if I was to elaborate on this and give it the following prompt - “create a content strategy to promote luxury lab-grown diamond jewellery to a millennial audience”, ChatGPT will deliver an answer that focuses more on transparency, lab-grown technology, environmental impacts, personalisation and other content that aligns with millennial specific values. You can then ask the tool to explain the positives associated with lab-grown jewelry (American spelling is needed here) to this specific audience in a short way. What you’ll receive is something like the below…
So really when asking the tool for what you want, your prompt needs to give it the context, as much accurate information as you can, what this information will be used for and the level of detail you want. Once you begin to consider these before asking the questions, you start to see the potential power of it. Still not happy with the result? Then ask it follow up questions. You’ll then start to build out the use case for it in your own company, career or profession.
The Verdict
Above are just simple examples of how it can be used effectively in marketing. My own verdict is that I imagine every large and small tech company in the world is either already using the tool or is considering using it in the future. Once they do I think that for now at least, it will be something that people keep available in the background as an additional resource. It reminds me of a friend of mine who knew a lad who bought a tazer gun and when asked why he said “because it’s better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it”
Initial usage will be more to support teams and be another “brain” in the strategy meeting. So far, it also seems to be devoid of any real humour or personality and when you prompt it for anything too creative, it will fire back something that just doesn’t seem right. So for the true creative genius’ out there, you’ll be safe for now.
Ironically, I can see companies spending the next few years actually hiring AI experts and consultants to review the ways in which this new technology can streamline their operations. Before these “experts” will be no longer needed once the tool has had enough effective prompts to do it all independently.
I might be romantic and so like to think that human creativity, interaction and productivity will always be valued over the technological tools that aim to mimic this. However, the landscape of work has changed a lot since 2020. With many people now working partly or completely remotely, the face to face element of work and the value placed on these personal interactions and collaborations have diminished in my opinion.
This provides the perfect backdrop for these tools to be welcomed with open arms by many. Companies looking to save costs, will use them to inform their activities instead of bringing in new hires. Businesses outsourcing work to agencies will have this work sub-outsourced to AI-gencies (think I should trademark that) and few will even notice. There is hope though as there’s already reports of ChatGPT itself experiencing fatigue due to its workload. So maybe it’s already a lot more human than we think…
The Era Of Mobile First Video For Brands Is Only Starting
I look at how we’ve arrived at a time when video sharing has become mobile first focused and how this will change the landscape for creators across all sectors
Having studied Media Studies and Business in University, I’d regularly be spotted running around campus with a 20kg camera and someone else carrying a microphone and tripod in two separate bags. This would be our set up to capture on-campus vox pops, documentaries and other projects so they would be of “broadcast quality” to review with our tutors the following week.
Although the content would be shot in broadcast quality, the end product and editing would invariably be dreadful. However, in these years from 2011 to 2015, one thing would be drilled into us – any video worth sharing had to be shot and edited in 1080x1920px high definition landscape format. This would be perfect for widescreen viewing on a TV and if not then for YouTube videos. The rest of social media at that time was reserved for mostly text status updates and the occasional dog picture. Since then however, the world of video production has changed…
Mobile Phones
For me, mobile phones peaked when the most time you’d spend on them was to beat your high score on “Snake”. Then phone manufacturers started to introduce strange features like torches, mp3 players and even cameras onto our phones in the early 2000s. In these first few camera phones, the appeal of having a camera itself was the draw. Users weren’t really concerned with the fact that any pictures or videos they took would look like they’d been shot with a potato.
It would be years before the first iPhone would be released in 2007 and this began to drive the market for newer “Smartphones”. Soon phone processing power increased hugely and with this came WIFI, 3G, more affordable data plans, enhanced camera functionality and storage to store higher quality visual files.
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat & other social media apps began to grow in popularity in the early 2010s and the ability to “share” your images directly with friends online became popular. Phone manufactures now realised that the quality of the cameras on their phones would be a key decision in whether or not social media users would buy them. Soon 12 MP (Megapixel) cameras gave way to 24MP models and the latest iPhone 14 Pro now boasts a 48MP camera.
This model also allows you to shoot 4K video in up to 64 frames per second allowing for high quality slow mo videos too. In truth, any relatively new phone from the last few years that supports 4k video should be able to achieve similar results when using a tripod (for stability) and good lighting on your subject (natural light or a ring light will achieve this).
However, despite recent advancements in phone cameras, YouTube was still the go to platform for posting videos and so quality campaigns or video series’ were always shot with the traditional horizontal 1080x 1920 format in mind first. Anything shot on a phone would generally be images or short videos for behind the scenes stories and teasers.
TikTok
I believe that TikTok has changed the way in which we consume, shoot and ultimately plan our video content for our audiences. With the explosion of TikTok downloads, vertical video on mobile has now taken over as the main way in which videos are viewed online. Therefore, it only makes sense to create a lot of content that best suits this experience. With “Instagram Reels” and “YouTube Shorts” delivering the same kind of experience and their algorithms rewarding accounts that post more videos like this, the ability to be able to shoot, edit and post directly from our phones is now invaluable.
In my own role with Fields and Fraser Hart in the jewellery sector, I’ve seen my social media role increasingly focus on shooting short mobile videos of products, events etc and have seen these outperform our previously more professional shoot content. Below is an example of a video I’ve shot and posted directly from mobile that performed almost three times as well as similar “professional” shoot content on social media. You can view more of my mobile videos here.
The videos are shot in 4k at 24 frames per second usually with a ring light and when directly uploaded to Instagram or TikTok the quality is very impressive. It’s still not as clear or crisp as what you would film from a production grade camera or even an Sony or Canon type mirrorless camera but wider audiences won’t really notice this.
This style of video is now even referred to as “Lofi” or lower quality that users on social media actually prefer to over polished, airbrushed campaign content as they feel less “salesy”. With many of the top creators on TikTok creating content with their DIY mobile set ups it makes sense that brands and broadcasters should take a similar approach to their own videos. You can already see the impact this has had on even the most traditional of broadcasters like the BBC which have began to share news stories in the format like below on their social channels.
The Future of Video
So am I fully converted to the use of mobile phones for producing video and images? Would I choose it over my Sony A6300 mirrorless camera when I’m shooting videos? Well it depends on the circumstances. I believe that high quality videos shot in the traditional way will always be needed as bigger brands will always invest in full production shoots and capture a mix of content types including lofi behind the scenes type content.
With more and more people watching lofi videos on their phones each day, quick lofi videos are the most effective way to produce content for social media at least. This is good news if you’re a small business, creator or broadcaster as all you now need is a phone and a tripod to tell your story or build a brand. And that’s something I wouldn’t have been able to say back in University.
Scrolling in the Year: 2021 in Review
A look back at another Covid filled year where I try to focus on the “positives”
When I wrote my 2020 year in review blog last year, I ended it on a mixed note and said how “We can only hope the Coronavirus’ grip on the world will lessen”. I ominously mentioned the news of potential “second strains” that could be on the way. The blog positively by saying that the launch of vaccines would give us hope of things returning to normal. Although I only wrote that blog 12 months ago, 2021 has felt like an age.
Much like last year, most of it was spent between periods of lockdowns with short periods of “freedom” in between. Summer months where you can sneak a holiday abroad in or meet friends in pubs give you the impression (even though you should know better by now) that we may just be in the clear this time for good. Then suddenly it’s Christmas again and everyone and their Granny has what’s now the third (could be fourth I’m not sure at this stage) strain of Covid.
The difference with this year and what makes it harder to think about is that now despite over 90% of us being either “jabbed” or “boosted”, case wise at least things appear to be worse than ever and a tough January looms again. The key moments of 2021 all have some element of the pandemic attached to them so it’s been hard to find some highlights or moments to laugh back at. Despite this rather dour intro, we’ll try and keep things as light as we can. Here’s my annual review of some of the biggest moments that were trending on social media this year:
Kelly Harrington & the Olympics:
2021 was the year of events being cancelled, then put back on then altered to be in line with guidelines! One such event was the 2020 (still maintained for branding purposes) Olympics in Tokyo! The games were held behind closed doors with only some events open to Japanese locals. This didn’t hamper the buzz around the games though as there were plenty of memorable moments from the athletes taking part.
There was a shared Gold Medal in the long jump, more of a focus on athlete welfare through participants like Simone Biles and the moment where Ireland’s own Kellie Harrington won gold in the boxing and pulled her silver and bronze medalists up onto the top podium alongside her. Other notable Irish medalists included Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy in the Double Scull Rowing and we had bronze medal success in rowing and boxing too!
Suez Canal:
After E-commerce and online trade exploded in 2020 after the pandemic, it hit a snag (literally) in 2021. This was when a cargo ship got lodged in the Suez Canal that flows through Egypt connecting the Mediterranean with the Arabian Sea. This spawned a million clever memes and it was nice to hear the word crisis being associated with something more comical than usual. The ship sat there for just under a week and news stations were just short of interviewing its hull by the time it had finally been freed.
Similarly, the effect of Brexit (something we thankfully hear a lot less about nowadays) began to cause problems for some Irish consumers with customs charges for online retailers coming into effect earlier in the year. In September the UK began to experience fuel and food shortages which again came with its own set of memes and parodies. These incidents showed us that although everything has gone online since the pandemic, we’re still dependant on real people to deliver us our essentials.
Matt Hancock:
Although it wasn’t a great year for Irish politicians and their handling of the pandemic (I won’t even get into it), it was Matt Hancock’s handling of something else that made global headlines back in June. Hancock, who was the health secretary during the pandemic was taped having an extra marital kiss (and grab) in the government buildings with an aide.
This was at a time when he was publicly pleading with the public to keep their distance from people outside of their household. This story was everywhere and although it was demonstrative of the UK’s governments distain towards their own public, if you didn’t laugh you’d cry and it did give us some great satire like the below:
#FreeBritney:
Many of the big social issues of 2020 carried into 2021. One that seemed to really gain attention in 2021 and was stranger than most was the #FreeBritney movement. Like all good modern movements, it was accompanied by a harrowing documentary that found its way to most streaming platforms. The story covered how Britney has been under a conservatorship meaning she had limited controls over her own life or finances.
The documentary combined with her unusual Instagram posts fuelled further conspiracy theories about the singer’s relationships with her family and her overall health. Unlike many of the recent hashtag movements, this one did have an impact and was lauded for “carrying home” the termination of her conservatorship order.
The Euros:
Much like the Olympics, the 2020 (that branding again) Euros (European Championships) were a welcome relief from the other goings on of 2021. To complicate the logistics of putting such an event on in 2021 further, the tournament was hosted by multiple cities across Europe. Stadiums had crowds of 10,000 or in some cases more and with travel rules constantly changing, this meant at times games were hosted where fans of one or either team could not attend.
In a wise move, the Irish government cancelled the games to be hosted in the Aviva in June as they could not commit to the required between 20-40% capacity in stadiums due to rising cases at the time. This meant that Euro 2020 will go down as not only another competition that we failed to qualify for, but one that we also failed to host a game for. Despite this, the tournament was a great watch. with some dramatic games and great goals throughout. It also featured a tiny car that would deliver the match balls to the referee for each game
England managed to make it all the way to the final and were increasing favourites to win it as the competition rolled on. I’m half ashamed to admit that my Dad and I hugged as England lost to Italy on penalties as their own fans destroyed the stadium and its surroundings. In a tough year overall, you have to be able to take the small victories.
So I’ll end this 2021 review on that high note! Again this year I’m hoping that by the end of 2022, we are in a place where we’ll all have more to talk about both online and at our dinner tables than case numbers and more restrictions. People wishing each other a “happy and healthy new year” has never resonated so much.
Seaspiracy and the Impact of “Made For Social Media” Documentaries
Will Netflix’s Seaspiracy convince us all to stop eating fish?
The term “Slacktivism” has been coined in recent years to describe the activity of amplifying worthy causes online. “Hashtag Activism” is another way to describe people engaging in activism on social media through use of a hashtag. These forms of activism require minimal effort and critics say they have very little impact beyond making those who get involved look and feel good about themselves.
This has led to an increase in what I would describe as “Made for Social Media Documentaries”. They’re made with the aim of going viral online with their shocking message. This ignites a dialogue on social media feeds that increases the reach of the message and therefore the documentary itself. They’re incredibly well made and usually have a clear message or response that they want from the viewer. The response is generally for us the viewer to do something aspirational and heroic like “make a change”, “be the change” and most importantly spread the word.
Impactful documentaries on global issues are not a new thing, they’ve always been around but the way that we engage with them has changed. Word of mouth is now digital and even those with small numbers of followers can convince people to at the very least watch a programme and feel they should react to it in a similar way. The first real example of this in the digital world was the phenomenon of Kony 2012.
