Selfie Reflective

Verity Johnson is a columnist, writer, TV presenter and media personality (and occasional satirical rapper) ~

From outside of the frame, it's easy to look at those pursuing the #InfluencerLife and make judgements about their motivations and mindset. But how much do you know about what that experience is really like for the person inside the frame?

Verity got her first gig in the public eye at just 18 years old, and was encouraged to create a personal brand online. Verity got caught up in the pursuit of Insta-fame and, after years of workin' for the likes, felt like she barely knew where her real life ended and Instagram content began. She went cold turkey, and quickly discovered that going back to life before Insta was nowhere near as straightforward as one might assume.

This is a raw, honest and vulnerable conversation that may change the way you look at social influencers, and challenge the mindset you hold in relation to your own profile.

Topics covered include: content churn, industry responsibility, celebrity vs influencer fame, vanity, self-importance and more.

Episode shownotes:

Check out Verity's latest pieces of writing and sign up for her awesome weekly e-mail here.

Find or contact Selfie Reflective:

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Elliot Taylor is the Founder and Executive Director of Live For Tomorrow, a project that's on a mission to prevent suicide on social media ~

Elliot Taylor has been working with young people for over a decade. When he started to notice that they were putting out signals of serious distress on social media, rather than scroll past these posts, he reached out.

Live For Tomorrow is the only organised human response system to crisis posts online. Elliot's philosophy is to meet young people where they are, and use social platforms as tools for good.

Topics include mental health, suicide prevention, empathy, content culture, attribution bias and more.

Shownotes:

Find Elliot on Twitter, and discover more about the incredible work of Live For Tomorrow.

After you've listened:

• Leave an Apple podcast rating and review (very appreciated, thank you!)
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If this episode has brought up any feelings of distress, please find a list of New Zealand based support options below:

• Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
• Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
• Healthline – 0800 611 116
• Samaritans – 0800 726 666
• Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email [email protected] or online chat

We're all guilty of tagging brands and locations in our social posts (even if it's done for ironic effect). And as brands get savvier at honing in on all levels of potential influence for branded collaborations, it can seem like social media is less a social platform - and more a sales catalogue.

Chris Henry recently launched People of Influence, a social talent division of 818 Publicity that facilitates branded campaigns with people who would have arguably had influence even without social media. He tells us why he decided to launch People of Influence, how the media landscape has shifted and why the ethos of the business centres around the idea of doing less for longer.

Topics include how branded partnerships work, #'authenticity', transparency, the difference between influencers and celebrities, user and influencer responsibility and more.

Shownotes:

Find out more about Chris Henry, 818 Publicity and People of Influence (Instagram)

What to do after listening:

• Email feedback to questions to [email protected]
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Gerry Parke is an artist whose work unpacks masculinity as a construct ~

If we looked hard enough, we'd all find embarrassing photos of ourselves that exist both online and offline. But what happens when you've moved on from a certain stage of your life and photos of you are shared without warning or permission?

When a high school friend shared photos of Gerry Parke on Facebook, his reaction was visceral. In those photos, Gerry saw himself trying to mirror and perform a rigid masculine role that was celebrated and enforced by those around him. Having since grown from feeling confined to that role, to unpack the emotions that the photos provoked and the idea of performative masculinity, Gerry picked up his paintbrush.

Topics include: masculinity as a construct, the performance of masculinity online, permanence, the right to be forgotten, kids on social media and more.

Rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts (thank you!)

Shownotes:

You can find Gerry's work on his personal website and follow him on Instagram. If you're in Auckland, New Zealand, you can go to Gerry's solo show at Whitespace Gallery (on until February 14th, 2020).

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

• Stuff article by Katherine Dolan
• The Mask You Live In - documentary that unpacks masculinity
• The Descent of Man - book by Grayson Perry
• Idles - punk band who unpack masculinity

Find, share feedback or contact Selfie Reflective:

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Alex Beattie is a PHD Student studying the manufacture of disconnection ~

We've all joked about spending so much time on Facebook that we must be addicted before - but the further down the rabbit hole we go, the more serious this joke seems.

What happens when technologies that enable connection make us feel disconnected? When the desire to click, like and scroll keeps us fixated on our screens? Is more technology the answer to helping us re-orient our attention back to the real world?

PHD student and ex Facebook user, Alex Beattie, helps us unpack complex issues that revolve around attention and social media.

Topics include: privacy, attention economy, attention by design, personal development, comparison, mental health and more.

Shownotes:

Find out more about Alex's thesis, writing or Healthy Tech Habits workshop

Alex recommends checking out the following examples of attention reorientation technologies:

The Disconnect- an online magazine that can only be read if you're disconnected from the internet

Ransomly - an app that creates 'internet deadzones' in spaces of your choosing

Yondr - an initiative that facilitates phone free performances and spaces (if you went to PHAROS by Childish Gambino, you would have experienced Yondr in action)

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Kaila Tova is a PHD student, drag artist and host of the Your Body, Your Brand Podcast ~

You'd assume that the trend of women dropping out of the workforce to pursue online brands is a good thing. After all, what's more inspiring than a person taking charge of their own path?

But as Kaila Tova tells us, this trend is not always necessarily positive. In fact, it's demonstrative of issues that are much bigger than any individual. Plus when online brands are related to health or wellness - things can get a little scary.

Topics include: neoliberalism, feminism, self branding, collectivism, #empowerment and more.

• Email - [email protected]
• Sign up to the mailing list (best option 💌)
• Follow on Facebook
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If any of the content featured in this podcast was triggering, here are a list of New-Zealand based helplines you can call for support:

• Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
• Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
• Healthline – 0800 611 116
• Samaritans – 0800 726 666
• Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email [email protected] or online chat

Find, share feedback and contact:

• Email - [email protected]
• Sign up to the mailing list (best option 💌)
• Follow on Facebook
• Follow on Instagram
• Recommend a guest

Featured music sourced from https://filmmusic.io

- "Pookatori and Friends" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

- "Funk Game Loop" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)