Project.esc April Issue 2

Hustle Porn Has social media turned us into overachievers?

Travel Tips Getting the best from your phone on-the-go

Your Monthly Digital Detox

Our switch-off sport of the month: rowing • Discover the Highlands • Our top picks: books, TV & films

Project April 2019

Is this the real life?

How your digital device is ruining live shows

Be Social @project.esc.mag

Editor’s Letter

Project.esc

It’s all about balance.

A few years ago I ran off to Japan because I was feeling bad about my situation. Drastic, I know. I was working at a job I disliked and all my friends seemed miles ahead of me. It was almost like they’d learnt some kind of golden rule of living I hadn’t figured out yet.

My unease was due to the glittery images I was seeing on social media.

Consumed with envy, I’d go on what I now call ‘Instagram invalidation’ journeys. “I wish I had her face. I wish I had his life,” I’d tell myself. My self-deprecation was relentless and I could stay glued to my phone for hours. In the end, when I eventually put my phone down, I felt worthless and embarrassed by my own shallowness.

Check our our podcast: the social mediators, on our website

Sam Lewis Hannah Weiss Oliver Cuenca Molly Dowrick Kate Morgan Mairi Hughes Anya Walsh Samantha Cunningham Roberta Mason Tamzin Wilks Matt Bassil Andrew Lloyd

Social media is clever. It taps into your vulnerabilities by showing you everything you want and don’t have. In true consumerist style, it makes you long for both material possessions and the immaterial: the perfect job, perfect friends, perfect relationships.

I went to Japan promising myself I wouldn’t post anything on social media, and I kept my promise. Now, however, I don’t have any photos, nothing to help me remember the great times I had over there.

I used to hate social media and everything it stood for. I now understand there’s nothing wrong with it. The secret lies in using it in a positive way.

At Project.esc, we want to show you how social media can positively impact your life and that not everything is digital doom and gloom.

Anya

Photography by Andrew Lloyd Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks

CONTENTS Where Did Your Digital Dependence Begin?

We took to the streets to discover the origins of our obsession

The Road to Self-publishing

How online communities led to a new generation of authors

Digital Doctor

Got a digital dilemma? Pick up your prescription from our surgery

Love me Tinder

If chivalry in the digital age is dead, is your date a knight in shining Armani or just another knobhead in a tinfoil hat?

4

6 7

Happy Store: Productivity

Get productive with this month’s recommendations

8

Under the Influence

9

Can you spot a genuine post from a product placement?

Chill Beats

Take it easy and dive into the world of the online music phenomenon, Lo-Fi

To Tweet or not to Tweet

5

5

10-11 12-13

Twitter virgin, Matt Bassill, loses it online

On the cover:

Is This the Real Life?

20

15-17

All the world’s a stage and all the men and women simply record the performance.

So Instagram & Twitter walk into a bar

18-19

Meet your favourite social media platforms at the party of the digital age

We all leave a digital footprint. online. What does yours say about you?

Netiquette How memes and messaging changed our manners

The Culture of Hustle Porn

We all strive for success, but some of us work harder than others.

Are we slaying the game, but killing ourselves?

Travel Tips for a Digital Nomad

Finding a balance between discovery and disconnecting

Vloggers: Helpful or Harmful?

Is comparison with YouTubers healthy or are we under pressure to portray perfection?

Positive Person

This issue we talk to yoga guru, Annie Clarke

Switch Off sport: Rowing

An oar-some way to get your blood pumping

Top Picks for April Our recommendations for digital downtime

26-27

Head for the hills

Mairi Hughes suggests hiking trails across the UK

20-21 22-23 24-25 26-27 28 29-30 32-33 34 35

Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks Words b y Roberta Mason

Dick pics, selfies & public profiles

Our Community We asked Cardiff: where did your digital obsession begin?

E

IN

L F F

O Katie, 21

Cristina, 23

Connor, 20

Dorian, 31

I remember using Bebo. You’d have your own page, kind of like a Facebook set-up, and then you’d have to ‘like’ other people. It was a bit bitchy. Social media is so advanced that stuff like Bebo and MySpace just got left behind. I’ve got a bit of everything now really – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, the lot.

I use Facebook now and I have a Twitter account. I also use Instagram, but that’s about it. I never used Bebo, but I did use MySpace, though I wasn’t really that into it. I don’t really post a lot on Facebook – it’s mostly just to scroll through. Twitter is for me to post whatever is on my mind.

Until quite recently, I had a Facebook page, but now I’ve only got Snapchat. I used to go on Facebook just to have something to do. I never had a purpose, just used to go on to have a bit of a snoop.

I had MySpace when I played in a band and we just used it as a platform to get our music out there. I don’t use Facebook – the only thing I’ve got is Instagram and even then, I very rarely use it. I don’t want to say I’m offgrid because that’s just cliché, but I don’t like people knowing my business.

Head to Project.esc to have your say Facebook, just because it provides a range of interests and it was the first real platform that I liked so I stuck to it.

Tom, 25

Illustration by Tamzin Wilks

MSN was the real MVP of the old days, but back then there wasn’t really social media, there were forums, and mine was jeuxvideo. com forums (No. 1 video game website in Europe, and No. 1 in French in the world), that were actually not even about video games. We laughed, and we helped each other. Humans are social animals, whatever the technology, we will find a way to communicate, even with complete strangers.

Pieryck, 27

I’ve always used Facebook the most to watch funny dogs videos and to keep in contact with my friends from home.

Lucinda, 24

What happened to...

Jack, 25

Before Facebook, I would use Bebo and MSN. Looking back, it’s hard to believe Bebo kept us entertained, but some people were obsessed with getting “love”. Now Facebook is the easiest to communicate with friends and let people know what I’m doing. I have Twitter and Instagram accounts but they are pretty much inactive.

Lewis, 24

I used to be on Skyrock back in the day, it was great! I grew up in France and Skyrock was a huge thing with young people.

It was essentially a blogging platform. My blog is still up there, I think, but I did delete some of the cringey content.

Jo-Anna, 23

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As a visual learner I use YouTube videos to extend my learning and also use the app to catch up on news. I usually watch about 10 videos a day.

Is Omegle still a thing? It was a website where you would be connected to chat with random people all over the world. When I think back now, it is a bit creepy, but it was astonishing to my 12-year-old brain.

Zoe, 25

Myspace lives on, although has recently lost all content uploaded before 2016. More than 50m songs as well as photos and video content that has no other home on the internet has been lost. The mass deletion was caused by a faulty server migration.

The website was created in 2003 by a group of young entrepreneurs in California. It was initially a place for people to share content, create blogs and make friends. It rapidly gained in popularity, surpassing Google as the most visited website in the US in 2006. Myspace was the largest social media networking service in the world until 2009 when it was beaten by the social media behemouth, Facebook.

The Road to

SELF-PUBLISHING Young writer Sylvie Gorak speaks to Anya Walsh about the ways an online writing community gave her the tools to self-publish her work

S

Words by Anya Walsh Photography by Elena Khn Illustration by Urszula Gorak

ylvie Gorak started writing fiction online at the age of 15. Now 23, she is planning to publish a science-fiction novel, Dynadras. Sylvie is one of those rare people who know exactly what they want to do in life. Blessed with an abundant imagination and steely resolve, she started writing her first words at the age of four. “It wasn’t because I wanted to deal with trauma, it wasn’t to heal myself,” she says. “It just kind of came to me naturally.”

As a teenager, Sylvie found an unexpected outlet for her writing online and began creating fanfiction on forums alongside others with similar interests. “I wanted to try it because I knew it would be cool,” she says excitedly. “Not only for the writing aspect, but also for the great community that comes with it.”

Growing up in rural France, but from a Polish background, Sylvie explains how she would spend hours on these forums, thinking up stories with friends. “You log on at 1am, and you just start saying all kinds of bullshit with other people, it’s a great outlet.”

The first forum Sylvie ever visited was called Aiklando, which still exists today. But it was only when she logged on to Percy Jackson RPG, a forum linked to the bestselling book series written by Rick Riordan, that she really became part of a community.

“You become really close with some people, you grow up together, share things and create long-lasting friendships,” Sylvie explains. She remains in contact with some of the people she met through the forum, even though she has stopped writing there.

Richard Millington, an online community manager and consultant, says writing on forums can be extremely beneficial: “You need to interact with fellow writers to improve your writing. In doing so, they become your peers.”

Richard believes writing online can lead

to self-improvement through exposure to the opinions and influence of others writers.