For those who don’t remember Kony 2012, it was a Youtube Documentary by Invisible Children Inc that detailed the way in which viewers could put pressure on the International community to capture the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. Kony had been recruiting child soldiers for years to fuel ongoing wars in the region. On April 20th of that year, those who signed up and donated $30 to the charity could get their own “Kony Action Kit” and “Cover the Night” by putting posters and banners of Kony up in their city. This would make him so famous that governments would come together to end his cruelty once and for all.
Sadly this didn’t really pan out as there were quickly many criticisms of the films claims from both the media in the US and Uganda. Everything about Kony 2012 was suddenly under the microscope and in the middle of all this, the now celebrity filmmaker was caught on video tape running around the streets of San Diego naked. At this point most people switched their attentions away from Kony and April 20th of that year passed with very little fan fare. Perhaps unfairly, I’ve taken every slickly produced activism themed documentary since with some skepticism.
“Seaspiracy”, from the creators of “Cowspiracy“ is the latest of this genre and is the reason why you've seen people online declare that they'll never eat fish again. These plant based docs are created with the aim of altering consumer behaviour away from meat and fish consumption. Having previously given Veganuary a try back in 2019, I feel no amount of vegan propaganda (as this has been called) would convince me to switch and go green full time.
Vegan motive aside, this is a brilliantly made expose into global commercial fishing and its devastating environmental and human impact. Netflix, who seem to exclusively produce content related to serial killers, death and missing persons, have managed to produce something that’ll make you lose even more faith in humanity with “Seaspiracy”. Despite the already published critiques of its findings, has all the hallmarks of a great viral documentary - a strong emotive leading narrator in Ali Tabrizi, dramatic music, time-lapses, powerful testimonies from key figures, data presented in beautiful bitesize ways and a simple “hashtagable” message. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll get the idea from the trailer below…
It’s so well made you’d imagine that if they released an Anti-Vax documentary (Vaxspiracy), then we'd all be ignoring that HSE text if it ever arrives. My issue with “Seaspiracy” is that like a lot of these types of films, it only presents us with an overly simplified or single alternative…in this case to stop eating fish entirely. It doesn't attempt to highlight any positive fishing practices and any of the talking heads at organisations they put the hard or simple questions to handle themselves like they’re being set up in a Borat movie. The remaining hour goes on to find more problems for every possible solution to the destruction of our oceans.
In the end this all or nothing approach could have the opposite impact and leave us feeling like if we give up the fish fingers, there'll always be thousands of shark fin soup connoisseurs over in China to make up the difference.
Surely there’s hope that big governments will stand up and take notice now that the documentary is making such waves (pun intended)? Well sadly this is also doubtful as it’s alluded to that government subsidies are fuelling it as much as the market demand. The shady government element means that the drama in “Seaspiracy” is ratcheted up to almost mockumentary levels at times as undercover agents and darkened out faces warn them to stop filming throughout. This of course, makes us only want to hear even more about it and see if we can help bring these systems down.
This gives us the feeling that by posting about it online we’re continuing a narrative that's being suppressed by powerful people across the globe. So if you let “Seaspiracy” wash over you and have signed the petitions, shared posts about it on your story or even binned the tuna cans from the larder…what's next? Well for those of us who became engrossed in taking down Kony back in 2012 learned, it could be absolutely nothing. A quick Google search of Kony doesn’t really give much in the way of an update nearly 10 years later but he seems to be still alive and I haven’t heard much about Uganda or the Invisible Children charity since. My interest in it was a flash in the pan much like the video itself.
The attention on these seemingly crucial causes can fizzle out and give way to the next emotive issue we see on our timelines or streaming services. For the people who make the documentaries however, it’s a win win. They may not be perfect or have all the answers, but they do shine a light on the issues. I wouldn’t be writing this today and highlighting the issues that “Seaspiracy” touches on if it wasn’t being promoted by Netflix and creating a buzz on major social media platforms.
If awareness is the goal of any documentary, then social media really is the best way to drive this and “Seaspiracy” has done its job by trending over the last week. What we as viewers do with the information in a documentary is where its real impact can be measured. “Seaspiracy” will make some of us more concerned about where our fish is coming from, even if that won’t prevent us from enjoying it with chips the next time that we’re in Howth.
Scrolling in the Year: 2020 in review
A look back on what we scrolled through on our newsfeeds in 2020
As 2019 drew to a close, I spent NYE at a secluded Airbnb in Wexford with my girlfriend and our friends. The Airbnb to our surprise, ended up being owner occupied (one where the owner would be staying in the house with us). As Paul gave us the tour of his dusty auld gaf he was giving us the impression that he either wanted to be our best friends or bury us all in his back garden. What followed was an incredibly awkward drinking session in his freezing “games room” (shed). This was capped off with a NYE toast with Paul’s own homemade Poitín and a hug from the man himself during the countdown that lasted a lot longer than it should have.
Looking back on that night, it was an omen for the discomfort that was to come in 2020. Much like my time with Paul, 2020 has been an otherworldly time spent hoping for the nightmare to end. 2020 has been “unprecedented”, “like no other”, “a year to remember” and a number of other descriptors that we’re sick of hearing. 2020 for many has blurred into one long anxious waiting game, and for others has been a tragic year they’ll want to forget.
For the last two years, I’ve written a blog post that looks at the biggest stories on our social media newsfeeds each year. Looking back on both my 2018 and 2019 recaps, they both seem like they’re from an innocent, blissful time when the news wasn’t bookended by case numbers and government guidelines. A time when we worried ourselves with the now trivial issues of Trump and Brexit.
“The Before Time”
It’s hard to remember a pre-covid time, but the first two months of 2020 were actually pretty normal. We did have a threat of World War 3 between the US and Iran, Australian bushfires and an Irish Election to keep us worried in some way. On a personal note, at the start of March I finished 3rd in Dublins Next Top Comic. That meant that after two years of toiling the open mic circuit a few nights a week, I'd finally get a few paid gigs in the future. This was it… My comedy career was about to take off and nothing, I mean nothing could stop it.
Covid Arrives
In March the only thing that could possibly put the breaks on that comedy career arrived on Irish shores. That mad thing in China making them all wear masks and spray the streets with disinfectant would result in us all being sent home to work remotely for two weeks. This was so the virus wouldn’t impact the country’s health service too badly. The rest as they say, is history except we’re still living through it now. I’ve written a separate blog about my life in lockdown detailing what it was like in those initial few months but sure you know yourself…
The Year of the “Staycation”
With most people in Ireland unable to travel beyond 5km for months of the year, when lockdowns were partially lifted during the summer, 2020 became the year of the #Staycation. Social news feeds were populated with pictures of Ireland’s west coast, sunny south east and other places we’d not considered when Bali was open to us. A year where putting “Costa del” before any Irish name-place in your captions was guaranteed a wealth of likes.
I wasn’t going to miss out so I spent ten days travelling along the Wild Atlantic Way from Valentia Island up to Donegal. It was honestly one of the best trips I’ve ever had. You can’t beat driving by picturesque countryside and promising to buy a second home there as soon as you can ever earn enough to get a first one.
TikTok
The Chinese App TikTok exploded in popularity during the initial months of the Pandemic. The app was the most downloaded in the world for 2020 and showed us that people turn to simple dance routines, cat videos and strange cleaning tutorials when they’re in need of an escape. Having turned 28 in 2020, I only really feel old when I spend a few minutes on TikTok and see grown ups attempting dance challenges or lip syncing lines from TV shows that I’ve never heard of.
As the app is relatively new, those who are popular on the channel have already become stars so expect to see “Tiktokkers” on your favourite reality shows in 2021. Brands will begin to flock to the platform in the coming year and it will be an exciting app to watch, even just for mesmerising videos like the below…
Activism
The growth of “Hashtag Activism” is seen by many as a lazy way to support important causes. A simple tweet of a few words or a like is considered the bare minimum in order to just appear righteous to our friends. What 2020 taught us is that people can do a lot more online than we previously thought when it comes to making real changes. One of the moments that showcased the power of social media for good was the death of George Floyd in America.
A video of Floyd being kneeled on by a Minneapolis police officer for 8 minutes and 46 seconds was posted by onlookers and went viral in May. This gained global attention for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. What followed were hashtag trends like #BlackoutTuesday but more importantly petitions, associated charity links and a greater dialogue on race relations was amplified online. It’s clear that these initiatives have helped and will continue to help impact new laws, media portrayals and attitudes about race.
In Ireland, pages like the Black and Irish Instagram account gave us fascinating insights from black and mixed race Irish people on their experiences growing up here. It has also shone a greater light on controversial systems like Direct Provision.
Other examples of how activism fuelled by social media led to real change in 2020 were Marcus Rashford’s free school dinners campaign in the UK and the introduction of “Coco’s law” against online revenge porn in Ireland after a petition was shared on Twitter.
Trump
Having been a key figure in my previous yearly reviews, only a pandemic could grab more headlines than “The Donald” in 2020. Having put the world through 4 years of his Presidency, Trump would again run for President in 2020. This time he would be up against the 79 year old Democrat - Joe Biden. Despite winning more votes this time than in his last election, Trump would finish second to Biden and in true “Trumpian” fashion would call the whole thing a scam.
As his presidency ends, there’s hope for many that America can become a less divided place. In years to come we may even from the comfort of hindsight watch videos like the below and almost miss his cartoonish ways…
Vaccine arrives
As Trump makes his exit in 2021, we can only hope that Coronavirus’ grip on the world will start to lessen too. With case numbers spiking again and news of “second strains” it is genuinely hard to be positive about the whole thing. Having spent the majority of 2020 indoors and abiding by various guidelines in order to make the difference, it’s hard to know that things look now to be only getting worse.
The launch of many vaccines has given us all some hope of normality returning again. Despite what the social media conspiracy theorists tell you about them, I’ll be first in the queue when they come my way. If even just to visit Bali! Here’s to a happy and more importantly healthy 2021!
What we learned from the 2020 Late Late Toy Show
A look at the 2020 Late Late Toy Show and what it taught us about ourselves
The Late Late Toy Show is beamed onto Irish screens once a year and is usually met with a mixture of cringe and joy by all of those who watch it. Despite how you feel about the show, it has no doubt become a part of Irish culture. I once watched it while studying abroad with a few Australians and they didn’t really know what to make of it or why adults continued to tune in every year. I didn’t really know what to tell them other than for us Irish it marks the beginning of Christmas.
With 2020 being a year where everything was cancelled, the Late Late Toy Show going ahead was at least a small thing that we could all share together. With adults now unable to make any “better plans” for the last Friday night of November, it seemed like the whole country would be fixated on RTE1 come 9.35pm.
Before the big show arrived, there was the matinee - The National address from An Taoiseach Michael Martin. He told us all in a long winded way that restaurants, hairdressers, gyms and retail etc would all be opening up again next week. Inter-county house visits would soon be back on the menu too and you’d be forgiven for getting excited despite Martin sounding like an exhausted priest giving the last rights.
The message was clear though, we’d be allowed some freedoms for Christmas and the Toy Show was about to start. All seemed well with the world again and the Toy Show would set Christmas in motion. So what (if anything) did we learn from this years Toy Show? Let’s have a look…
Ryan Tubridy is still a massively awkward host
If we thought Michael Martin was stiff, enter Ryan Tubridy dressed as Fantastic Mr Fox. The opening number was Bjork’s Oh So Quiet and it was very well done to be fair as the Billy Barry kids kicked into gear for their annual showcase. When this settled down though and Ryan began his puns, it was painfully obvious that without a live audience to cover for his dead chat, we’d be in for a long night. Within the first hour he’d nearly killed two kids with shake and vac, cursed at a bottle of Fanta and given us a dose of nightmare fuel with his attempt at a TikTok dance.
When he’s not cutting them off or talking over them, it’s obvious that the kids love Tubridy which is what it’s all about really. He was clearly moved by some of their stories and the kindness of the public when it came to donating to the Toy Show Fund. By the end of the show Tubridy is the country’s messiah again and we can’t imagine having anyone else in the role…Except maybe Amanda Coogan? I’ll start the petition.
This year’s theme was actually Covid-19
We were told that this year’s theme was the wonderful world of Roald Dahl. The actual theme running through the show though was Covid-19. Kids were making light hearted quips about keeping the distance, sanitiser and 14 day isolation periods. Any of the Covid conspiracy heads in Ireland would have been tearing their tin foil hats off as child Vet Saoirse noted that her dog would need to get the “Viser Vaccine”as soon as possible. Children tend to adapt to things very quickly though and you could tell from each child that they’re probably handling this year a lot better than most of us which was uplifting in a strange kind of way.
