So, I think we can all agree that social media is bad, but there’s another more subtle way this form of consumption is dangerous. We see the lies and the attention seeking but what’s probably more sinister underneath it all is we are fed negativity constantly. After a while our brains normalize it as just another reel or news story despite the horrible information being broadcasted. You remember infomercials at midnight where you would see commercials for genuinely awful situations or charities being promoted. This is basically what social media promotes in short form content although it dresses itself up as actionable by creating engagement with the creator. Riddle me this however, in all these instances did you ever once stop to actually acknowledge any or did you look at it and scroll past it. That’s the plan. They want you to stay complacent like the good drone they want you to be, you know to prevent actual reform or revolution. This is why we feel powerless, we are conditioned to believe it’s already that bad while the time to change it slips by as we scroll. Then something else hit me. This doesn’t even have to be social media, take anything you have dealt with, the toxic and naive want to keep you complacent, to prevent you from saying I’m done or that’s enough. So I believe it is vitally important we train ourselves to be very confident with the simple word no.

I want to talk about something that doesn’t get said clearly enough. Why do people and organisations avoid responsibility when they do something wrong? Why is protecting reputation often more important than caring for the people affected? Here’s what I’ve noticed (and experienced): When something goes wrong, the common responses are: - Avoid the conversation - Acknowledge feelings, but not actions - Say as little as possible - Protect themselves first This isn’t just an observation. It’s personal. I’ve had two experiences with organisations that stayed with me. One SFX company chose not to engage at all. No reply. No conversation. No apology. A second, large theatre organisation said they “acknowledged how I felt”. But there was no accountability, no ownership, and no meaningful action. Acknowledging feelings is not the same as taking responsibility. And I’ve also seen this clearly in my personal life. I recently ended a friendship of over 20 years. This was someone I cared about deeply and supported, especially during a very difficult time in his life, including serious health challenges. Over time, things changed. He developed a pattern of gambling and would say things like: “The system is flawed. I can beat it.” But the reality was different. He was making losses. I spoke to him calmly and directly. I said: “Please be careful. I don’t want you to become addicted to this.” But nothing changed. The behaviour was consistent—before meeting me and after meeting me. And alongside that, there were strong mood swings. Being around him started to feel: - Intimidating - Unpredictable - Uncomfortable There was also a pattern of aggressive and abusive behaviour towards me. When I calmly called this out, there was: - No accountability - No reflection - No apology - Victim blaming That was the hardest part. Because when someone refuses to take responsibility, there is no way to repair anything. And that applies to both individuals and organisations.