“Friendship in these groups keeps you coming back,” he says.

Though her experience of writing online has generally been positive, Sylvie has dealt with some difficult personalities. “I once had to moderate someone who just wasn’t following the writing rules on the forum,” she recalls. “This girl started insulting me through the group chat and I ended up blocking her.” But she remains pragmatic about the incident: “People will piss you off everywhere, the internet is no exception.”

“People will piss you off everywhere; the internet is no exception”

Between the ages of 15 and 23, the ambitious author has written more than 250 stories on 14 forums and has created original characters.

An organiser at heart, she has created a file for all her work, sorted by date. Laughing, she offers to read me her first ever online contribution followed by her last.

Her inexperience shows in her earlier work.

Sylvie chuckles as she reads a paragraph from her archives. When she gets to a more recent story about a woman waking up after a night of torture, the progression is clear. The scene is gruelling, but her words flow and I am

completely drawn into the narrative.

Sylvie agrees that writing on forums has helped perfect her art. “Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” she admits.

Today, Sylvie has left her forums behind to focus on writing a science-fiction novel, Dynadras, set on an alien planet in the distant future. “I really think the book I am writing now is the big one,” she says.

But the author understands the endless challenges of publishing work. She says writing online gave her the extra boost of self-confidence that she needed. Going through each forum, she lists the number of views each of her stories has received. “20 thousand here and 40 thousand there… The first time I saw these kinds of numbers I was so proud,” she beams. “Now, I realise it isn’t a lot and I want to reach a wider audience.”

Although Sylvie plans to follow a more traditional route to publish Dynadras in France, she isn’t completely done with writing online. It has given her the uncensored playground every writer needs to hone their craft. “Without writing online, Dynadras would certainly not be at the stage it is today,” she says.

Sylvie is planning to finish Dynadras in May this year in French, and will then translate the book into English. This translation of the book will be available to purchase online.

Sylvie’s Dynadras

A century after the complete irradiation of Earth, the humans who survived the devastation have migrated to an alien planet. This new generation is well established in Dynadras, a city with a diverse range of cultures, ethnic groups and social classes.

But the appearance of a wild alien who should be extinct threatens to unbalance everything.

Natasha, head of the police department, starts investigating the alien’s origins, while her sister Daisy becomes embroiled in the burgeoning Resistance movement. But their friend Gabriel, a young hybrid student, is about to discover that there is more to the wild alien than meets the eye.

Digital

r o t c Do

Our resident doctor has the expertise to help with any digital dilemmas and nurse you back to digital health

Work-web balance I need to use my computer for work, but I can’t stop procrastinating online. Even now I’m writing in to you rather than getting on with what I should be doing. How can I keep myself focused when the internet is so distracting?

Andy, 27, Cardiff The best thing you can do if you don’t specifically need the internet to do your work is to turn it off and leave it off until the work is done. However, if your work demands the use of the internet, there are still many tricks that you can make use of.

Chances are you know which sites you tend to go to when you want to procrastinate, so shut yourself down preemptively by blocking those sites (Google Chrome has a tool which will allow you to set restricted sites) when you have to get work done.

You might tell yourself that you’ve got to keep working solidly, but chances are that you’ll just end up procrastinating more if you try to force yourself to do this. Take regular breaks (every 50 minutes or so), but make sure to set alarms after about 15 minutes to keep these breaks from getting out of hand.

Words by Matt Bassil Illustration by Tamzin Wilks

Fishing for likes

Feeling s-ad

When I post a picture on social media I can’t stop stressing about how many likes it will get, I feel embarrassed and delete it if it doesn’t perform as well as I had hoped. How can I get rid of this need for the approval?

Sonia, 23, Leeds

I hate getting so many targeted ads. They’re usually not selling me things that I actually want, but they still make me feel watched. Is there anything I can do about this?

James, 30, London

Humans are social creatures and it’s perfectly normal to worry about what other people think. However, it’s important to know we have value regardless of the response we receive from others. The act of liking a post on social media is not one with a lot of meaning attached.

If someone doesn’t ‘like’ your post, it doesn’t have any bearing on how they feel about you.

Try to focus on the interactions you have with people in real life.

Firstly, disabling cookies on your browser as this will stop many websites from tracking your visit to their page. Also make sure you have pop-up ads disabled on your browser as these adverts can be the most intrusive and obnoxious (if your browser doesn’t have an ad blocker, there are numerous free plugins available online). Many sites including Facebook give you the option to opt out of receiving targeted marketing.

Email us your digital problems: digitaldoctor@projectesc.com @project.esc.mag

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Project.esc

Your monthly prescription: Plug-In If you’re prone to distraction and don’t have great self-control, try The Go F**king Work add on for Google Chrome. With this installed, your computer will shout motivational expletives at you whenever you go astray.

App

Coder Ben Grosser has developed a free program called the ‘Demetricator’ that hides the number of likes your posts receive on Twitter and Facebook.

This may help if you’ve slipped into the common habit of viewing social media as a popularity contest.

Book

How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price. This contains a useful plan to help you conquer your mobile phone addiction in just 30 days - and take back your life in the process.

Dating Fails Anonymous, 21, female, Cardiff:

When the date was going badly, I told him I had to leave by 8.30pm to go to my friend’s house for her birthday.

When we were leaving the restaurant, I tried to peel off, saying I had to go into the Co-op to buy a birthday cake. He insisted on accompanying me in and I ended up spending four quid on a birthday cake.

It’s still sat in my cupboard.

Anonymous, 22, female, Dundee:

I used the app Coffee Meets Bagel because it asks you thorough questions about your interests, beliefs and values.

I waited in anticipation as it paired me up with my “perfect match” who turned out to be a 75-year-old man.

T

wo years ago, I received a text from a friend I hadn’t heard from in a few weeks. “Can I borrow some money?” he asked. “Sure,” I replied, “How much?”

“Can we meet up and I’ll explain?” he replied.

I sipped my coffee as he explained how he had been messaging a girl on Tinder who told him she had had a bad experience with someone from the app before and asked him if he could complete a police background

The University of Oslo published a paper on “judging books by their covers Tinder interface, usage and sociocultural implications”.The paper states the combined effect of a heavy focus on images, the swiping movement and the “playing cards” aesthetic of the app puts users in the mindset that they’re ‘shopping’ and ‘selling’ themselves.

The heavy focus on images encourages users to increasingly objectify themselves

almost a third of those who use dating apps said it was because they are “too shy” to approach people they meet in person.

Online dating is a breakthrough for those who feel unable to flirt IRL. Many people use the app with an awareness of the negatives.

Anya Walsh, a 24-year-old who met her boyfriend on Tinder, said, “I didn’t enjoy the marketplace feel to it, I felt there was something dehumanising about the process.”

Love me Tinder Photography by Mairi Hughes Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks

Has online dating killed chivalry? By Mairi Hughes check. “She seemed nice,” he told me, and said she’d sent him a link to the “police background check”. He filled out the form obligingly, providing strenuous information – including his bank details.

“There was no money left in my account at all,” he said. Too embarrassed to tell his parents what had happened and dismissed by his bank, my friends and I lent him money to keep him going until he was financially stable again. Who says romance is dead?

Commodified dating

There are currently 57 million Tinder users around the world, 4.1 million of whom pay for premium Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold.

Gone are the days of real life flirtation as we find ourselves in a world of right and left swipes and painfully cringe worthy virtual chat up lines. How has this changed dating?

for others, and see other users in the same way. Likewise, the swiping feature encourages carelessness and disregard in user relations - the “deck of playing cards” aesthetic transforming the experience of relationships into a game. This Tinder state of mind reduces people to commodities to be acquired, encouraging unhealthy dating habits and personal relations.

Tinder arguably leads to what American psychologist Barry Schwartz labels as “the tyranny of choice”. Schwartz says, “The more options there are, the easier it is to regret anything disappointing about the option you choose.”

Why do we swipe?

For all its failings, 57m users turn to Tinder everyday to find their true love (or tue hookup). A recent BBC article stated that

Nonetheless, Anya used the app while she was working in the countryside and didn’t have many opportunities to socialise, with her first Tinder date blossoming into her current lasting relationship.

Tamzin Wilks, a 23-year-old journalism student, recently moved in with her first and only Tinder date. She knows there are negative aspects to the app but she is still pragmatic about the experience.

“It’s possible to meet someone on there you just have to be prepared to filter through all the time wasters,” she explains.

While Tinder has transformed dating, it seems that it is in fact still possible to use the app to nurture meaningful relationships.