We need to keep an eye on Sam the camper kid
With every Toy Show, there’s always a few kids who seem to shrink on the big night. A child who despite the many rehearsals and run throughs, goes absolutely rogue. Apparently thousands of children apply each year to be on the show yet we were served up some of the strangest few minutes of TV from Ireland’s Bear Grylls - Sam. Sam didn’t want to be there and gave Ryan absolutely nothing from the off. He started making fire before quickly giving up, showed Ryan a clay portrait he’d made in the hosts “likeness”all before chopping up leaves at an angle for apparently no reason.
It was quite magical at times
For every weird and uncomfortable segment, there’s one or two that do pluck at the heart strings. Whether it was the snooker obsessed auld lad trapped in a child’s body or the Temple Street kids joining a dance number via “ToyTok” screens. You can’t argue that certain parts of the show were brilliantly thought out! Gary Barlow duetting with kids around the world and Dermot Kennedy joining young Michael in a surprise duet were two of the best musical moments that got everyone talking online.
Kids are very good at making people cry
There’s bound to be at least one child on the Toy Show each year that makes people (not me though) shed a few tears while watching. This year there were plenty of children with inspirational stories. Whether it was Saoirse who had her leg amputated due to a tumor or Adam with his brittle bones, both of these children were full of character and fun more than anything else. Their experiences over the last year would make the inconveniences of Covid regulations seem insignificant. Watching Adam’s face as he sent Ryan into space in a cardboard spaceship or when he met his favourite hospital porter was arguably the highlight of the show. Virtual hugs all round <3
The show seems to get longer every year
At just over two hours, the show shouldn’t feel as long as it is. I used to barely stay awake for the the whole thing as child, and now I find myself in the same position. By the time Aidan was wowing us with his Thomas The Tank Engine knowledge, my eyes were getting heavy. This years show did have enough to keep anyone interested but by the end of it I was hardly taking it all in. “Rock is the best medicine” was like a dream and if it wasn’t for Noah’s extreme excitement over his message from The Edge, I’d have been out cold.
In a year where we’ve needed a good Christmas more than ever, the Toy Show for many will signify the beginning of Christmas 2020. The show’s greater focus on the children and their stories over the toys this year definitely made it more suitable for an audience that has been through a lot. The 6 million euro raised for the Toy Show fund will also do a lot of good for those who need it most. With the country opening up next week for the month of December at least, here’s hoping it has set the tone for a Christmas we’ll remember for all the right reasons.
“Do you remember Zoom?” - My Life in Lockdown
A look at my life during the never ending lockdown of 2020
“At the very worst, this whole Corona thing will be over by the summer anyway” I says to my mate Niall on our way to Burrito Thursday during the last week of February. He nodded in agreement and the conversation moved to other items on the agenda over one of Toltecca’s finest drenched in Cholula. Within two weeks all schools, offices and gatherings (Burrito based or otherwise) would be put on hold and potentially altered forever…
As Ireland is now in the grips of a second lockdown nearly 6 months after the first one, there’s no better time than now to write a post about my own life in lockdown. Since March, we’ve been inundated with thousands of updates, hot takes and people’s experiences in lockdown and I’ve always felt mine couldn’t really add anything of value. Having said that, I feel the same way now but am writing this post more as a personal time capsule that I can revert back to in a few years and hopefully laugh.
I say laugh because unlike many people, I’ve been completely unaffected by the Pandemic in any real way. I’ve not lost any relatives, friends or even acquaintances to the virus and have been able to work from home pretty much as normal.
The last few months for me have consisted mainly of watching the news, meeting friends and family when I could and gaining a new found appreciation for the more important things in life. Those things being mainly ITV’s “The Chase” and drinking at home (not usually at the same time)…I also became an Uncle for the first time to little Fionn which has given the whole family a lift and more importantly, something else to talk about.
The last blog I wrote was in the lead up to the Irish Government Elections in February and it’s humbling to look back now at just how blissful things were when all many of us had to worry about was a housing crisis, a hard Brexit and what was then a broken health care system. Now, the biggest challenge we’ve been facing is an invisible one that has pressed pause on most of the things we’ve always took for granted.
Despite these massive changes, it has been nice to see the #We’reAllInThisTogether mantra encourage the vast majority of the public (if not golf friendly Oireachtas members) to do their best to help lessen the impact of the virus. As a country, it felt like we’d bought in to making sacrifices that would save people’s Grannies and get the country back open again.
When this seemed to work and that by comparison, Ireland had gotten away with a lot of the hardships other countries had endured… it was hard not to feel like we’d somehow conquered it. I even got to be a part of a uniquely 2020 spiritual moment when the local parish committee asked me to get my drone and help film their “Socially Distanced Decade of the Rosary”
Like many people before the pandemic a portion of my mind was always thinking about how I could be doing more. More in work, more with family and friends, more comedy gigs, more videos, more blogs (this one clearly not as much) and generally try to plan what’s coming next. There was a strange re-assurance in the early stages of the pandemic when I realised that by sitting at home and going nowhere I was doing everything and more.
In fact, the best thing you could do with your time was nothing. For the first time in my life having no plans and going nowhere was best for everyone. I turned 28 in June and even the fact that at that age my Dad was a married, home owner didn't bother me because I'd just learned to use a skipping rope properly and re-watched Breaking Bad! It also only took a global pandemic for me to move in with my girlfriend so there’s one life step completed and so far so good.
Is there anyone out there back having Zoom quizzes? I think part of the unprocessed trauma that we’ve all experienced this year has been our relationship with Zoom and other apps like House Party! Back in March these were great new ways to “Stay Together Apart”. Now they act as a reminder of how they just distracted us from a fear of what was to come. Now even with my incredible range of general knowledge from The Chase, I’d rather rub hand sanitiser in my eyes than login to a Zoom quiz with loved ones!
It’s that same fatigue associated with Zoom calls that I think we’re all experiencing now during lockdown 2.0. The endless stream of news stories about a mythical far away vaccine and the lack of anything else to talk about with people has taken its toll. Comments from friends like “Did ya hear the Rona can stay on surfaces now for 4 weeks?” or “It’ll probably be three years before we’re out of this” are all just noise at this point.
Sometimes it’s as if countries and governments spin a wheel to devise the steps they'll take and we all look on as cluelessly with no end in sight. I'm not meaning to sound like I have any better answers because it's becoming clearer every day that nobody has them. I sit at home and watch friends in Australia live next to normal lives - almost as if they're in on some joke at our expense.
I recently started watching Game Of Thrones for the first time. Another under-appreciated aspect of this whole thing has been actually getting through shows you’ve put on the long finger for years. It says it all about 2020 that I’m using one of the most gory and violent storylines ever depicted as a daily respite from the storyline we’re going through. Both the Stark family and RTE presenters frequently note that “Winter is Coming” in almost exactly the same ominous tone.
When I began writing this blog months ago, I hoped to post it when this whole thing was over. I'm posting it now instead at a time when we’re back in lockdown. The pictures from my trip to the shop were supposed to have a nostalgic feel to them by now but sadly, they just reflect that “new normal” we’ve heard so much about. The signs in public spaces may never come down, the sanitising stations will become more and more creative, the perspex glass will be here to stay and the Burrito Thursdays will have to wait a while longer…
Can Political Memes Win You An Election?
With the Irish General Election taking place this week, I look at the political memes from our biggest parties and whether or not they can help you win an election
This weekend Ireland will head to the polls to decide which political parties will lead our government and country into the abyss. In recent election cycles, social media has become a vital tool in political messaging. Social media’s role in democracy has caused controversy around fake news, data mining, misleading propaganda and is blamed regularly for the rise in Populism. These are all very concerning issues but none are as upsetting as the trend in politicians using memes to push their ideas. The results of this are usually something like the below:
Blindboy has hit the nail on the head with his comment and points out how strange these memes come across to anyone outside the the party walls. I admittedly don’t know anything about Irish politics, but I know a thing or two about memes having created them professionally only a few years ago. A meme for those unfamiliar is “An image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users, often with slight variations.”
With most of the memes in this blog being neither humorous or really that relateable, it’s hard to understand why politicians even bother. Is it possible that they’re putting out badly made memes not to be relevant but in an effort to have them go viral after people share them in disgust? The more these memes are seen, the more the simple message attached to them is too. They say simple messaging wins elections these days. “Make America Great Again” and “Get Brexit Done” are not exactly rallying calls but have been credited for swaying key elections. Maybe memes are just a natural progression of this simple approach?
One meme that has at the very least performed really well on Twitter in terms of likes and retweets is the Social Democrats use of the Beyond Belief Fact or Fiction (unreal show btw) meme. They use this to take aim at Fine Gael and their promises…
This meme started in 2019 and I was a fan of its many iterations so having seen it stolen for this purpose hurts. It is however, a much better way of doing what Labour tried to do on the same day. They used Fine Gaels own members to “admit” that they won’t stop wasting public money. This one is as badly thought out as it is edited together…
It's not just parties who are jumping on the memewagon (sorry) to endear themselves to the masses this year. More and more politicians are going it alone in the meme game to showcase why you should back them. Danny Healy Ray, who's Twitter genuinely reads as a parody account produces his own brand of digital content thats seen him be photoshopped into the Superbowl and compared style wise with Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders. There’s so many to choose from this man but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t watched the below video multiple times…
At least you could say Healy Ray's content represents his true “local cute hoor” brand that makes him irresistible to his base. Ruth Coppinger has gone a less authentic route and in a possible entrant for last years “didn't happen of the year awards” she shared a meme that was “randomly sent to her” in the wake of the UK Tory Party’s election win in December…
It's so obvious that this was mocked up crudely by Coppinger herself or the nearest young person on her team who is “good at computers”. The internet is a fast moving place and so even the use of this well known Drake meme has a very dated feel to it. Shane Ross on the other hand, a man well known for stealing Katie Taylor's homecoming and consistently praising the FAI, was quicker to react to the trending #DollyPartonChallenge. The challenge allows people to showcase themselves as being multifaceted and not just one dimensional. Politicians spend their careers trying to achieve this so Ross just had to have a go…
If the above isn't enough to give you sleepless nights then trying to decide on who you should vote for will. So can the use of memes by politicians help or impede their chances of election? The truth is we will never really know. The big winners will no doubt attribute their success to the way their key messages resonated and if part of this was through memes, then it can’t have hurt.
Memes used to be a sacred cultural places where we could escape the negative discourse around politics or subvert it with just the clever use of an image and a few words. When politicians now use them to push their own agenda it sucks the fun right out of it. For a country that has had a shortage of opportunities in recent years, we’ve always had our memes! Let’s hope it stays that way…
If you’ve figured out who I should vote for, then get in touch to let me know. My usual technique of voting based off who I recognise or who has the best smile/sounding name is really not good enough now that I’m 27. Please follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future blog posts that will cover more interesting topics…
Scrolling in the Year: 2019 in review
It’s time again for my annual rip of RTE’s brilliant series “Reeling in the Years” where I take a look at the stories that dominated social media homepages, threads and trending hashtags in 2019
It’s time again for my annual rip of RTE’s brilliant “Reeling in the Years” with my own half cooked version of looking at the stories that dominated social media homepages, threads and trending hashtags in a calendar year. The last year in review looked at the 8th amendment referendum, The Beast from the East and an Irish Presidential election. 2019 continued to be a divisive year in politics and current affairs, but in many ways it also provided us with some great moments of comic relief that eased the tension. Here’s a second look at some of my stand out moments of 2019:
Elections
When I wrote about Brexit in my 2018 post, I did so happy in the knowledge that by the end of 2019 we'd at least have some closure on the whole affair. Perhaps unsurprisingly, things in many people’s view have gotten worse. That clip of Theresa May dancing to her podium to dancing queen now almost seems heartwarming as shes been replaced by Boris Johnson. Better yet, having called another general election at the end of 2019, Boris and the conservatives won a massive landslide. Historians will probably look back on his “Get Brexit Done!” boxing gloves as geniously simple messaging. As all this was going on, we all became none the wiser as to what Brexit would actually look like.
On election day, Twitter was lively with different stories about both the Labour Party and the Conservatives. There was talk of Boris Johnson hiding in a fridge from reporters and a story going around that Labour’s Diane Abbott was wearing odd shoes while out and about canvassing. These two incidents and the result itself proved to many that the more you try and make sense of whats going on in the UK, the more you’ll feel at a loss…
Hotels & White Water Rafting
I’d like to say that things back in Ireland politically were a lot better but 2019 brought with it record numbers of homeless people across the country and systems like Direct Provision continue to be in place. The other side of the coin shows us that Hotels are still springing up in cities where renting or buying is attainable by the few. I have a stand up joke about how at 27 not only can I not afford to move out of my retired parents house, but with the couple of hundred I give them every month…they can’t afford for me to move out either! (you have to be there really)
I’m luckily sheltered by the real cost of living in Dublin and with cultural nightclubs and venues being shut down in favour of more hotels, there is a growing sentiment online that our cities favour wealthy tourists and corporations over their own inhabitants. This sentiment flared with the announcement of a planned €22m White Water Rafting facility in Dublin’s Docklands. Fingers crossed it’s finished just in time for the next recession!
