He's got LOLs

Brittlestar on how to be true to yourself on social media

Jun 25, 2022

Welcome to At The End Of the Day. I’m Hannah Sung and if you’re new here, thank you for reading.

This newsletter is in podcast mode, read on for this week’s episode.

How to be true to yourself on social media

Have you ever been in an argument with someone who twists your words? It is so frustrating, and seems pointless to keep going.

That’s how I feel about social media these days. And to be clear, there’s no one I’m actually arguing with, I’m just always on guard for a Tweet to be decontextualized, twisted and held up by a troll or bot or worse, someone you actually know in real life.

I started in podcasts seven years ago because I wanted to talk about potentially controversial topics in a way where people could actually connect and learn without jumping down each other’s throats. Context is everything and sometimes you need space and time—so I mostly save my own words for podcasts and this newsletter.

Not so with Stewart Reynolds, also known as Brittlestar, also known as the Internet’s Favourite Dad (I think he could battle that out with Your Korean Dad—indeed, both exceptional dads for your feed).

Stewart also has a podcast and newsletter (insert generational joke here) but has a special, super-charged knack for social media and more importantly, for getting his views across in a very clear way.

I first came across his viral videos in my Twitter feed when I desperately needed some LOLs (yes, height of the pandemic). And as I watched more of them, I thought, Wow, what he does is hard. He shares his point of view on topics such as anti-vaxxers, the freedom convoy, racism, you name it, through disarming with humour.

Hannah Sung @HannahSung

Why follow @brittlestar? At first it was for the LOLs but over time, he showed me how to be a human while being front and centre with your opinions. Listen to the whole episode on your fave app including here on @tunein tunein.com/podcasts/Story…

I connected with Stewart this week for the podcast and I hope you can find a moment to just listen, chill, laugh and enjoy.

Especially since the news has been so incredibly heavy this week.

I found it next to impossible to wade through a social media wall of grief over Roe v. Wade being overturned in the U.S. So I called on some previous words of wisdom, from Joyce Grant (she spoke with me in the podcast episode on helping kids deal with challenging news). One of her tips was to “focus on the helpers,” because there are always helpers in every situation.

Julie S. Lalonde @JulieSLalonde

If you're in Canada and have cash to spare, donate to @AbortionRights - A true advocacy organization that does not receive government funding and so they can't be censored. The issue with abortion in Canada is access. So, support those fighting for exactly that.

I spoke with Julie for her brilliant tips on bystander intervention

I am doing a countdown to summer and taking a break. I hope you are, too. Thanks for reading and if you’re enjoying this podcast, forward this email to a friend.

Take care,

Hannah

✨✨✨ At The End Of the Day is edited by Laura Hensley and the podcast is produced by Olivia Trono ✨✨✨