Just as long as you don’t slip too far into the commodified Tinder state of mind.

Get out there and get swiping. You might find your perfect match.

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Happy Store This month our resident app expert Molly Dowrick looks at apps to improve productivity

Wunderlist What does it do?

Wunderlist combines to do lists, reminders, notes and files into one helpful app. To do lists can be grouped and organised by theme. Users are also able to add files, notes and additional tasks. Helpful tip: you can share your lists on the app via email.

What did I think?

I really liked Wunderlist. I loved that I could group my notes under a general theme and attach files when needed.The app’s background images help add colour and I like that I can view my tasks by group or by the week.

It’s no wonder this app is the “Editor’s Choice” on Apple’s app store. Wunderful.

Flora

Slack

What does it do?

What does it do?

What did I think?

I quite liked having a reason to avoid social media and other apps on my phone. But it doesn’t do anything to stop notifications from other apps so I felt a bit distracted.

What did I think?

Although I find Slack a helpful professional platform, it has not replaced messaging apps as the main form of communication for me and my colleagues. I think to fully use this app in a productive way, a whole team would have to regularly use it.

The app counts down the time as it ‘grows’ a cyber tree. You can’t use any other app while growing your tree, so if you go on social media, your tree will die. It’s very motivational to keep you on task.

Miracle Timer

Do!

What does it do?

What does it do?

Users can set how long they want to be productive for and the timer will count down until the time is up.

What did I think?

I felt a bit on edge with this app.

Although I found myself trying to work quicker and finish tasks in the 20 or 30 minutes I gave myself, I felt that I was working to a deadline.

It’s easy to reset the timer and it didn’t stop me going on social media.

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Slack is a discussion board and sharing hub. It’s perfect for colleagues and course mates to talk ideas, send links and make decisions, away from social media.

Do! is a simple but effective to-do list app. letting you list and colour coordinate tasks you need to do and set alarms to remind you to complete them.

What did I think?

I found it helpful to colour coordinate tasks. But the app doesn’t have any special features and it’s a bit boring to look at.

Aside from the reminders you can set, it really isn’t any better than a handwritten to-do list.

Under the

In luence

The rise of the influencer on social media has led to a new type of advertising. Can you spot a post from a product placement?

Words and illustrations by Tamzin Wilks

W

hen we think of adverts, most of us will recall the frequent breaks during TV shows that gave us the chance to make a quick cuppa. But with the dawn of social media, advertising has evolved into an almost unrecognisable beast.

Influencers have a huge impact in the world of social media.We follow them in our millions, seeking a heady dose of unreality from their carefully created posts. Their reach is global, but it isn’t always as positive as those emoji-crammed captions would have you believe.

As brands shift their marketing focus from traditional media to social platforms, who is influencing the influencers?

Choose your filter

Adverts are bloody everywhere and you might not even realise it. Celebrities post on Instagram holding a can of Coke and wearing a Hollister hoodie. It may look like a sneak peek into their lives, but in reality, it’s a carefully orchestrated tactic designed to encourage people to shop.

An influencer sneaking a post crafted via a ‘paid partnership’ into your feed is the new normal. But where should we draw the

line when it comes to posts sponsored by companies who want your custom?

Let’s say an influencer posts a picture supposedly enjoying a detox tea, or posing in a new outfit. Their followers love it, place an order, but are disappointed when the lacklustre product arrives. The issue with sponsored posts is followers may think the influencer actually uses or likes this product.

Truth is, they’re being paid to promote it and if they don’t admit that, it’s just not on.

Hashtag Faux Pas

Unsurprisingly, consumers are angry about this lack of transparency. According to The Drum, as many as 49% of people want advertising regulators to enforce stricter rules for sponsored posts. 47% of us say we feel “fatigued” by repetitive posts from influencers on Instagram.

UK advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), is launching a review into whether hashtags like #spon, #ad, and #sp are clear enough to let followers know they’re viewing an advert or sponsored post.

The chief executive of ASA has previously said people shouldn’t be expected “to play

Louise had to edit the old post to make it clearer it was sponsored

“Pro #ads” Clemmie Telford is an Instagram influencer with 93.9K followers

@clemmie_telford

“I am very pro #ads. Influencers put out tons of free content, but they all need to find a way to pay the bills and so sponsored posts is a way to facilitate that.”

“I am really passionate about transparency. If you are working with brands that you genuinely believe in then there should be nothing to hide.”

It’s when followers feel deceived or inadvertently sold to that things get complicated.”

the detective to work out if they’re being advertised to.” ASA have since removed an advert by Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson, after she failed to make it clear her post was sponsored. The picture showed Louise wearing Daniel Wellington in which she tagged the watchmaker without adding the ad hashtag.

“Adverts are bloody everywhere” YouTubers Zoe Sugg, Jim Chapman and Dina Torkia are among the 16 influencers who have agreed to disclose the use of advertising in their social media posts. The YouTube stars must openly declare when their posts are sponsored and reveal any previous relationships with the brand.

This follows warnings from the CMA that some influencers are breaking consumer law. Failure to follow the signed agreement could result in heavy fines or up to two years imprisonment.

Our Instagram feeds are experiencing a refresh, as influencers must now ensure any ‘paid partnership’ behind a post is visible.

We will not be misled any longer. sneaky social media sponsorships will become a thing of the past.

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Chill Beats 5 key factors that determine whether music will help you focus

1 People who are used to working with music in the background tend to work better and find music more beneficial compared to people who aren’t.

2 Songs with minimal lyrics are less

distracting than other forms of music.

Lyrics tend to draw your attention, making you focus on the meaning of the words rather than your work.

3 If a task requires more thought,

music can make it more difficult to work efficiently. After all, your brain is trying to focus on two things at once.

4 Songs which have a more complex musical structure are typically more distracting than simple melodies.

5 People don’t focus as well when they’re

listening to music they don’t want to hear, at a volume they don’t like, in a genre they dislike. It’s not very surprising, but it does factor into how effective music can be when encouraging focus on work.

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Oliver Cuenca investigates how music designed for focus can help you work better

I

t’s mid-afternoon, and you’re stuck in the office, working your way through an endless stream of emails. But all you can hear is the chatter of your co-workers, the whir of the printer. It’s impossible to focus.

The clock ticks past midnight, as you sit at the kitchen table, staring into space.Your roommates have long since gone to bed, but the faint rumblings of the house, the drone of planes overhead keeps you awake.

Many of us will have experienced similarly frustrating situations. But technology today gives us the option to drown out the white noise with music.

those looking for music to work to, think to or just space out to.

Urban Dictionary defines lo-fi music as a genre that “combines jazz, house, and hip hop beats to create a calm and easy listening aura”. Lo-fi tracks use soft vocals and low tempo beats to envelope the listener in a dreamy, mellow vibe.

Synthwave focuses on trancelike, minimalist sounds with a heavier focus on the synth itself. It emerged into the mainstream through films like 2011’s Drive.

In contrast, vaporwave tends to utilise preexisting music and sounds which are then

“Lo-fi hip hop exists in the space between these genres, incorporating elements of both, but with a stronger emphasis on the rhythmic beat of the music” We veer towards particular musicians and sounds: Mozart, Purcell, film soundtracks

by Hans Zimmer or game scores crafted

by Two Steps from Hell.

One of the latest iterations of humanity’s search for effective “focus music” came into being online. This new wave of microgenres is known as “hypnagogic pop”.

Beginning with chillwave in the late 2000s, this internet-born genre gave birth to its successors, lo-fi hip hop, vaporwave and synthwave. Though they all have differences, they share a similar unifying ethos which has made them a favourite of

chopped and changed into new tracks that emphasise a sense of nostalgia.

Lo-fi hip hop exists in the space between these genres, this incorporates elements of both, but has a much stronger emphasis on the rhythmic beat of the music.

Hypnagogic music has become a popular aid for focusing on work, with the largely anonymous artists behind it often uploading tracks to websites such as YouTube and SoundCloud. But when YouTube introduced its live streaming functions in 2011, hypnagogic music streaming channels were some of the first to take advantage of this.

Long read

“Subjects found it easier to understand the meaning of words when they were heard as a song”

These include ChilledCow’s lofi hip hop radio channel, whose streams define their content with titles like ‘beats to relax and study to’. Often they attract over 15,000 listeners at any one time.The idea that music can improve your workflow and make you feel smarter is not a new one. Classical music buffs will tell you that a symphony or two is a sure way to boost your intelligence.