Swing-gate
As politicians we’re continually seen as disconnected from both their constituents and reality, the stand out political story of the year for me was what became quickly known as “swing-gate”. Fine Gael have consistently stated that the “compensation culture” in Ireland has been to the detriment of businesses owners in recent years. Insurance costs for private companies and properties have sky rocketed as a result of dodgy claims and the party have promised to put an end to this.
This made it all the more entertaining when their own TD Maria Bailey, was swept up in scandal over a personal injury claim she was involved in. The scandal was like something that the writers of Father Ted and House of Cards would draft up after a heavy night out. The injury itself related to an incident in the Dean Hotel where Bailey fell off their much “Instagrammed” swings. Part of her claim was that the swing should have been supervised.
The media reported the story and suddenly swing-gate was everywhere. Memes, Halloween outfits and endless sketches were made about the story and Bailey. Bailey herself would get the chance to tell her side of the story though on the Sean O Rourke show. A chance to quell the controversy, calm everybody down and save face. That’s how she would have liked it to go…
Sports: Ireland Rugby, Katie Taylor and a Pillow Menu
2019 was a big year of sport in Ireland. This was the year that we were finally due to win the Rugby world cup having gone into the competition as the number one team! Unfortunately, Ireland were spanked by the All Blacks in the quarter finals. All was not lost though as England flunked the final to finish runners up to South Africa. The competition was in Japan and many games were disrupted by typhoons. The greatest amount of carnage was actually inflicted by Breffni and the lads though…
Carnage like Breffni’s would be the biggest of the year if it wasn’t for the Koh Samui Cup winners from Blackrock who went viral in Ireland for their horseplay. Closer to home Dublin won 5 in a row, Katie Taylor became a two weight world champion and the FAI were embroiled in a financial scandal that could now result in it’s liquidation. Of all the stories that swirled around the footballing controversy the one that stuck with me was Delaney’s alleged personal expenses. A report stated that he used his personal credit card for everything from food in his local pub to stays at hotel rooms in NYC where you're given a pillow menu. It’s now my life ambition to browse through a pillow menu before I lay my head down…
Prince Andrew
Conspiracies were a big part of 2019 and perhaps the most unusual one was that of Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was found hanged in his cell from an apparent suicide but this set conspiracy theorists into overdrive. This was mainly due to the powerful people that Epstein had known. The case itself is a bleak one but a short moment of comic gold in the coverage was an interview with the Royal Family’s Prince Andrew. Andrew fielded questions about his relationship with Epstein and tried to explain an allegation about him away by detailing his inability to sweat and a trip to a Pizza Express in Woking. The Woking franchise was then inundated with fake 5 star reviews claiming that it was “Fit for a Prince”.
Saving the World
As climate catastrophes swept across the Amazon, Australia and other parts of the world in 2019, our governments inaction became a flash point. Climate action groups and school children joined the “Extinction Rebellion” and began strikes and demonstrations in major cities. 16 year old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg became an unlikely face for a generation. Her impassioned speeches at climate action summits went viral with people debating the issue in comment sections. In a Twitter moment that only 2019 could produce, Donald Trump had the below to say when Thunberg was made the Time Person of the Year…
I don’t know if he saw the irony in asking a Global warming activist to “chill” but I really hope he did. Greta was quick to hit back though by temporarily changing her Twitter bio to “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good ole fashioned movie with a friend”. You love to see it! (a phrase that was everywhere in 2019)
“Wagatha Christie”
With conspiracies everywhere, a mounting global climate catastrophe and Ireland’s housing crisis only getting worse, I thought I’d end on a lighter note. Part of the reason why we all keep checking our phone is for something to happen. We don’t usually know what this something good will be but a great example was Colleen Rooney’s Tweet on October 9th. The story below of her catching out a fellow wag in selling stories about her is so desperately well thought out and dramatic that it sent Twitter into meltdown!
Via Coleen Rooney
Rebekah refuted the claims and the pair went back and forth while ironically telling their sides of the story to many press outlets themselves? Here’s hoping 2020 brings more moments like this and less of the whole world about to end misery (even if it is). I’m looking forward to writing more myself in 2020 so please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up!
The 12 Ads of Christmas 2019
I look at 12 ads that are on your screens this year
As an adult without any kids or nieces/nephews, the Christmas period now has about as much magic for me as what I'd imagine an extended holiday in Trabolgan would. Other than 12 pubs with your mates or parts of the day itself, it's hard to escape the feeling that the whole thing is now a massive spending spree from Black Friday all the way to the 24th.
If we don't feel bad enough about how much we waste money wise this year, we'll also be further guilt tripped online for the excessive levels of plastic this holiday season will produce. So much so my own mother has pledged to boycott Christmas crackers.
The cracker companies could be taking a hit but for many brands it’s business these last 6 weeks of the year can be make or break. With this in mind, companies big and small try to connect with their audience in an eye catching and heartwarming way. If not for a sales push, bigger brands use the time to make a strong branding or PR piece to resonate with consumers going into the new year.
Last year I wrote about how Iceland managed to break the internet with their ethical ad about “Rang-tan” and palm oil products. The ad made people think (if just for a week) about the damage that palm oil based products have on the Amazon rainforest. Generally however, less political ads that capture the imagination of children while cueing nostalgia for us less imaginative adults generally lead to success. Getting the whole thing wrong at such a vital time can also be just as memorable. Here's a countdown of 12 ads that for either good or bad reasons, have stood out this Christmas:
John Lewis
John Lewis are undoubtedly the king of Christmas ads. Every year they release their effort to massive fanfare and within minutes people either praise or slate it against previous ads. Last year's one featuring Elton John may have made me cry but I have to admit this years didn’t get me as badly
So I’m on the “Not as good as last years” side of the debate with the best ever being their 2015 Man On The Moon tear jerker. Overall this years one has all the elements of a great ad from the music to those little magic touches.
Sky - ET Came Home
Sky managed to connect with it's target market of younger families with their ET Christmas ad. Although ET is pretty much universal, the way they managed to cleverly retell the story with the original hero's now young family made it fresh for both adults and young children. The ads message of “Reconnect this Christmas” shows us that Sky is not just a television service, it’s actually the glue that connects your family (apparently).
Hafod Hardware
Nearly every year there's a £1 budget amateur Christmas ad that goes viral. It’s then picked up by online publishers who claim it's “better than the John Lewis one that spent X million to produce”. The ad is usually composed of a brilliant idea and a wholesome twist that brings the water works. The story of a son listening to his passed away mothers Christmas day recordings went everywhere in 2014 and started the trend. This year, Welsh hardware store Hafod Hardware has made all the headlines with their smartly devised #BeAKidThisChristmas ad
The Lidl Elves
With Aldi's Paul the carrot now doing duets with Robbie Williams, Lidl are desperately trying to catch up on the seasonal mascot game. The Lidl elves are now plastered all over TV and online and it seems to be working with people getting pictures with their cardboard cut in their shops. It may be piggy backing off the success of Elf on the Shelf but no doubt it’ll get kids on board. Can't say I'm a fan of them but they won't be too concerned about that
KFC Chicken Scented firelogs
If anyone was in doubt that America is the best country in the world, then this should confirm it. KFC 11 herbs and spices fire logs have been launched again this year in time for Christmas! “Ya can’t bate a real fire” these days but you can now if it’s also kentucky fried! The fact that they have no doubt had to include “please do not eat” on the packaging for legal purposes makes it even more American! This has gone viral and all jokes aside I’d genuinely love one
Peleton
Sick of seeing examples of “PC gone mad” on the internet? Look away now. Exercise bike company Peleton released their Christmas ad this year featuring a woman who gets an exercise bike from her partner as a present. The backlash was so big that it damaged their share price. Watch “The Gift That Gives Back” below and see if you think people may have overreacted
Aviation Gin
Ryan Reynolds has made a name for himself in the marketing world for the way he markets his Aviation gin. After the Peleton controversy gained traction online, they called up “Peleton Woman” herself and cast her in this brilliant reactionary ad - “The Gift That Doesn’t Give Back”. Very well played…
M&S Christmas Jumpers
Usually come December, M&S launch their famous pouring ads where cream or gravy makes love to our favourite foods while a seductive voiceover plays. This year however, they've added to this with a massive campaign focused solely on their Christmas jumpers. A weird concept but setting it to the classic tune “Jump Around” by “House of Pain” makes it an enjoyable one. It doesn't make we want to rush out to layer up with one though.
Walkers
If Mariah Carey's face could still move she’d have no doubt raised an eyebrow when asked to do this ad for the British crisp company. God only knows how much she was offered but they managed to get her and many people's favourite Christmas song involved. All this was to launch their two limited edition Christmas flavours - Brussels Sprouts and pigs in blankets (I'd rather eat a spiced orange Yankee Candle). Both flavours sound about as bad as Mariah does live these days so I'll stick to my leftover dinner and Tayto sandwiches come 8pm on the 25th.
Coca Cola
New takes on old classics are a common theme for Christmas ads. Coca Cola's ad this year is essentially a re-release of the classic “Holidays are Coming” ad which I’ve no problem with at all. The song and the iconic trucks are a big part of Christmas for those of us who would see the ads each year growing up. Versions of the truck also pop up at different venues in Ireland each Christmas and I'd be over like a shot if I got near one. They’ve also released a more unusual Christmas ad that strangely casts Santa as an immigrant.
Robert Dyas
This one isn't technically a 2019 ad but ever since it's release in 2015 it does the rounds on social media each December. It's hard to figure out whether it's a clever joke or if they're actually serious and that's what makes it so riveting…
Vodafone
This is my pick for 2019. It takes elements from all good Christmas ads mixing sentimentality, nostalgia and a throws in an adorable auld fella to guarantee the tears. It’s 30 seconds and perfectly captures all it needs to have that surprisingly strong emotional impact at the end. Every time it’s on I watch it again and is the stuff I’d dream of making when I was in college. Now instead, I write blogs about other people making them. Kinda the same thing surely?
All Hail Lewis Capaldi: The King of Social Media
This time last year I wrote about how brands could learn a lot by from way that Conor McGregor markets himself on social media! Since then however, McGregors most engaging piece of online content has consisted of grainy CCTV footage and a left hook that barely made his victim flinch yet was felt around the world! This coupled with multiple other controversies swirling had left news feeds, publishers and other outlets without a real go to social media superstar. Someone who’s incredible talents becomes secondary to their overall “meme-ability”. That was until Lewis Capaldi came along…
2019 has been a year that has seen Capaldi go from a relative unknown to one of the biggest music acts in the world. His unique voice and catchy songs have been a part of this but no doubt it’s his sense of humour and how he leverages social media that has helped keep his songs trending across the globe. The bigger he gets, the funnier the positions he finds himself in and it seems to have just snowballed from there.
Long before his memorable interviews on the BBC, MTV and his big entrances at festivals like Glastonbury, Capaldi was documenting how his songs were gaining traction on his Instagram and that the trappings of becoming a “phenomenon” would eventually go to his head. Sharing this in real time meant his followers feel like a small part of his journey to being a “celeb”. The Scottish accent and dry humour make the whole thing more cartoonish and shareable. He’s like the class clown who’s now a global superstar and is loving every second of it without really appearing to take it that seriously.
In recent months, you cant turn on a radio without hearing one of his now hugely popular songs being played or requested. The most well known of these “Someone You Loved” has been topping the global charts since the summer and is that song your Ma thinks is “gorgeous”. His tickets sold out for his upcoming Dublin gig in only a few minutes and are proof of just how much we love him here. Not since the O Donovan brothers, have Irish people been able to so openly embrace a massively successful talent without even a hint of cynicism. The O Donovans like Capaldi, are serious when they need to be but genuinely hilarious when they’re not performing.
With fame and attention quickly comes offers from advertisers and this can be where many stars begin to alienate their base by flogging anything from car air fresheners to stock trading apps. Instead Capaldi and his management clearly only accept offers from brands that fit his character and relate to his audience. His spots for Tinder and Deliveroo make for great pieces of standalone social content by putting Capaldi’s personality front and centre. You can tell he's not working off a strict script and that if he was his loyal fans would spot it a mile off. Yes he’s of course making lots of money from these, but he’s also building on his own brand with the smart partnerships his team work on.
Another reason why I believe the Capaldi cult has grown so much in 2019 is that he is operating against the backdrop of an online youth that seem obsessed with their image and how they appear online. The explosion in usage of apps like Face-tune in the last year or two have shown us that even the best looking people on our feeds are like avatars of their real life selves. Capaldi on the other hand is constantly subjected to online comments about his looks and openly jokes that people say he looks like a potato smiley!
This attitude to people’s comments on his looks has made him more endearing but also cast him an accidental body positivity advocate to the masses. An aspirational hero for pale potato smiley headed people (in particular us Irish) the world over! A message that if Lewis can make it, then anyone can (as long as they can write songs, sing beautifully and talk candidly about their bowel movements to the world).
With social media increasingly becoming a place solely for people to air their grievances, spark heated debate about serious issues or just sell us stuff, Capaldi talking about trying to sink a shite he’s just landed in the toilet of his hotel room is strangely the little bit of hope we all need. Over 4 million people now follow him to lap up his funny outlook on life and his successes. If you’re not one of them already, then I suggest you get involved!
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Rating European Election Hopefuls on Their Social Media
I know nothing about politics but that wasn’t going to stop me
I’d like to start this post by saying that I’m in no way interested in Irish politics. I don’t know my Fianna Fáil from my Fianna Gael or even the difference between the Dáil and the Oireachtas. To me they’re all just buzz words in the media that I blissfully ignore. I do however, make sure I vote when it comes to election or referendum time. This is more out of a needless sense of duty than an idea that I’m part of a bigger movement that can make real change. What I’m interested in however, is how social media has come into play with elections over the last few years. With fake news and scandals over groups like Cambridge Analytica, the likes of Google and Facebook have had to reassure us that their platforms are not being unfairly exploited to push political agendas.
These channels do however allow political ads to be promoted under their respective guidelines and rules. For example, Facebook allows these ads to be run as long as they meet their criteria and do not breach any laws associated with campaigning in said relevant country. Ever since Obama’s campaign in 2009, people have witnessed the power social media and technology has to raise awareness, funding and develop a groundswell of empowered volunteers during campaigns. So are this years Irish European election hopefuls taking advantage of Social media in the right ways? Do all serious candidates now need to have “Pinterest Policies”, “Insta - Initiatives” and manifestos that fit perfectly into 260 characters? Are Twitter polls now a good indicator for what will happen at the polling station?
I’ve taken a look at some of the more interesting candidates running for European Election this year and will rate them on how I feel their social media usage could help or hinder them when it comes to the ballot box. You may be thinking that most of them would be pretty clueless when it comes to striking a chord with their respective audiences online and you wouldn’t be wrong. So lets get into it…
Ming Flanagan - Independent
Like a mix between a wizard and a character from Father Ted, Luke “Ming” Flanagan has been an MEP for the Midlands North West Constituency since 2014 and is now running for his seat again. He swears by social media as a tool to spread his message and has over over 80,000 followers across his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I strangely got hit with an Instagram story ad promoting his self made documentary called “Taking the job seriously”. You can find it on Youtube and I’m not going to lie it’s a bit of a masterpiece that should be on Netflix instead!
The documentary also has over 167,000 views as of today and so no doubt has both a lot of interest (and spend) behind it that he hopes will build awareness. He’s like a cartoon character in large parts of it and I can’t help but like him regardless of being none the wiser as to what he does by the time it was over. I asked my dad what he thought of him for some greater context and I can’t even publish what he uttered back at me. A 7/10 from me though with 1 or 2 points going for that Goatee alone!
Maria Walsh - Fine Gael
Many successful Irish politicians have drawn on one thing to captures the attention of their constituents - pageantry. Maria Walsh won the Rose of Tralee in 2014 so definitely knows a thing or two about pageantry. When you think about it the Rose of Tralee and political elections aren’t really all that different. One is an outdated premise full of clueless people parading on a stage struggling to answer simple questions, while the other is a fantastic beauty competition. Maria’s one of the more memorable winners in recent years and I have to say, her campaign video is pretty impressive.
Her Instagram looks like your typical twenty something’s Instagram too with just a spattering of political posts #relatable. With this being a clear move from Fine Gael to engage a younger base with someone that many would look up to, I think it will pay off. Only thing that may go against her here though is that she’s been a pioneer for over 20 years. An expenses scandal Irish people could probably overlook, but refusing a pint from from her EU counterparts after a long day in Brussels? That is unacceptable! A solid 8/10 as she is still one of the most #relatable ones running!
Ben Gilroy - Independent
A graduate of the "school of hard knocks" AND the "University of Life" according to his Facebook (which has over 7,000 followers), I'm genuinely not sure if Ben Gilroy is actually a real person! If telling you he's going to take down corruption, unlawful evictions and other evils isn't enough, he's more than willing to demonstrate how serious he is in the bluntest of ways. I can only imagine the sit down where his team thought up the below idea
Gilroy will no doubt attract attention with this stunt online but will the mainstream media pay attention? Not according to him they won't because “they’ve blocked him out of debates” due to their bias in favour of “talkers who do the talk” (whatever that means). 9/10 would vote for him to avoid a clatter!
Paul Gogarty - Independent
There’s few moments in politics that are burned into the minds of the general public. They are usually limited to the results of major referendums, government scandals and moments where high profile politicians clash with each other. Paul Gogarty managed to capture the attention of the nation nearly 10 years ago when this happened
I’ve seen every season of House of Cards and the intensity in that never reaches anything like what we saw in the Dáil that day. The moment where he takes a second to apologise, fully knowing the consequences of what he is about to say is nothing short of iconic. He’s since gone on to be the mayor of South Dublin and is actually only running for local elections this time but that wouldn’t stop me from honouring here! If he doesn’t get in either he can focus on his other passions which just so happen to include a career as a pop star alter ego - His Sweet Surprise. I know what tunes I’ll be blaring on the way to the polls! 8/10 will always be a hero in my eyes.
Rita Harrold - Solidarity/People Before Profit
I was driving to work recently and couldn’t help but notice Rita’s posters over all the other ones buckled to the lamp posts. Instead of the usual standard profile photos we are used to seeing, Rita’s almost has a revolutionary feel to it. There’s shades of Che Geuvara about her power stance whilst holding that megaphone and wearing her Repeal jumper. The words “A Socialist Feminist Voice” on all of her materials will no doubt resonate with a lot of younger people in her Dublin based constituency.
Image via: Rita4Dublin Facebook Page
She has compiled a list of TD’s who are also Landlords and shared it on social media to demonstrate why we’ve found ourselves in such a housing crisis. It’s these kind of bold moves that will set her apart as a hero against the evil conventional party politicians. I’m tipping her to have a massively successful career in Irish politics! I think it was Batman or one of his mates who said - “You either die as a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a landlord!” 7/10 lets all eat the rich!
Hermann Kelly - Irish Freedom Party
We’ve all heard of Brexit but how many of us have been following the not nearly as catchy “Irexit?” Looking a lot like a Tesco Value Nigel Farage, Hermann Kelly is the founder of the Irish Freedom Party that want Ireland to leave the EU. What better way to make sure that happens than by running for election as an MEP. His policies are straight from the UKIP playbook and talk about taking back control of our money, borders and future! They even tried to get their own “Irexit Bus” (still doesn’t have the same ring to it) doing the rounds across Dublin but we’re thwarted by the CIE apparently!
Image via: Irish Freedom Party Facebook Page
With a poll last year claiming that 90% of the Irish public support the EU, is Hermann barking up the wrong tree? The Freedom Party Facebook page has over 8,000 followers and the comment sections on the controversial posts show that they’ve clearly tapped into something. 6/10 could do “A Farage”.
Dr. Fidelma Healy Eames - Non Party
The last candidate I’ll be examining is Fidelma Healy Eames because she’s more well known for her lack of knowledge about social media than her ability to communicate through it. She once spoke very seriously at the Oireachtas in 2013 about the horrifying trend of “Fraping”. Credit to Fidelma though back in 2015 she also warned us about how obsessed our young people were with the online world. So much so that they wander like nomads from place to place in search of the “wiffy” code.
Despite sounding like your Uncle who just discovered that you can skip the ads when watching recorded programmes on Sky, Dr Healy Eames now has over 4,000 on Twitter and could be a dark horse in her constituency. If she fails then knowing this country she’ll probably be made head of the National Broadband Plan! 5/10 does not know how to pronounce WIFI.
Whatever way you vote in these upcoming elections, I hope this piece has given you an insight into the amazing world of Irish politics. In a time when many consider the future of the EU to be threatened, I’ve no doubt that this beautiful bunch of candidates can put this country and Europe back where we need to be (wherever that is).
If you want to chat about politics, then please don’t get in touch with me. You can however follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future blog posts that I promise will have nothing to do with politics!
Me and My Drone: A Modern Day Love Story
I went looking for a drone and ended up finding myself
The year is 1998 and I run down the stairs on Christmas morning full of excitement at what awaits. To my surprise Santa has done it again and there sits a box with the word “Scalextric” emblazoned across it with a lightning bolt. It’s everything I’d ever wanted and within minutes I have the cars whizzing on the tracks and my parents can’t believe how a little piece of technology can bring me so much joy. Everyone has a fond memory of a classic toy or popular gadget that brought us joy when we were children. Whether it was a Tamagotchi or a Gameboy, the excitement of getting it followed by the thrill of endlessly playing with it sticks with us long after we’ve grown up.
Exactly 20 years on and I felt that same giddy excitement when I came down the stairs to a delivery of my DJI Mavic Air Drone. For anyone who hasn’t watched a documentary, seen a promo video online or read the headlines about flight disruptions, drones for photography and video have become massively popular in the last two years. As I work in social media and love producing videos, I was able to convince myself that shelling out the guts of a grand for one would be a worthwhile “investment”. The real reason I bought it however was because much like that Scalextric ad from the 90s, DJI and online content creators were publishing ads and other videos that got me hook, line and sinker.
The idea of flying one of these things from your phone 100 feet in the air capturing mountains, rivers and wherever else I could think of (bar the airport) in HD was just too good to ignore. I deserved it and I was going to get one. In the interim years though I had in many ways grown up. I was no longer that carefree child so when I opened the box this time the fear of sending it into the canal on it’s maiden flight was too much for me. Imagine the shame of telling people that you’d just taken 800 blips for a drink and all that slick footage you’d promised would never come to be.
Maybe like my Dad, who at 60 bought a motorbike only for it now to lie idle in the garden ever since, the gratifying feeling of just finally having it was all I really wanted. Maybe a toy helicopter that takes pictures isn’t really compatible with the life of a 26 year old? So there it sat in my wardrobe gathering dust for over two months before I watched enough Youtube tutorials to get the courage to take it out and properly set it up. If you’ve been following my social media pages recently, then you’re probably aware that I’ve been making up for it ever since.
So was it worth the investment? For me one hundred percent yes! It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever owned and I don’t know if that makes me sad or not but it genuinely is. I can only speak for my particular drone but it’s also incredibly easy to fly. The joystick connects to your phone and gives you a live feed of what the camera on the drone sees as well as a map of your surroundings. Within minutes of using it you’re able to navigate your way around without any real issues. The propellers are so strong that even in light winds the footage you get from it is smooth and sharp.
The best part about the drone is that it’s packed with magic little tech features that work brilliantly and I have no idea how. When you’re in-flight it has features that ensure nothing goes horribly wrong. It has automatic obstacle avoidance if you get too close to trees, walls or fly into restricted airspace. If it’s running low on battery the display on your phone will alert you but if this gets lower than 10% the drone disconnects from the controller and flies itself back to the point where you set it off from. The same occurs if it loses signal with your phone for any reason or encounters bad interference from weather or birds etc. It’s like flying your own personal UFO!
My life now consists of planning half days, weekends, holidays, drives and sunsets around what kind of drone shots I could get. This year was the first year where I actually took part in the “isn’t that a grand stretch in the evenings” conversation with enthusiasm because it was an excuse to mention that it would enable my new found drone addiction. I’m finding that having a drone is a bit like being a Vegan, you just have to tell everyone about it. There’s no conversation that can’t be in some way brought back to me having a drone. “Any plans for the weekend?”, “eh yeah I think I’m gonna take my drone to…”
You know those people who push their “adorable” pictures of their kids, nieces or nephews on you during your lunch break, a night out or any chance they can get? I do that with drone stuff now. My girlfriend is also acutely aware that she plays second fiddle to a gadget that is really just a metaphor for me flying away from the responsibilities that come with adulthood. Whenever I’m out with the drone, I get that same feeling of magic I got watching those cars whip by as a 6 year old. Unlike Scalextric though, the novelty didn’t wear off after two weeks. The future is bright for me and my drone as we will no doubt take our relationship to...new heights!
If you’re looking to “elevate” your own brand’s marketing efforts, then get in touch and we can have a chat. You can also follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with all of my drone based activities.
The Growing Online Cult of Gary Vaynerchuk Followers
Is viral entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk a positive influence or just a higher level of procrastination?