Over the years, many people have tried to discern whether music really improves your ability to work, learn and focus. Though it remains up for debate, there is evidence for the relationship between music and learning. In 2018 German scientists at Ulm University studied the ‘Effects of Different Text Modalities on Learning and Information Retrieval’. They discovered that subjects found it easier to understand the meaning of words when they were heard as a song.

Dr Teresa Lesiuk of the University of Miami conducted research into ‘The effect of music listening on work performance’.

She found that participants in the study who were doing work whilst listening to music

Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks Photography by Andrew Lloyd

Chill the fuck out

Our top pick to help you focus and relax is Last Summer: Nostalgic Vibes. This lo-fi album by Maxi MSP is available to listen to on YouTube and SoundCloud.

were not only faster and more attentive to the tasks set, but happier whilst doing them.

The oft-maligned Muzak company, responsible for the ‘innovation’ of sending piped music into shopping centres and call centre lines, was originally founded to produce music designed to boost productivity, all the way back in 1910.

Educational songs have been used in schools for generations, most notably the ‘Alphabet Song’ (which incidentally uses the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I know, I never noticed either).

Today, university students disconnect from the stresses of everyday life via the endless soothing waves of lo-fi streamed over YouTube by the likes of ChilledCow, Chillhop Music, and Mellowbeat Seeker.This is Mozart for the digital age; electronically produced beats designed to streamline your thought process.They might help you study, but those low tempo loops are also crafted to help you dream. In the tough higher education world of exams and loans, students turn to technology to find a calm, quiet space.

Plug in, press play, and switch off from reality.

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To tweet or not to tweet?

Matt Bassil overcomes his reluctance and engages with social media

Y

ou’re in a room full of strangers, all chatting happily away. There are a few arguments going on in the corner, which seem to be getting fairly heated, but for the most part everybody is getting along fine. Suddenly it all goes quiet. Everyone turns to you expectantly. What do you say?

I never really got into social media. I used Facebook when I was young, when everyone else was obsessed with it, but after a couple of posts - that I look back on now with embarrassment - I more or less gave up on it.

Social media intimidates me. I don’t feel comfortable putting my thoughts out into the aether, knowing that anyone could see them and judge me for them. This is mainly paranoia, but there’s a grain of sense to it. If you say something stupid in real life, everyone will eventually forget, but on social media it’s there forever and you might still receive mockery for your mistake a decade down the line.

I know that savvy use of social media can be an important career skill so a year ago I made accounts for Instagram and Twitter, but I never actually got as far as posting anything. Currently, I only use Facebook for Messenger and I don’t even talk much in group chats anymore.

They say that the best way to overcome a fear is usually to face it head on, so I decided I would force myself to be proactive. For a week I would tweet something every single day to find out if the online world was as scary as I imagined.

I decided early on that I didn’t want to post anything serious or political. It didn’t take much searching to see where the trolls hang out on Twitter; users emboldened by their use of anonymous accounts to embroil

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themselves in endless angry arguments. I was absolutely sure I wanted no part in that online world.

Instead I posted whatever odd, mildly funny thoughts pop into my head. It was just silly stuff, but the first time I wanted to hit send, I got the feeling in my gut that I was doing something terribly stupid and wanted to back out. Luckily, once I fought through that and nothing horrible happened, it became a lot easier.

In fact, the responses I received were quite positive. From my first tweet I got a reply from a verified account and the second got a few ‘likes’. Perhaps I was a natural, destined for the glitzy lifestyle of a social media influencer. Perhaps this challenge was going to be the start of my Twitter tour-de-force. I found myself checking for notifications several times a day and could see how people became addicted.

Unfortunately, after three days, I had run out of things to say. Turns out I used up all my creativity in the first couple of tweets, and by 11pm on Day Four I hadn’t tweeted anything all day.

It had been a long day and I was too tired to think of anything interesting or fun to

say. But the challenge demanded I tweet.

So, I resorted to an opinion about Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. To tweet about it felt wrong. I’m not an important critic, so why should I be broadcasting my views to everyone like this? Why would anyone care?

To my surprise no one jumped in to tell me this.

In fact, while the tweet didn’t get as much attention as the other three, the one response was in agreement.

Over the next few days, I spent less and less time thinking about what my tweet would be. Although on day one I worried about it from breakfast to dinner, by the end of the week I felt surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing.

I’ve come to realise that panicking about a post on social media is a bit like worrying about what you’re wearing - no one else cares as much as you do. People weren’t scrutinising me the way I assumed they would be.

As epiphanies go it’s perhaps rather an obvious one, but it still feels like a victory.

While I’m not yet convinced social media is my thing, I’ve hopefully quashed the part of me that feared it.

Photography by Andrew Lloyd

“Perhaps I am a natural, destined for the glitzy lifestyle of a social media influencer”

Does your smartphone steal the spotlight spotlight?from the arts?

Andrew Lloyd looks at theatres banning phones, the actors who are

by Andrew breaking character, and the effect your device is having on your sex life Lloyd

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et’s face it: our phones have drastically transcended their original use. When Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call in 1876, to his assistant in the next room, his first words were, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want you.” We can’t be sure what Bell wanted from Watson, but it probably wasn’t an enquiry about the app store. There was no way for Bell to know what would become of his transformative innovation and where it would take us.

Imagine transporting yourself back to previous centuries and showing your phone to people. You would probably cause carnage. Those unfamiliar with tech would be puzzled, defensive and possibly angry.

In fact, you don’t need a time machine to experience all of the above, just book yourself a ticket to any show at an historical theatre and forget to put your phone on silent; once your notifications start popping you may end up the target of a less than flattering Shakespearean soliloquy.

In 2015 the Independent wrote an article about Benedict Cumberbatch and his disdain for phones in the theatre. The Hollywood actor and thespian had been playing the titular role of Hamlet during a showing at the Barbican, but was forced to go outside to ask people to stop taking photos. Apparently, the red blinking lights of camera phones had distracted him from his performance. “It may not be any of you here,” Benedict apparently addressed the crowd outside, “but it’s blindingly obvious.”

This isn’t a one-off case. If you’ve got the YouTube app on your phone, search ‘Hugh Jackman cell phone’ (not while you’re in the theatre, obviously) and you’ll see an actor stray from his lines, mid-performance, to address a ringing phone in the audience

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that was undermining the production. This has been a long-standing issue as this video was originally posted nine years ago. Add to that the list of other actors, such as Richard Griffiths and Daniel Craig, both getting riled up by audience members who couldn’t control their devices, and you can easily begin to empathise.

Benedict described his camera phone experience as mortifying but, fairly ironically, asked fans to use social media to encourage people not to use their phones during the performance. That’s right: his horror at the idea of people using their phones in the theatre had prompted him to ask people outside the theatre to use their

One in ten people check their phones during sex phones to tell them not to use their phones in the theatre. Confusing isn’t it? Well, that pretty much sums up this argument: are our phones a benefit, or a burden?

There’s an argument to be made that phones have improved access to the theatre and the arts in general. Benedict has a strong online presence (he’s pretty much a demigod for young Tumblr fans) and some may have learnt to enjoy Shakespeare’s work through him and that platform. You can use your phone to research writers, plays and productions. People now go online to buy tickets to shows, find venues on the day and even scan screens as virtual tickets to get through the door. But once you’re inside and you’ve taken your seat, those trinkets and traps could ultimately turn against you and ruin the entire theatre experience for everyone attending.

The company that steals your phone Musicians, comedians or other performers who wish audiences to experience their show without the distraction of a phone can hire Yondr.

Yondr has audience members place their phones in lockable pouches at the door. You then carry your phone about like normal, and can be unlock it at points around the venue.

The purpose of Yondr’s service is twofold: as well as creating a purer experience of the art, performers also ensure that their art will go unrecorded.

The company, which started in 2014, has been used by numerous artists.

Chris Rock, Jack White, Alicia Keys, Guns N’ Roses and Dave Chappelle have all used the service, as reported by Journal Sentinel.

Is this the real life?

Older generations often hark back to the days when audience members weren’t distracted by iPhones. They may pompously suggest they grasped life as it was happening, engrossed in a great performance instead of trying to look at it through a screen. In fact, it’s often the same kind of people who use the phrase “hark back” who clamour for these halcyon days when people weren’t distracted by filters and angles. There’s a suggestion younger people don’t get the same experience from a show because they’re so obsessed with posting a video to their social media.

Various studies have shown our attention spans are slipping because of social media and phone use. An investigation conducted

Is this a tweet I see before me?