Back in 2016 when I was working in social media cutting my teeth as a meme maker, one name kept popping up in the social media and content creation world: Gary Vaynerchuk. The Belarusian-American started successfully marketing his family’s wine business online in the late 90s before starting his own successful NYC based Digital Marketing agency “Vaynermedia”. He started a Youtube channel and began posting daily videos covering his time speaking at conferences, client/celebrity meetings and taking calls from budding entrepreneurs who would pick his brain about how they too could “make it happen”. If your social media timelines or Youtube recommended videos haven’t already served you a slice of viral Gary goodness then below is a little snippet to give you an idea of what he’s all about:
I think Gary Vaynerchuk is so well respected because of his no nonsense approach to people. He’s like an inspirational speaker and life coach but instead of filling you with hot air and telling you everything will fall into place with positive energy, he tells you the steps you should take right now to progress your passion, business or other dream. Even his series of “inspirational” phone screensavers contrast that of the “if you can dream it, you can do it” nonsense we’re used to seeing. I saw this myself when the company I was making memes for flew him over to speak at one of their conferences.
He spoke for an hour about how our phones and social media despite all their negative press have actually given us all an opportunity to tell our stories and build our own futures like never before. In the conference world where you’re usually spoken at rather than to (usually with a range of metaphors or case studies) Vaynerchuk instead enthusiastically gestures, curses and speaks about life instead of strategy. He’s like a modern day televangelist or a “social media-ngelist” (don’t think that works)…
Where he really shined that day however was when he opened things up for attendees to ask him their questions. People from all backgrounds jostled to table queries and concerns related to what they’re working on and how they could take it to the next level. Within seconds by asking them personal and practical questions he was able to drill down to the reasons why they weren’t doing the things they needed to and make suggestions as to what their next moves should be. I even left that night full to the gills with inspiration and ideas about how I could start my own “side hustle” and benefit from this golden age of technology. Then I had dinner, watched Netflix, went to bed and forgot all about it…
In the interim years Vaynerchuk’s social reach has exploded into the mainstream and his messages now resonate with millions of people from all backgrounds. “Making no excuses”, using “every free hour” and generally “hustling your face off ” all sound great as sound bites in viral videos but do they really align to people’s lifestyles? We all make excuses, we all binge watch our free time away and if we’re hungover you’d be doing well to hustle yourself up a takeaway on your phone! Truth is a lot of us are too busy or even burned out these days to be putting in those extra hours to make our “dreams come true”. For that 2 or 3 minute video though he gives us a heavy dose of reality that makes us feel like we finally will…but tomorrow…
Even Gary himself has noted in the past that he doesn’t want his followers to always watch his content, he wants them instead to take what he’s saying and apply it to their situation. He also mentions that if you’re earning a reasonable wage that meets all your needs and you’re happy to spend your free time enjoying your friends, family and Netflix and not complaining about things then that’s great because you’ve won at life too. I think as part of a generation that seem to be always looking for the next best thing however, this part of his message usually falls on deaf ears. Instead part of us feel like we could always be doing more when it comes to work, exercise, travel, our hobbies or even socialising. If his videos reinforce this feeling when you watch them then this is where watching his content can become almost unhealthy.
His messages are simple and practical but when you’re wasting your day away on social media, that’s kind of the last thing you actually want. It’s a bit like watching a fitness influencers quick ab workout tutorial on Instagram. They look great in their Colgate white runners and pristine sitting room and for a split second you think “I’m gonna start doing that everyday”. Trouble is 90% of us don’t and then can feel like we’re not doing enough. I was the same convincing myself I’d create my website, blog and start doing some proper freelance work. It only took me the guts of two years talking about it, procrastinating over it and watching “Gary Vee” videos to actually start.
Would I have been able to do it without Gary’s sound bites and influence though? Working in digital marketing I had always planned to but “tomorrow”. Sometimes all you need is that extra encouragement from outside of yourself, even if it comes from a straight talking viral stranger…Do you get lost in Gary Vaynerchuk videos? Comment below what you think or get in touch. You can also follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future uninspiring content.
These Clickbait Articles Are So Bad They'll Make You Cry
The third one will take you by complete surprise! :O
With a headline like that you had no choice but to click it so I’m happy you’ve fallen for the trap! Now that I have your attention, I want to talk about the increasingly weird world of online clickbait. Clickbait is internet content that’s main purpose is to attract attention and clicks to a certain webpage. Having worked for a time as a professional meme maker, I know what it takes to grab people’s attention on social media. One thing that I can’t help but notice over the last year or two however, is the levels that online publishers and even news websites will stoop to in order to rob us of a click.
In a time of “fake outrage” and “fake news”, it can be hard to wade through the nonsense and actually read genuinely entertaining or informative content. For those of us who are blissfully unaware of how major online publishers work, it’s a rather simple business model. You create content that grabs people’s attention and funnel them to your social pages and website. The more people you drive to your site, the more money you make from the display ads that are plugged into it. You can also make big money by leveraging a large engaged audience to negotiate sponsored content pieces and blogs.
Via: Psafe
With thousands of daily visitors required to keep these publishers profitable, it’s an intense environment where at times all that matters are the numbers. Whether people even read an article or enjoy it is regularly a secondary concern. This has led to what many describe as a factory line of “Churnalism” around subjects that are guaranteed to generate interest. Although this isn’t exactly a new practice, in the last few years with major platforms restricting the amount of content your fans see, it’s obvious to me that mainstream online publishers now spend the bulk of their time coming up with click worthy divisive spins on what they produce.
Much like video and picture content, they don’t just want you to just view what they create, they want you to comment on the social posts associated with their articles too. One clear way to do this is to steep their content and accompanying captions in blown up or even non existent controversies and drama. This gets the keyboard warriors typing and gives the content more online reach. How do I know this? Because I too fall for it multiple times a day. In this blog I’m going to dissect some of the worst clickbait examples I’ve seen lately. These are the kind of stories that have been fashioned out of nothing and served to you with a side of “caption sass” that will make you cry/angry/hate the world/get rich/get that beach body etc etc.
“People aren’t happy about…”
This is a modern clickbait technique that involves scouring popular hashtags and collecting the most negative tweets or comments associated with it. You can then say (because you have the evidence obviously) that people were “outraged at” or “are not happy with” a certain thing. It can work for anything from government announcements, celebrity interviews, holiday traditions or even the way someone uses a spoon.
I didn’t even click this one but I can only imagine
If there’s anything that’s gotten a large or small reaction online, you’d better believe there’s a poor intern somewhere collecting the most extreme reactions and thinking up an emotive caption to accompany the “article” that houses them.
Everything is an “attack”:
Anytime people on TV have a debate or disagreement this is neatly packaged as an “Attack”, “Bust Up” or “War of words”. If you sprinkle in a few side eye or fist emojis to the mix then it’s near impossible for people to keep scrolling by. These attacks usually consist of a running commentary of different pieces as both sides inevitably have “their say” on Twitter. The abbreviation of “In case you missed it” ICYMI will usually appear in captions to make you feel even more out of the loop. The Joe.co.uk article below illustrates this perfectly and just in case the blurry pictures weren’t enough, they’ve even gone to the trouble of circling David Jones sullen expression. This has all the elements of a juicy bit of clickbait and I was as disappointed as anyone else who fell for it - turns out it the attack was merely Souness moaning like a spoilt child.
Azealia Banksgate:
Back in January the clickbait Gods shone down on Ireland and the world as controversial pop star Azealia Banks took to her Instagram stories to “attack” (there’s that word again) not only Aer Lingus staff but “All Irish women”. She called them oompah loompah’s (I really enjoyed that) and suddenly everyone was circulating the story. Azealia having witnessed just how much coverage she was getting began fuelling it herself by dedicating a song at her Dublin gig to “all the beautiful Irish women” and responding to another Irish detractor on her Instagram with “don’t you have a famine to go die in”.
I don’t think any rational Irish person would take anything that the relatively unknown pop star had to say to heart but that kind of response just wouldn’t drive clicks. The nation was suddenly plunged into “Storm Azaelia”! Media publishers managed to produce a week long click fest of almost hourly articles about identity, race, the “treasonous” fans who still went to her gig and of course follow up pieces about why people who took real offence to her words should be more worried about the “real issues”.
The Unpopular Opinion
Another thing that I see publishers thrive on is the unpopular opinion piece to draw in a big reaction (and more importantly clicks) from the majority of their own audience. This would seem counter intuitive but in the world of clicks it makes perfect sense. They’ll re-examine your favourite programmes and tell you that it’s actually “problematic”, let’s not forget what they said about Friends, or worse deconstruct the latest critically acclaimed album, film or TV series and tell you why it’s not nearly as good as you think it is.
I’ve seen the likes of Vice do this countless times and even re-share the above article regularly since last summer. I haven’t seen the film myself, but I know from just how passionate people’s love for it is that this is a powerful “thumb stopper”.
The “PC Gone Mad" Piece
Publishers are fully aware of the growing feeling in recent years that the world has gone “PC mad”. Due to this, they latch onto the latest PC story to get people going. Whether it’s the issue of Mansize Tissues or Vegan Sausage rolls, they relish in stimulating both sides of the arguments to visit their website and get the latest update. One of these stories that got the attention of the nation online was when it was reported everywhere that the Irish health system (HSE) was considering “banning staff from referring to patients as dear or love”. As you can see from the below tweet, the story had been spun from only a half sentence from a 122 page report. In a world where people now sadly read past a headline, a 122 page report would be like tackling Ulysses!
With these sly methods of clickbait filling up our timelines each day, it’s hard not to exaggerate and even bend the truth when it comes to drafting blogs and driving clicks to your site. If you’re a brand or an individual producing written content, it’s now more important than ever to remember that quality content is the key to building a real following. Readers know within seconds if you’ve put the time, effort and genuine interest into a written piece and will build their impression of what you do off that alone.
Yes you’ll still need to draw them in with a snappy caption, but that doesn’t have to mislead them or give them inflated expectations for what lies behind their click. If you’re looking for help with creating your content marketing strategy, then get in touch and we can have a chat. You can also follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future content.
5 Reasons Why I Started Doing Stand Up Comedy
Do pity laughs still count as laughs?
I’m on the stage of a cafe in Limerick and one of my opening lines that usually goes down well has absolutely flopped! Forty pairs of silent eyes stare up at me as I try to compose myself and continue my set. Seconds crawl by while I set up the next punchline - this time a flurry of encouraging pity laughs echo around the room. This isn’t going well... it’s going so badly in fact that I can hear the coffee machine whirring in the background while a quarter of the audience resign themselves to their phone screens. I try desperately to not let my nerves show and start almost prancing around the stage with each sentence to somehow keep the attention of the rest of the room. It’s a ten minute spot and I’m only 40 seconds in…
Between the panic, the now blinding spotlight and the beads of sweat on my brow a voice within tells me to cool it and remember what I need to say. The voice then whispers - Why did you decide to do this to yourself? Since I started doing open mic stand up spots towards the end of 2018, I’ve found myself regularly asking the same question. The gig in Limerick didn’t end too badly that night but even the slightest wobble on stage or an uninterested crowd can make you question if you’re up to it at all. I’ve written this blog to state to the world (and remind myself) why I’ve decided to take up such a thing when it seems terrifying to so many.
I Love Telling Stories
Whether it's stories about past bosses, friends, or even relaying the events of a night out, I’ve always loved telling stories in my own way. Comedy has given me the chance to do this at least once a week to an audience (usually around 12 people) and see what resonates with them. I also work in and spend a lot of my time on social media which provides me with no end of material and a unique perspective on things. From empty Instagram bios like “The greatest thing about memories is making them” (What!?) to comment section disputes and the latest “PC gone mad” incidents. All of these combine to give me endless amounts of material to regurgitate into a microphone. If people enjoy it and laugh, well then it’s even better!
Name in lights? How about “comic” sans? Am I right
"I'm Way Funnier Than Them!"
People get into comedy for a variety of reasons. Whether it's as part of a drama course, a college society, a mid life crisis or a long held ambition, a moment occurs that makes you take the leap. Strangely enough though none of the above were the case for me. I do love observational and anecdotal comics like Peter Kay, Tommy Tiernan and Dave Chappelle but I’ve never really saw myself being able to emulate what they do. It wasn’t these heroes that gave me the push to give comedy a try, it was seeing comedy acts or programmes that I thought weren't funny that gave me the kick I needed!
The Big Bang Theory is considered a hugely successful comedy show that millions love so I can surely on the same planet at least become a semi professional comic? BBT does use canned laughter to tell people what parts are supposed to be funny and to be fair there's definitely been times when I could have done with that too. It would be easy for me to say “I can do better than that!” for the rest of my life from the armchair but if I at least give it a proper go now then I can say “Eh yeah gave that a bash in my twenties and Its actually a lot harder than it looks!" So far I’ve found that comedy can be hugely subjective and something that’s funny to you in your head can land flat on a stage. It’s about finding what sticks!
The winner of these “battles” get a rubber duck. I’ve won it once already because my friends were the only people left at the end of the night!
Meet Interesting people
The comedy scene in Dublin is full of characters. There’s people from all over Ireland and the world and each contribute to a melting pot of styles, personas, performances, interesting cultural observations and even musical acts. I’d been to a few open mic comedy shows in the past and being part of one always looked like as much fun as the performing part. Most comedians on the scene earn little to no money for getting on stage yet still continue to do it because it’s something their passionate about. It’s a bit like playing GAA except you’re more likely to bring shame home to your family and local area than a championship medal. Everyone I’ve met so far in the comedy scene have been sound and quick to give advice or insights into getting better at it as you go.
Me and a selection of said interesting people after a gig in Mullingar
To Get Better At Marketing
This wasn’t an initial reason behind why I started getting into comedy, but it’s becoming clearer to me that comedy and marketing are pretty much the same thing. For both you need to know your audience and be able to relate your ideas to them in a clear and impactful way. Much like marketing a business, the magic the audience see’s is only a small part of the full story. Behind all the good stuff is the hours of note taking, training(practicing), networking, planning, emailing and repeating these on a weekly basis to build the interest and the hype around your act. On the promoting myself side of things I have so far been lacking and so prepare yourself because the gig spam is coming! (once I get the gigs obviously)
The Rush
All of the above reasons pale in comparison to the real reason why I think all comedians start doing stand up comedy. I think it’s the weird rush you get with standing on stage and knowing that you’ve to make something from nothing. You’ve stood up to take 5 or more minutes of peoples attention and they’ll either like you or dislike you for it (no pressure). I’ve seen the Grand Canyon, I’ve witnessed Damien Dempsey in Vicar Street many times but even those two things don’t really match the feeling of being on stage yourself and managing to get a few laughs (pity or otherwise).
The pre show nerves, the thrill walking up, the good rooms, the bad rooms, the tough crowds, the tiny crowds, the boozy tourists over on the Ryanair flights, the dodgy mics, the support from friends and family who would have no other reason to come together of a Tuesday night and even the awkward “jaysus fair play to ya lad” from that bloke beside me at the urinals after a spot in Mullingar. All of these little moments combine to keep amateur comics like myself coming back each week to get our fix! It's something that I can already see myself always wanting to be a part of and is well worth getting involved in if you're thinking about it too.
Dante’s is always a good night
If you’re looking to watch some up and coming and experienced Irish comics in Dublin then some of the places I have had the opportunity to gig in and can recommend include Jesters at Sin e, The Comedy Corner in Keoghs, Dante’s in the Lord Edward, Battle Of The Axe In the H’appenny Bridge Inn and Comedy Gold in both the Button Factory and the Cobblestone.
Hopefully I’ll have plenty more stage time in 2019 and get better as I go! Keep an eye on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where I’ll be posting about any upcoming gigs where you’ll be able to see me in action (please don’t heckle).
What I Learned From Taking Part In Veganuary
Cauliflowers don’t have wings…
January is generally the longest month of the year for most of us. This year was a lot longer for me though as I decided to take part in Veganuary. Veganism is something that’s still seen by many as an extreme lifestyle choice so I decided to break through the noise on social media and jump on the Veganuary bandwagon to see what it's really like to live as one. That way instead of just joining in on the almost fashionable criticism of vegans, i’d be able to at least slag them off from a more educated standpoint. As the month came to a close and I had strictly kept to my new diet, here's some of my key takeaways from the experience:
The word “Vegan” is now everywhere:
Part of the reason why I decided to take part in the month was because I had a feeling that the media would be covering it closely. What I didn't expect was that the word “vegan” would be everywhere from the start. This may have been in part because I was looking at it but the start of 2019 saw even Gregg's and McDonalds introducing vegan items to their menus. Grocery stores also began to cash in on this new almost trendy outlook on the diet.
With multiple news stories detailing that people should be cutting down their meat consumption by up to 90% in the coming years to save the planet, I can see 2019 as being a massive turning point for the vegan diet. I don't think it will ever become mainstream in Irish households but it's clear that there’ll be plenty more vegan items on our stoves, shelves and menus in the future.
Image via: Magnum UK Wesbite
It’s not necessarily a weight loss diet:
The vegan diet is heavily associated with being an effective way to lose weight, improve your digestive system and boost your overall energy levels. Even the word itself brings about images of lean long haired yoga instructors in poses that most of us can only dream of pulling off. So naturally people would tell me that despite the sacrifices I was making, I’d at least “lose a heap of weight”. Losing weight wasn’t really a goal for me during the month but nonetheless I was interested to see if I would enter February at least a few kg’s lighter and of course be able to do the splits.
I started the month at a jolly post Christmas 94kg’s (14st 8lbs) and after my 4 weeks without meat or dairy I weighed in at pretty much the same give or take a pint or two of water. It seems if you eat roughly the same calories each day and binge on chips, vegan mayonnaise (actually unreal), red Doritos and Oreos every time you’re missing your usual comforts, the weight doesn’t just disappear. The meme below was posted into an Irish vegan Facebook group and pretty much sums up how I treated the month:
I found out that sour patch kids were vegan with only 2 days to go..
As for the boundless amounts of energy that vegans claim the plant based life gives you? Well again for me I didn’t really feel any livelier or weaker during the 31 days. My digestive system didn’t feel any better either so I can’t attest to any bodily benefits. Had I spent the month getting 9+ hours of sleep, exercising regularly and eating strictly salads and superfoods then this may have been a different story. For me the month quickly became about making it as bearable as possible. Maybe the greater sense of overall health and energy comes with that feeling of superiority some vegans have over mere meat eaters? I’m not sure but the yoga pants will have to wait…
The vegans are a sound bunch
Another big reason why I wanted to get involved in Veganuary was to learn more about the vegans themselves. Publishers on the internet have a habit of latching onto divisive issues and spinning them for clicks and engagement. Over the last few years along with Trump, Brexit and other hot topics, vegan related stories usually get the keyboard warriors on all sides typing. This means that any time we see the words vegan online it’s usually followed by the word “outrage”.
With this in mind, after joining some Irish vegan Facebook groups I was anticipating a months worth of conspiracy theories, infighting and maybe even to join the odd organised midnight liberation raid on a farm or meat factory. Sadly, it seems most vegans are just normal people who eat a load of vegetables (surprise). I did learn that veganism is about a lot more than food but the vast majority of the posts were very mundane. From members sharing new food items they’d discovered to posts about dating as a vegan in our cruel world (it usually ends badly), I was surprised at the lack of “militant vegans” that we hear about constantly in the media.
Not one of my meals looked anything like this
How much I appreciate all types of food
The month did help me discover a new appreciation for different foods. Chickpea curries, falafel salads, tofu stir fries and sweet potato dishes all tasted lovely and kept me full. Being a 26 year old infant that still lives at home, I have to give my Mam a special mention as she did prepare plenty of dishes for me during the month too. Her enthusiasm didn’t stretch to actually joining me and eating too but overall it helped me to get through.
Eating out can be a nightmare and at two recent work events I felt like a bold child being punished with small tomato and pasta dishes while the rest of the table ate hearty steaks and buttery mash. There are however, some great options for vegan dining in some places around Dublin. I enjoyed tasty vegan meals from Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Cocu Hatch, The Lean Bean and Toltecca to name just a few.
One thing that kept annoying me though is the number of vegan menu items that try to mimic some of our favourite meat dishes. Delights such vegan sausage, vegetable steak and plant based kebab all set your tastebuds up to be bitterly disappointed. I’ve even seen recipes online for “Cauliflower Buffalo Wings” that apparently taste “just as good as the real thing!” Cauliflowers don’t even have wings! (I Googled it).
They’re literally just pieces of cauliflower in hot sauce…
Will I keep it up?
The answer is a swift no. Don’t get me wrong the diet is definitely not as hard to stick to as I thought it would be but it’s just not that much fun in my opinion. Many vegans in the Facebook groups and online forums I kept my eye on during the month talk about the turning point in their lives when they “saw the light”. This come to Jesus moment is when they realised it was no longer ethical to consume any kind of animal products. This may have been brought on by a documentary they watched, a loved one they spoke to, a farm they visited or one of the million “Scientific Studies” that they cling to like scriptures from the bible.
I think that until you see this “light”, you can’t really go all in on veganism. Sadly, I was shielded from the light during the experience by my intense love of food. Yes I may have watched some of the documentaries and looked at the various studies on the issue, but for me it all boils down to what I already know - Animals are exploited and killed for us to eat. I know that and always have I just like to be conveniently ignorant to the suffering behind the beautifully stocked shelves and well presented dinner plates.
At the end of the day in my opinion life is too short to be vegan! Yes life is a lot shorter when you’re a farm animal but when I’m really hungry come dinner time a bean burger just ain’t gonna cut it! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for future non vegan related content!
Why Veganism is about a lot more than food
Abstaining from meat and dairy is only the start…
As I surpass the two week mark in Veganuary, one thing that is becoming clearer is that veganism is about a lot more than just food. As I put away meal after meal of rice, quinoa, sweet potato, vegetables and other vegan delights I can’t help but feel I’m only dipping my toe into the lifestyle. Before starting the month, I joined some Irish Vegan Facebook groups to find out more about this world from real life Irish vegans. I then posted my first Veganuary blog post in each of these groups asking for guidance on my journey. As the blog itself was written in a slightly sarcastic tone, I was half thinking (and hoping) that the members would be quick to turn on me and have me booted out!
I couldn’t have been more wrong… within minutes there was a thread of comments under each post from people who had not only read the blog, but enjoyed it and wanted to help. They sent me recipes, guidelines and other resources to help make the month a success into February and beyond too. Some would call this just the early stages of how cults groom new members but I thought it was lovely! The Vegans - A great bunch of lads!
They also directed me to a list of eye opening documentaries about all the ways that humans are harming the planet. I'm yet to watch any but I can only imagine they’d only make me more hungry! As you delve into the endless online forums, groups and conversations happening in the media it's evident that veganism is not about food, it’s a way of living. As Rory from the “Dublin Vegans” group put it in a reply under my blog post:
“…..remember Conor veganism is a moral philosophy based on respect, justice and non-violence. It is about seeking an end to exploitation, discrimination and oppression in all it's forms….”
In all it’s forms? I thought I was just signing up to a month of Chickpeas not a holy war on our global system of oppression! The vegan well is deep and it encapsulates a lot of other buzz words that we’ve seen everywhere in the last few years. Not consuming or using animal products is one thing, but here’s a list of some of the other vegan observations I’ve made while scrolling through the the vegan groups I now call home!
How free range is free range really?
Ethically Sourced
It’s not enough for you to eat your fruit, vegetables and other vegan goodies without first being sure that they’re ethically sourced. Ethically sourced produce is obtained in a way that is respectful and sustainable to the farmers and local economy that produce it. A few years ago there was a lot made about the impact of certain superfoods on the countries or regions that they originate from. The boom in Quinoa meant that Peruvian farmers could no longer afford what was their own staple because they were in our hipster salads instead. We may have all heard about Blood Diamonds in Sierra Leone but how many of us are aware of Blood Avocados in South America? There’s endless stories like these that make it seem like in order to be a truly ethical vegan, you’ll have to grow it all yourself!
Vegans love Avocados
Energy
Aside from the people who produce popular vegan produce, what about the environment around it? It’s all well and good substituting your butters for palm oils to help the cows but what if that leads to the destruction of the rainforest? As Iceland proved back in December with their Rang-Tan campaign, deforestation or climate change caused by over harvesting certain natural products leads to the demise and systematic destruction of thousands of our favourite animals.
Due to this, Palm oil has now become a negative buzz word that makes certain vegan food that contain its name unpalatable for all shoppers. Soy production has also been widely criticised as the use of pesticides and other chemicals sprayed on the crop can permanently damage local soil, wildlife and even humans! (yes they matter too apparently)
Plastic
Ever watch those videos of dead whales washing up on beaches full of plastic? Do they make you feel bad? Not me I only use the bags for life from under the stairs at home so they're not mine! 2018 became the year where the war on plastic began. This one isn’t necessarily due to the vegans though as the real reason were stuck with paper straws dissolving halfway through our drinks is because China wont take our rubbish anymore.
Producing less waste and being conscious of your carbon footprint are causes that I’ve seen being championed by vegans online. The end goal it seems is to eat ethically sourced vegan food items and be responsible for your waste and reducing it as much as possible. The irony that a lot of the popular vegan products on the market come in single use plastic packaging is not lost on many of the vegans who continue to mention this when posting about new shelf items! I think the "no waste" lifestyle is something we'll be seeing a lot of in the near future. I just hope I’m long gone before they decide to discontinue single use toilet paper!