Filmed on an iPhone

Lights, camera phone, action

But this is only half the story. What we’re seeing here is the impact phones are having on an audience witnessing art, music, film and theatre. You could quite easily argue phones and social media are the antithesis of art. What we haven’t looked at is how beneficial our devices can be in actually creating the kind of content that ends up on stage.

In March 2018 the feature-length film Unsane was released. On the face of it, it seemed like your standard thriller slash horror: a young woman becomes locked in a mental health facility with her stalker.

What’s pioneering about this movie is the fact it was shot entirely on an iPhone.

Director Steven Soderbergh had a budget of $1.5m, so had the benefit of professional lighting and producers. But everything captured was done through the same device many have in their pockets. The device some call to be removed from theaters and cinemas was the one that made the film possible.

IndieWire reported on Steven’s comments during the Berlin International Film Festival, where Unsane premiered. “I look at this as potentially one of the most liberating experiences that I’ve ever had as a filmmaker,” the prolific director told IndieWire, “and that I continue having.”

The film has its flaws but scored an impressive rating of 80% on Rotten

Our attention spans are slipping because of social media

Tomatoes, and Steven has already started production on a second film using the same technique. In fact, the filmmaker has announced he has completely finished with studio cameras and wants to exclusively shoot on an iPhone.

Director Steven Soderbergh received great acclaim when he made a feature film using just an iPhone. Here are some other movies filmed on a standard mobile device:

And Uneasy Lies the Mind

This 2014 drama portrays a newly successful actor’s downward spiral and was shot entirely on an iPhone 5. it’s not quite well-known enough to have a rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so you can be the judge of how well it worked out.

9 Rides

Filmed with an iPhone 6, this 83-minute-long feature, set in one night, is about an Uber rider, the nine passengers he picks up, and the many directions the road and plot takes him.

I Play with the Phrase Each Other

Phones permeate every part of this 2014 crime drama. The film itself wasn’t just shot on an iPhone - every conversation within the movie also takes place via a phone conversation.

An interesting concept, it may well be worth calling your friends to tell them about it.

The show must go on

To suggest phones are a hindrance to the arts is to forget their contribution. To accept their contribution isn’t, however, a license to overlook the disruption they cause.

There’s so much art you can view on your device. Equally, there are many distractions on your screen creating a barrier to creativity and learning. It’s a case of balancing them

both – embracing the good and straying from the bad, although that’s easier said than done. Like characters in a play, we all have our flaws to overcome. In fact, I think it was Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women simply tweeters,” or something along these lines.

Words and photography by Andrew Lloyd

by the University of British Columbia and the University of Virginia showed that one in ten people were checking their phones during sex. If our attention can drift during the most involved and passionate moments of our lives, what chance do we have anywhere else?

Returning to our YouTube app once more, if you search for ‘Queen live Aid 1985’ you’ll witness a packed crowd holding nothing but their own hands as they clap to the blasting rhythm of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

Scroll downwards to the comments and you risk spiraling into despair at the third most popular post. “This was the fun time when everyone was watching ‘live’ without holding their smartphones.,” says YouTube user Jessica Nov. Posted one week ago, it has 586 likes and a full debate in a sub-thread about whether the original post was being over the top, or totally on the money. In order to read the comment and the ensuing debate you have to push the video out of frame, send Queen out of shot and out of attention.

Make of that what you will.

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Twitter Constantly looking over your shoulder during conversation in case someone more interesting walks in.

Will not allow you to tell a joke without trying to get a bigger laugh for himself.

YouTube Peter Pan, pub quiz winner, hair so big because it’s full of secrets, Jackof-all-trades with a finger in every pie. Utterly selfobsessed. Tell her nothing you don’t want shared with all and sundry on her lifestyle vlog.

WhatsApp

Facebook Total Regina George.

Says she’s in love with your skirt, but turns to her pal to remark, bitingly, that it is in fact the ugliest effing skirt she has ever seen.

SO INSTAGRAM & TWITTER WALK INTO A BAR...

Don’t attempt a conversation. You won’t get a word in edgeways because this girl does not stop scrolling all hours of the day and night. All her conversations only happen online.

Brusque. Suited and booted.

Doesn’t really know what he’s doing here. Orders martinis at the bar. Lets you know he usually drinks them in Dukes of Mayfair and wants the world and his dog to know it.

Snapchat

Instagram

Tumblr Janus. Openly wears her two faces. Socially conscious and always ready to air her views, but also a walking, talking meme.

You’re never really sure which one you’ve approached until it’s far, far too late.

Somebody’s weird brother.

Keeps winking at women across the room and sending unsolicited dick pics to the naïve and unsuspecting.

MySpace 104 years old. Talks constantly of his love for the music industry and that time he went to Woodstock, but only owns one record: Toonage by Cartoons.

Narcissus. Too busy trying to find the best lighting for her killer selfie to listen to a word you say. Will not stop talking about her ex and the photos his new girlfriend keeps posting.

Google+ Wears reading glasses in an un-ironic way. Just dying for you to notice her, take her hair down, fling off her glasses, and cry, “Why, Google+, you’re beautiful!”

If you were to meet your favourite social media apps at a party, you might soon learn hell is a room full of your followers

Words and photography by Roberta Mason

LinkedIn

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Dick pics, Selfies & Public Profiles Inspired by the hit show, You, Roberta Mason explores what your digital footprint says about you

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Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks

ou’re walking past a coffee shop. You look like there’s something on your mind, though you’re probably just thinking about what you’re going to pull out of the freezer for dinner. No, something is definitely troubling you. You pull your coat closer about you. Someone else might think a breeze has picked up, but I know better.

You’re on edge because you know I’m watching you. I mean, not me specifically – after all, you have no idea who I am. But you’re aware of my eyes on you.

We’re all guilty of people-watching, but of course, there are those of us who take it to an extreme. If, like me, you were gripped by the recent adaptation of Caroline Kepnes’ thriller, You, it might occur to you: how exposed are we online?

A recent survey conducted by EPIC (the Electronic Privacy Information Center) revealed that 89% of us are concerned about our privacy (or lack thereof) online, but a staggering 84% of us don’t take the most basic precautions according to a study conducted by the British Government back in 2013.

So, what are the basic precautions? Well, consider the advice you would typically give to a young person when joining a social media site.

“Don’t accept friend requests from strangers.” Yet, according to the same study, 31% of us do just that.

“Think before you post content.” Plenty of us are guilty of over-sharing, with 26% of adults in the UK admitting they regret a post.

“Don’t open a message if you don’t trust the sender because you don’t know what it could contain.” A further 31% of us do this on Snapchat, often, ahem, exposing ourselves to unsolicited and inappropriate content.

Beyond that, how can you protect yourself from people like Kepnes’ anti-hero, murderous stalker, Joe?

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Your first step is to check your privacy settings. Facebook not only allows you to make your own posts private, but Timeline and Tagging Settings will allow you to review content your friends have tagged you in before it appears on your page.

Google yourself. What do other people have access to just by learning your name?

I did this, smug in the knowledge that I share my name with an artist, so you cannot yet learn much about me on the first page of Google results. I was shocked, then, to find an Image search was rich in my teenage aide memoirs: my Myspace profile picture, photos from my teenage Twitter account, me, age 16, receiving my GCSE results.

31%

The number of adults in the UK who accept a friend request from people they don’t know

The number of us who don’t take ‘basic precautions’ to protect ourselves

26%

84%

The number of us who feel guilty of over-sharing in a social media post

Consider the information you share online.

Facebook might remind you that you have not updated your workplace and religious beliefs, but it’s by no means compulsory. If you’re concerned long-lost friends won’t be able to find you, as a rule of thumb, your name, profile picture, and the town you grew up in will be able to direct them.

Be consistent in the information you share across all your social media accounts. Build an online persona you are comfortable with introducing to the world.

Sharing titbits of your life on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter can provide enough information to build an accurate profile if a total stranger has access to all three.

Before sharing photographs, take a second to really look at them. If you’re in an unusual, but easily identifiable location where someone might find you, wait until you’re on your way home to post it. If you’re on holiday, don’t advertise the fact that your home may be empty.

Even when you are at home, check the background of your images. Is your house easily identifiable? Can you see the name of the road you live on? The number on your door? Is your licence plate on show?

This is not to say a photograph is unusable.

If you otherwise love it, most smartphones will allow you to edit, blur, or crop the image.

As Nick Ross used to say at the end of Crimewatch, “Don’t have nightmares.”

The truth is, stalkers are rare. You’re much more likely to need to worry about your privacy settings when applying for a new job, when you don’t want your boss to see you’ve taken a sick-day after a sick night, or when your other half’s parents find your Facebook page.

For those things, we’ve got you covered.

Don’t fall prey to your online presence

Origional illustration by Instagram user @super.octopus

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isrupting conversation is generally considered a social faux paus and has been for many generations. But manners are evolving in the digital age, and interrupting a friend or colleague to check your notifications is the new norm.

Whether it’s scrolling through Facebook during a meeting, or placing our phones on the table while getting coffee with friends, we all do it. Yet most of us do consider it poor etiquette.

Those of us familiar with Netflix’s Dating Around series will cringe at the reminder of the episode in which a woman put her phone on the table between her and her date. She even stopped chatting several times to reply to her messages. It was uncomfortable to watch because, to the audience at home, it was just plain rude.

The Pew Research Centre conducted a study in the US, revealing that 38% of people believe it’s fine to use mobile phones in restaurants. But only 5% think it’s acceptable to take out your phone during a meeting.

The study found that most people view phones as distracting and annoying in social settings — but many still use their own devices during these group interactions.

Most of us are guilty of prioritising our social media conversations over those that are happening IRL, even if we would say we find it annoying when others do the same.

In an article for the Telegraph, author Henry Hitchens explains, “In Victorian times, the formulae of polite conduct were accessories of social mobility.”

He goes on to discuss how technology today has become the main source of anxiety around manners. As new forms of social interaction develop, so do standards of behaviour.

“Our world poses challenges unimagined by our grandparents,” he says. “The ways in which we negotiate these challenges often seem graceless, but modern manners are a work in progress.”

That being said, we seem to be walking contradictions when it comes to using phones during IRL interactions with friends.

Sherry Turkle, professor of social studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is exploring the reasons behind our tendency to prioritise digital conversation at the expense of more genuine, face-to-face social interactions in everyday life.

In a lecture about reclaiming conversation in the modern world, Sherry explains, “Conversation is the most humanising thing we can do. It’s where empathy and intimacy are born. My work is not anti-technology at all, it’s just very pro-conversation.”

People of all ages, not just teenagers and twentysomethings, have been telling Sherry the reason they prefer to pick up their phone is the illusion of control.

For instance, we would rather conduct an argument by text than fight face-to-face because it’s the only way to convey exactly what we mean without worrying about being misunderstood.

“The issue here is not the phone. The issue here is the social mores we have constructed around the phone”

Netiquette Should you put your fucking phone down in social situations?

Long Read

Make the choice to remove yourself from the sphere of conversation to avoid obstructing other people’s conversations during social gatherings or hangouts

“Modern manners are a work in progress” If you put your phone away when someone approaches you for a chat, this is a powerful way to demonstrate that they have your full attention.

If you need to take a call or text because it’s vital, excuse yourself from the sphere of conversation. You may not want people overhearing a personal conversation, and separating the two conversations will make both easier.

There’s no overlap, and you won’t leave your friend or colleague trying to find somewhere to look, avoiding eye contact as you talk about your weird skin condition on the phone with your GP. Make ‘no-go’ times for your phone: situations where you have a strict no-phone policy. This could include leaving the phone in another room at meal times.

Find a friend who’s looking to change their phone behaviour. It’s a great tactic, giving you the opportunity to check in on each other.There’s no judgment because you know you’re both trying to shift old habits.

By trying a few simple tricks to change your habits, you can transform the way you interact with those around you. Habits are hard to break, but remember how much you gain by fully committing to a conversation.

Skills like empathy and communication help us forge healthy relationships.

It’s time to create a new code of ‘Netiquette’, and refresh ideas around how we use our phones.

Netiquette toolkit Try to

• Put your phone away once you’ve decided to engage in conversation with others • If it’s a particularly important call then excuse yourself from the social sphere (aka meeting room, coffee shop, dining table) • Keep your phone on silent — or at least choose a subtle, non-intrusive ringtone so as not to be rude to others

Avoid • Trying to keep a conversation going once you’ve decided to pick up your phone. You’ve made your decision, so give each task the focus it deserves • Having your phone within easy reach during social occasions - it can be too tempting to resist picking up • Having loud personal conversations on the phone around other people Nobody needs to hear about your sex life, relationship drama, bowel movement ...

Words by Kate Morgan Feature image by Andrew Lloyd, additional image by Roberta Mason

Sherry says, “The issue here is not the phone. The issue here is the social mores we have constructed around the phone.”

When a phone is placed in between two people, for example on the table at a coffee shop, two things happen. First, the subject of the conversation will shift. We talk about trivial things, and are unbothered if people aren’t really listening.

The second shift? The two people involved feel less empathy towards each other. “This isn’t surprising because people are putting each other on hold,” explains Sherry.

The message we’re sending when we put a phone between ourselves and someone else is that we’re willing to leave the conversation and go to other people. The message is simple: “you’re not important.”

The good news is technology itself is not the problem. If we recognise how we use our phones, we can take steps to reassess our priorities in a conversation.

Unless you’re expecting a telephone call from your doctor, or your partner is due to give birth at any moment, try getting used to having your phone on silent. When you’re with other people, it’s polite to make this your default choice.

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hat do you think you’re doing? Just sitting there? Reading?

Well, get up. Get moving. The world waits for no-one.

Success is a mindset. Put the pedal to the metal. Get on yo’ grind. Hustle. Hustle. Hustle. There’s no time like the right time and the right time is right now.

If those mantras didn’t get you quite pumped enough, you can search #hustle on Instagram and find plenty more; there are currently 18.4m posts filed under the most aggressively motivational word on the internet. They all pretty much say the same thing, in slightly different ways.

“Working is my happy place, and I want that for everybody”

Hustling has become a massive online industry. The idea is simple: always work harder than the next person, until you eventually hit success. And what then? Well, you work even harder.

Every minute. Of every hour. Of every day. Hustle. Hustle. Hustle some more.

The king of hustle

Gary Vee (real name Gary Vaynerchuk) is a “dude that loves the hustle.” It doesn’t need to be said; you would get that simply by watching his social media output. In the hustle kingdom, he’s king.

He’s on the throne, distributing his high-energy, 100mph advice to anyone who will listen, and a lot of people are.

By 2017 Gary Vee had established a net worth of $160m through his various ventures – alongside owning Vayner Media and Vayner Sports, he’s an investor in Twitter, Snapchat and Uber. He now talks about business constantly on his social media platforms. Although it’s not exactly clear what he does. But his general business advice and motivational speeches tell us to use all our time and resources to hustle hard. The main topic is the act of business, rather than his

HUSTLE PORN THE CULTURE OF

Online entrepreneurs boast 18-hour work days, but are they encouraging success or despair? specific numbers. The message is simple: here’s how you can make it big like me.

There’s no doubt it works for some. The main draw of his content is the enthusiasm it instills in you. There’s some practical advice, like his $1.80 concept which involves giving your two cents on 90 Instagram accounts every day to increase awareness of your brand. But mostly it’s motivational. Watch one of his many videos and it will pump you up, whether you’re about to start your own business or wash the dishes.

Gary Vee will get you going and convince you that you’re about to smash the task at hand.

He’s the Pied Piper of hustling, with 5.3 million followers on Instagram and he’s exceptionally prolific. He doesn’t just talk hustle, he shows it with an unfailing energy, posting several videos and Instagram stories every day, alongside YouTube videos which reach out to his 1.9 million subscribers. His advice is simple: work exceptionally hard.

Health over hustle

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has a strong opinion about hustle porn, which is the fetishisation of these long working days, of submitting yourself to a workload that is ultimately unreasonable.

Speaking specifically about tech workers, Alexis raised concerns about the dangerous trend of the hustle, and the effect these long hours have on mental health. “This idea that unless you are suffering,

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unless you are grinding, unless you are working every hour of every day, you’re not working hard enough,” Alexis says. “It’s such bullshit, such utter bullshit.”

Alexis is speaking from experience, as he admits to working long hours when he first formed Reddit, now one of the internet’s most famous websites, with an estimated worth of $1.8bn. But he maintains his priority is health over hustle.

Nat Eliason, a technology writer whose criticisms of Gary Vee and hustle porn were documented in a recent article published by the Times, believed that Vee was encouraging people to fantasise about the idea of hustling instead of going out and finding a real job.

“That’s the business of a certified hustler”

The result? Nat concluded that young people were living at home with their parents while they tried to become Instafamous, instead of embracing the real world, work and their real responsibilities. Nat went all out in a post on Medium.com, which eventually reached Gary Vee’s attention.