Politics
It would be hard for any vegan to be invested in all of the above issues without having some strong opinions or leanings when it comes to politics. Like most elements of the vegan lifestyle however, the politics can be complicated. What do the vegans make of things like Brexit or Trump? Well I’d imagine they’re not Trumps biggest fan but they’re more diverse than you may think. The below poll was posted into one of the groups and shows just how some vegans identify when it comes to their thoughts on government:
I didn't vote because the option to select "Vegan and starving" wasn't there. Are you confused yet? I definitely am…Is it ever possible to be completely cruelty free? Should I do the right thing and release my dog into the wild because it was never really “mine” to own in the first place? Is wearing banana leaves for shoes the future of veganism? Who knows…
Being just over halfway through Veganuary it’s still hard enough to just sit through a vegan meal without having to feel guilty about the leather chair I’m sat in also. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the month and future blog posts.
Why I'm Taking Part In Veganuary This Year
As a self confessed meat and cheese lover, this isn’t going to be easy
Over the last few years there has been a number of topics that have almost been fashionable to take a pop at online. Brexit, Trump, the #FitFam and social influencers are all examples of punching bags that receive constant trolling, memes and other forms of lighthearted (and sometimes serious) slagging on their pages.
There is one group however, who seem to be dealt an unfair share of criticism on social media - The Vegan Community. I think this is in many ways due to how vocal a minority of its members are on online and the extreme ways in which they protest farming, animal products and react to their detractors. At the end of the day though if they're not harming anyone (other than those who have to listen to some of them) with their lifestyle then what's the big deal?
Bread becomes a luxury food item when you’re Vegan
I've set out to fully understand Veganism by throwing myself into the lifestyle for the month of January. Veganuary is a charity that encourages people to try “going vegan” for January and the rest of the year. Its social media hashtag #Veganuary currently has over 400,000 corresponding posts on Instagram alone. #Vegan on the other hand has over 70 million posts showing just how popular the lifestyle choice has become worldwide. The UK pastry franchise Greggs got on board the Veganuary bus by releasing their very own “Vegan Sausage Roll” on social media last week.
The launch was genius not just because their stores will be more attractive to vegan customers, but because of the anticipated subsequent storm on social media around it. Meat eaters took the tofu bait passionately commenting and sharing the twitter post decreeing this as just another example of PC culture gone mad. Vegans shared it with an equal vigour while pledging to buy the product as soon as they could. Publishers and news outlets then picked up the story and produced what is no doubt millions of pounds worth of free PR for the brand.
With 2019 being touted by none other than Jay-Z and Beyonce as a big year for Veganism, maybe there’s something cynical meat lovers like me are missing out on? Would it be possible for someone like me to survive and even thrive on bean burgers, almond milk and other vegan products for 30 days? Would I come out the other end with more energy, clarity and that feeling of inner peace that vegans swear by? I wasn’t sure but I decided to put myself in their ethically sourced vegan friendly cardboard shoes anyway and give it a go!
Like most challenges in life there's always some sneaky ways to make things easier. A lot of people taking part in Veganuary would have rushed straight to the perfectly manicured multi coloured palettes of plates strewn across Instagram and cook books for inspiration. Or they'd have spent the better part of December listening to podcasts and watching YouTube videos to gain insights into how they could make the month a wholesome, educating and enlightening experience. My approach was slightly different. I asked myself one important question - What can I still eat in order to maintain my general functionality, mental wellbeing and friendships?
How I assume Vegans greet one another
Well despite the blanket ban on beef, fish, eggs, cheese, fun, chicken, milk, butter, happiness, garlic sauce and essentially everything else that makes life worth living, there are some staple items out there that are actually vegan friendly! Red Doritos, some pot noodles, Oreos, bourbon creams, sweet chilli and Franks hot sauce are all examples of foods that are vegan and will be there for me whenever things get tough this month. Many vegans also highlight the fact that most dark chocolate is vegan friendly which is good news for any of the 4 people who would ever think to reach for that when they need a snack.
As I write this I’m just about a week in and it’s actually not as bad as I had imagined. Once you’ve stock piled vegan meat alternatives and some of the treats I’ve listed above, then you can feel like you’re not depriving yourself too much. Where you encounter hurdles is when it comes to eating out. I chanced a cafe for lunch one day during work and ended up having to opt for a wrap filled with just mixed peppers, gherkins/pickles, onions, jalapeños, spinach and sweet chilli. In the end I could only stomach the wrap itself with nothing but the remaining sweet chilli and my tears to help it on its way down!
Getting it toasted made things even worse
The biggest challenge so far came at a family quiz night where there was all the usual favourites a meat and dairy fan would dive head first into. Chicken curry, lasagna, coleslaw, garlic bread, banoffee pie, cheesecake, ice cream and endless boxes of chocolates were all staring at me. It wasn’t until this night that it fully dawned on me just how limited the vegan diet really is.
Thankfully, my auntie Noeleen had whipped up some Falafel, humus, mixed bean and sweet chilli (surprise) wraps just for me. I’m not just saying this just because she will most likely read this but they were really nice and filled me up enough that I didn’t crack. If I could survive a night like this, then surely the rest of the month would be a breeze? Only time will tell!
Are you taking part in Veganuary? Or are you a vegan who thinks I’m just appropriating your culture for website clicks? Let me know your experience or thoughts in the comments below or get in touch here. You can also get me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the month and future content.
Scrolling In The Year: 2018 In Review
A look back on the biggest news stories of 2018 and how they dominated our social media feeds
2018 has been an interesting year not just on Irish social media feeds, but on social media feeds around the world. As I work on social media every day, it’s almost impossible to miss the latest viral story, meme or video. As the year comes to a close, I thought it would be good to take a look back on some of the more memorable moments that dominated newsfeeds, timelines and group chats in the last 12 months.
This post is inspired by the Irish TV programme “Reeling In The Years”, only it won't be nearly as well put together or entertaining. I’m hoping that in the future (if there is one with the way things are going), we can look back on this year and try to explain to our kids why exactly Brexit and Cryptocurrencies ever became a thing in the first place?
Brexit
Brexit Brexit Brexit! If there’s one thing nobody has been able to escape this year it’s the “B word”. As the UK government continues to debate on how to deliver (or possibly not deliver) the referendum result from 2016, nearly all social media platforms have been saturated with mentions of it. From video debates, Twitter polls, politicians clueless soundbites and lively comment sections under everything it’s been at times fascinating but mainly just exhausting.
The beauty of social media though is that among all the talking heads and economist reports, the moments that really engaged people were the ones like that dancing queen entrance from May or the Luxembourg PM’s brilliant response to a UK reporters EU concessions question. It seems that in something as messy and drawn out as Brexit, all most of us want is some comic relief from the drudgery and social media always manages to deliver this. .
If you switch off the second you hear about Brexit, then this Brexit explainer video below from Irish children’s programme News2day will help you grasp what options could have been explored. The video went viral on Twitter with many commenting that it should be compulsory viewing for the politicians managing the process.
The Beast from the East
As the Brexit storm continued during 2018, Ireland was hit with a different kind of storm that brought its own chaos. In early March, the country was hit by a snowstorm dubbed the “Beast from the East”. Sounding like something from an episode of Father Ted, the beast actually caused a significant amount of destruction to residential and business properties in parts of Ireland and the UK. As people began to stock pile their supplies of Brennans bread and spammed our social media feeds with photos of their igloos, for those who weren’t too adversely impacted it just meant a day or two off work and a pint in your wellies down the local.
Whatsapp group chats around Ireland suddenly began to fill with what seemed like a live stream of snapchat and Instagram videos from South Dublin. In scenes reminiscent of “The Purge”, a Lidl in Tallaght was attacked and looted by a large group of people who even used a digger to tackle the supermarkets safe. This was to be the height of the Beast from the East hysteria as shortly afterwards the snow had melted and Ireland went back to normal after those few days that now seem almost like a strange dream.
The 8th Referendum
In May of this year Irish people had the chance to repeal the 8th amendment to the Irish constitution. If the amendment was repealed, Irish women would have the choice to access safe and legal abortion services in Ireland. The build up to the referendum was long with both sides heavily promoting their messages through billboards, posters, paid social media campaigns and other media forms. Social media became a very heated place in the final run up to the vote on May 25th.
Being pro choice personally, I always knew what way I would vote coming up to the day but was interested to listen closely to the views of both sides to understand peoples thoughts on what is a complex topic. The one page on social media that stood out to me at this time was the Facebook page “In her shoes”. The page has been around for years and shares the images of womens shoes accompanied by their own abortion stories to highlight those who have had to travel for the service in the past.
The diverse range of women and their different stories reaffirmed to me and no doubt countless others that women have and always will make this choice for whatever reasons and so making it available was the least that we could do. Thankfully on the 25th of May, 66% of Irish voters voted to repeal the 8th Amendment. Although the details of how the services will work are still being planned, 2019 should bring about the necessary changes.
Ireland’s Trump
The Irish public would again be asked to head to their local polling stations towards the end of 2018. This time it would be to vote for the next President of Ireland. The presidential elections in Ireland are usually pretty unexciting affairs but this year seemed to get us talking a lot more. With Trump and Brexit now being key considerations for any incumbent president, multiple candidates came forward to claim they could guide us through this time of uncertainty.
The current president Michael D Higgins, or Miggeldy Higens as he became known as in 2018, had become a bit of a pop culture icon with his own “Michael Tea Higgins” tea cosies. He was up against a number of challengers but none as controversial as Peter Casey. Casey positioned himself as being against political correctness and said that his controversial views appealed to the “average working person.” Of course this drew parallels to the messaging of American business man turned president Donald Trump and a lot of people freaked out when Casey then finished second to Miggeldy.
A quick look at his Twitter during the race gave me the idea that his whole campaign was being managed by some American PR firm and bizarre tweets like this one are the kind you have to watch three times to actually believe it’s not from a parody account…
Sport
It was a massive year for sport and millions were glued to the World Cup in Russia. England came scarily close to going all the way but were denied before France came out as eventual winners in what was a great tournament to watch. Closer to home, Limerick won the All Ireland Hurling Championship for the first time in 45 years while Dublin won their 4th Gaelic football title in the last 4 years.
Katie Taylor dominated the women’s professional boxing world while Conor McGregor came back to the Octagon in a fight that will be remembered more for the scenes following his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov than the action itself. Perhaps the highlight for many Irish sporting fans this year was the Irish Rugby team beating New Zealand in the Aviva in November. It was the way in which they dominated the All Blacks from the very beginning was what really got people excited. With Ireland now being touted by many as favourites for the World Cup in 2019, it will be the sporting event we all have our eyes on next summer.
Cryptocurrency
One technology that was tipped to be massive in 2018 were Cryptocurrencies. After a massive surge in value of Bitcoin and other digital currencies at the end of 2017, I even got caught up in the hype and bought a massive €60 worth of different coins in what was my first buy in to the investment world. The mainstream media has since gone silent on the coins with many saying that they are just going through teething issues like a lot of the most transformative technologies we’ve experienced. With that initial investment of mine now being worth just €10.67, I can’t see cryptocurrency being commonly used in 2019 either.
#RIPFernando
Every year we take to social media to pay homage to loved ones and our favourite celebrities who have passed. This year saw the passing of Stan Lee, MacMiller, Dolores O Riordan, Aretha Franklin, Anthony Bourdain and Avicci to name a few. Our own Taoiseach Leo Varadkar managed to somehow dull the blow of Avicci’s passing with one of the tweets of the year in memory of the star. Still no sign of Leo’s extended Camino playlist but I can’t imagine what else is featured!
Via: @campaignforleo
The most unusual and shocking death that gripped the nation this year was one that didn’t happen at all. Ballybrack FC made national and international headlines when they decided to fake a former players death to have their game with Arklow Town postponed.
The league and its teams had spent a weekend in collective mourning before the the truth came out to the league, the teams and the “dead” player himself. Social media went into a frenzy and #RIPFernando was trending on Twitter with people making memes and tribute songs were even penned. The club apologised and Fernando has since become a bit of a celebrity from the whole fiasco. In a year when supposed “fake news” stories were even less ridiculous than some of the real ones, this was a “fake news” story that we could all enjoy!
2018 has been a good year for me personally as I launched this website and blog in September. Since then I’ve been able to talk about my experience making memes, investigate the world of Facetune, blow the lid (somewhat) on the global social media “Ginspiracy” and raise money for Movember! If you've liked any of my posts on social media, read any of the blogs or shared them with a friend it really means a lot so thank you.
Here's to an even better 2019 where I can hopefully work on more digital marketing projects with people, publish more interesting blog posts, grow my audience and maybe even that crypto “investment”! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram in 2019.