Defending the hustle

Gary Vee, in his classic, hand-waving, animated style, has pushed back against his critics. But his response wasn’t to defend their accusations.

Long read

Instead he seemed upset that people had failed to understand the message he was trying to give, although he put the blame on himself for not articulating it well enough.

In a video titled ‘Clarifying My Thoughts on Hard Work, Hustle and Happiness’ (which is a title that works almost as hard as Gary Vee does) the enthusiastic entrepreneur tried to define his position on the plethora of posts he uploads, convincing people that they need to work harder.

The video begins halfway through an interview where Gary Vee says, “When I talk about work ethic, I’m trying to speak to people who are unhappy.” Gary explains that his words aren’t aimed at everyone, that he doesn’t encourage everyone to work themselves into exhaustion.

He adds, “For me, working is my happy place, and I want that

Words and photography by Andrew Lloyd

#Insta Inspo

“Want more? Be more” “JFDI: Just Fucking Do It” “Don’t have dreams; have plans” for everybody.”

As a Soviet Union immigrant who worked his way to the top and is ecstatic with his own life choices, Gary Vee wants to make sure he spreads that feeling and enthusiasm to others. And in reality it seems to work, for a lot of people. But there are many who just don’t possess that natural, high-level energy, and that ability to finish a 10-hour working day and then spend another eight hours fulfilling a side-hustle. Which is, of course, perfectly fine. As Gary Vee puts it,

“I’m not trying to get people into depression or burnout. I’m trying to address unhappiness.”

No Regrets

Gary Vee’s most popular video on YouTube has 3.6m views and is titled ‘One Life, No Regrets’. He speaks about his business mentality and his unapologetic attitude. In all caps, the video description reads, “THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN WISHING YOU COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE SOMETHING.” I’m sure if you search #hustle on Instagram you’ll find a similar quote about regretting the choices you didn’t make, not the ones you did. As trite as that sounds, it seems to genuinely encapsulate Gary Vee’s ethos, and the spirit of hustle itself.

The general attitude within the community is that it’s better to work 18-hours of your day than not work that amount. It’s better to post that inspirational video than not post it, and it’s better to push yourself to exhaustion, than wonder why you didn’t. You may end up tired, you may end up drained, but you may also end up on top. That’s the risk, and that’s the potential payoff. That’s the business of business, baby. That’s the life of a certified #hustler.

If you’re interested in learning more about Gary or his work ethic, check out his Twitter page by following our QR code

After spending a year in Toronto, Molly Dowrick offers advice for lone travellers seeking to balance disconnection and discovery

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hether you’re exploring a new city or chilling out on the beach, curating the experience for social media becomes routine. Although findings from YouGov’s ‘Solo Travel Trends 2018’ survey reveal taking time to unwind is the top motivator for solo leisure travel, many travellers find themselves glued to social media, obsessively sharing every move.

According to YouGov, solo leisure travellers spend 15% more time on their phones and laptops than when they travel with friends, and 26% more time than when away with family.

The average solo traveller spends 119 minutes on their phones and laptops everyday - that’s almost two hours staring at a screen, disconnected from the world around them.

But travel, especially solo travel, can make you feel cut off from the familiar. It’s unsurprising that we want to message our friends and family back home, and share memories with them on social media.

But it is possible to take a realistic digital detox while allowing ourselves stay connected with loved ones as we explore the world.

great. They can’t offer support or help cheer you up if they don’t know the reality.

Acknowledging your struggles will better equip you to deal with them and appreciate the good times.

Limit your time online

Sometimes the obvious tips are the ones that you’re most likely to miss. Instead of having your Wi-Fi or phone data turned on at all times, save it for in the mornings and evenings, when you’ll have plenty of downtime to catch up on what your friends have been doing back home (and also watch puppy videos).

By limiting the time you spend on your phone, you’ll appreciate your surroundings, meet new people, and have richer experiences to share.

Use social media to stay safe

If you’re going to be on your phone, remember it’s a practical tool that can help you stay safe. Take advantage of Google Maps or city apps to discover new places. Social media is also a great way to find recommendations about the best restaurants to eat at and areas to explore.

Remember to keep your family and friends updated on your whereabouts.

Be real about your adventures If you choose to stay connected while you travel, be honest with your friends and family about how you’re feeling.

If you’re having a rough day, don’t pretend you’re feeling

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Molly puts down her phone and takes the obligatory trip to Niagara Falls

Travel Tips for a digital nomad

Finding Balance

Words by Molly Dowrick

Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks

Be selective

To truly enjoy a hotel stay or meal, don’t share it online. The classic Instagram foodie posts encourage us to prioritise others’ envy of our meal over our enjoyment - plus your food will go cold if you spend too long taking a photo and not eating.

If we’re travelling to move on from a difficult time in our lives, it’s a good strategy to avoid checking social media as it often reminds us of what (or who) we left behind.

In the age of social media, there’s a deep-rooted pressure to be living your ‘best life’. We feel obliged to document every new place we visit.

Stop competing

Sometimes it seems as if all our friends and colleagues are on exotic holidays or immersing themselves in captivating cultures. But competing with others on social media creates an addictive cycle, as we start planning potential adventures around the perfect photoop. This approach makes it impossible to truly live in the moment.

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I love travelling and living in the moment. But I also love messaging my friends and family to keep them updated.

I sometimes find I have an all-or-nothing mentality to social media when I’m away. I either share lots of posts and images, or ignore my phone for hours on end. Finding a balance between switching off and staying connected can be difficult, so I try to limit my time on social media and only share the best photos.

Using my phone in positive ways is great when I’m abroad.

I use phone apps to help me find my way around a new city my current favourite is the Ulmon Prague city planner app. I find it helpful to send less frequent but more detailed message updates to family and friends. This makes our conversations more meaningful, with the added benefit of not being on my phone 24/7.

I frequently use my phone to take photos, so I turn on airplane mode to save my data for when I really need it.

This limits the time I spend checking notifications and also helps me avoid falling into my old habit of posting too many pictures on social media.

Travelling alone can be nerve-wracking and lonely. I used to find myself mindlessly scrolling Twitter and Instagram when I was feeling down, but more recently I’ve tried to shift to nondigital activities. I’ll read a magazine or book, or perhaps go for a walk in the fresh air to boost my mood and take a digital refresh.

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Are vloggers helpful or harmful?

Vlogging seems to be social media’s most authentic form of entertainment. But can we always trust what we see?

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ur lives can be pretty stressful. Looming environmental crises and fractured politics have left young people facing an uncertain future. It’s unsurprising that our collective focus has turned inward, to the microcosm of the day-to-day.

Data collected by Google suggests that six out of 10 people now prefer watching online video to TV. YouTube, originally invented as a place to share cat videos, has transformed the way we onsume entertainment. As ordinary people broadcast themselves online, a new mode of celebrity has appeared.

Vlogging outdoors can get a little windy at times...

Words by Hannah Weiss Photography by Andrew Lloyd

Vloggers create a space where the simplest elements of our lives are glorified. Waking up and going to sleep become morning and night routine videos. Over a 10-minute video, often with a gentle voice-over and soothing electronic instrumentals, the vlogger will unpack their personal rituals, including what they eat for breakfast and their preferred brand of toothpaste.

It may seem bizarre to watch a stranger on their weekly foos shop, but these clips reinforce our experiences of normality.

There’s a calming relatability to the repetitive content they produce.

Films and books often use the concept of the everyman or woman as their protagonists.

These mundane, recognisable characters allow audiences to relate to them. Vlogs make this ideal central to their videos. These YouTubers are like you, just with superior cooking skills and cleaner bathrooms.

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They tell us about the best skincare routines, recipes and how to keep fit. In this way, vloggers become aspirational figures.

However, what was initially a safe refuge of smoothie ideas, workout routines and artistic fairy-lights has become the model against which we measure our own lives and habits.

“When you put yourself on YouTube, or any social platform, you become something that platform can sell,” says Nicole LaJeunesse, managing editor at Videomaker magazine. “Success on YouTube often requires the presentation of a crafted persona

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the lens

that suits the expectations of your audience, your advertisers and your own self-image.”

In sharing their lives with the public, vloggers become compelled to turn their habits into performances. A simple search for “early morning routine” on YouTube produces approximately 850,000 results. This crowded market creates competition.

Beauty influencer Jenn Im has 2.3 million subscribers. Yet despite her success, she isn’t immune to these negative side effects.

“Social media is so pervasive,” she says, in a video discussing the pressures she experiences in her career. “You can’t help comparing your life to someone else’s. Maybe on the outside it seemed like everything was fine, but I experience a lot of instability and unhappiness with myself.”

The blurring of brand and identity creates uneven ground for both the vlogger and their viewers. While the Advertising Standards Authority introduced new rules for individual social media posts in 2018, it can be trickier for viewers to discern whether the overall content of a vlog is fact or fiction.

A viewer might wonder: “Does this person really work out every morning?” and “How long did that 10-minute makeup tutorial actually take?”

Writing for Forbes on the rapid growth of the wellness industry, Deborah Weinswig

... but it can take you to some special locations

says, “For millennials, wellness is a daily, active pursuit, and one they are willing to spend on.

In an era in which so many catalogue their lives on social media, looking great, feeling good and sleeping well are the new luxuries that consumers want to enjoy and flaunt.”

Caught up in this cultural zeitgeist and seeking to convert their routines into revenue, many vloggers are selling an engineered reality. But the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the lens. These vloggers make their living at the mercy of YouTube’s ever-shifting algorithm, and stats are integral to that.

The pressure to portray perfection can lead to anxiety, and 2018 has seen a rise in vloggers taking to the platform to share stories of their battles with mental health. YouTube encourages us to broadcast ourselves to the general public, and in doing so we become vulnerable to both the highs and lows of online life.

Competition and commercial gain may threaten the authenticity of vlogging. Yet audiences continue to tune in to these straight-forward, simple stories in search of shared experiences. As Jenn says: “I had to stop the delusion of comparison because everybody’s journey is completely different.

We’re all on our own paths.”

Before YouTube opened the floodgates for user-generated content, celebrities usually defined what was aspirational. But now the goalposts have shifted. Vloggers are just like you and me, and so we put our trust in them.

Just be sure not to take what you see in their vlogs too seriously.

Annie Clarke of Mind Body Bowl takes a breather

Positive Person Annie Clarke of Mind Body Bowl talks to Sam Lewis about what it takes to be an online yoga instructor

How and when did you get into creating yoga videos and healthy recipes?

I started yoga properly when I left university and it grew and grew into something that influenced the rest of my life. I had to change my whole lifestyle at this time to help ease issues I was having with my digestion and general health and wellbeing, and it was much more unusual at that time to make those sorts of shifts. So I found a digital outlet to share my explorations via a blog and Instagram account and it grew from there. Mind Body Bowl started off as a personal space to share but grew into a digital community which has now developed into a business.

What is Mind Body Bowl about?

Mind Body Bowl is a lifestyle and wellbeing blog and brand that originated from a personal exploration of how to make positive changes in my own life. Now, it is a community and platform rooted in yoga, translated to meet a modern lifestyle and the everyday challenges it brings.

How do you balance your wellbeing with having to use the internet so much for your work?

For me it happened the other way round. The yoga was a personal thing, and so was the online community, so they naturally weaved together. The opportunities for it to become my work came second.

So it never seemed counterintuitive, but over time I did realise that it was easy to get everything confused and I began to find it harder to switch off from being online 24/7. Now I have a lot more structure - I have established a pattern that works for me in terms of when to go online and when to put my phone on airplane mode. I guess it’s all about being conscious of our behaviour and making choices that support our wellbeing, which for me is where it all started in the first place.

What lessons have you learned since running your own online business?

Traditional yoga instructors Emma Rees, Barefoot Yoga Wales “All the uploading would drive me crazy. I also worry people wouldn’t want to watch me.

Not for any specific reason there’s just so much out there already. And I would rather people go to a class. Yoga is all about face-to-face meetings for me. It’s more authentic.

“There can also be a conflict between social media use and wellbeing. Social media promotes showing off and ego, and these are not good reasons to master a yoga pose. However, some teachers have got it right. I guess if you watch it and feel empowered or encouraged then that’s cool.”

Eleanor Spring, Spring Yoga “Yoga teaching is not my full-time job - I also work as a PhD candidate and a science freelance writer and press officer.

“Yoga teachers with a really impressive online presence devote an extraordinary amount of time to keeping content regular and high-quality. I have a great deal of of respect for people that manage to deliver high-quality online content, and it opens up yoga to a far more diverse audience of students.

“That said, I don’t think the experience of being in the same room as a student can be replicated, even with the best content possible.”

Don’t try to do everything. Being online opens you up to seeing what everyone else is doing all the time. If we’re not careful it can be a quick way to feel inadequate about our own efforts. I try to be really responsible about what I share online but also about what I consume, and try not to get distracted or overwhelmed by the business.

What can someone without a yoga mat do in a few minutes to be more mindful and healthy?

Take a deep breath in, and a big sigh to release. Then breathe in for four counts and out for eight. Repeat a few times and notice the calming of the body and mind.

Yoga in an abandoned abbey? Why not?

Is it hard to keep up with yoga when you’re editing videos, writing recipes and managing your website?

It’s hard to fit everything in all the time but ultimately for me there’s always this magnet that brings me back to yoga. And if there are days when I am not physically on the mat, I try to be guided by the practice in whatever else I’m doing so that it always aligns with my values. It’s easy to be put off something like yoga by thinking you have to commit to a 60 or 90 minute daily practice. Just 10 minutes on the mat is better than nothing, so sometimes I just make time for that.

Can you tell me about your book? And do you have any other ventures coming up?

I published my book Mind Body Bowl in 2017. I can’t believe how much time has passed since. I’ve started to run more retreats, put more energy into my YouTube channel and make sure that I have a variety of offerings to suit different needs and budgets. My main goal this year is to add value to people’s lives by becoming more intentional in all that I share. Whether that’s a post on Instagram or a weeklong retreat in a beautiful location, I want it to positively impact the people it reaches.

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Photography by Andrew Lloyd

Switch-off Sport:

Rowing

This month, hit the open water and discover a sport with a community feel

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s dawn breaks it sheds light on a sea of red, white and black. The words ‘Cardiff University Rowing Club’ (CURC) are everywhere, emblazoned on the backs of every jumper and splash jacket as far as the eye can see. It is clear even to an outsider that this is a community, a family unified in their shared experience.

Despite the early hour, a buzz of excitement is in the air as rowers from across the UK arrive at Gloucester Rowing Club for the latest British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competition. Bags

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and boats are unloaded from the various vehicles that have bought these rowers here.

As the river draws into sight and the athletes step bleary-eyed into the light, it is clear that not one person here resents the early start. All the weeks of hard work, aching muscles and early mornings are about to pay off, as rowers from all across the UK prepare to compete in one of the biggest races of the rowing calendar.

BUCS is here, and there is not one phone in sight as every ounce of focus is on the event ahead. Even the volunteers from

British Rowing who are running the event are set to keep track of the race times on clipboards rather than digital devices.

This event is a welcome chance to escape the stress of university life for 48 hours.

Hidden in the fields of the Gloucestershire countryside, the competition seems a world away from regular life.

The weekend’s competition will see novices and hardened veterans competing over courses of three and five kilometres.

Rowers of all levels, from the most experienced to those who have only a few

Switch Off

Welsh Championship 500m sprint saw the welsh rowing community come together for a day of sweat, rain and tears

Rowing’s roots First invented as a means of transportation by the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks, rowing only became a popular competitive sport in the 18th century. Races such as Doggett’s Coat and Badge, the oldest continuously held rowing race in the world, appeared during this period.

Today, rowing competitions are some of the biggest events in the British calendar with annual competitions such as the televised Oxford-Cambridge boat race.

rowing is beneficial for someone trying to reduce their time online. According to him, “Rowing is relaxing. Rather than an escape, it is a reset button for the week.” Jack credits his improved mental and physical health to taking up the sport. When he was gaming, he would waste days not achieving anything and it would negatively affect his mood. However, “Rowing is something progressive, a skill that I can carry on and develop. It gives me a feeling of success in my day and a sense of meaning, which makes me feel healthier.”

In the fired up Cardiff camp is CURC alumni and coach Emma Fitzpatrick. Emma has been rowing for more than ten years.

According to her, the secret to her continued motivation and passion for the sport are

Cardiff Uni Rowing club at BUCS 2019

Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks

“I like the environment and the people. It is one big family even across teams.

Everyone who participates loves the sport”

her teammates, and the many other people she has met during her time as part of the UK’S rowing community. Emma describes the sport as “A sport for life,” and says that she has met some of her favourite people through it.

Emma believes that there are many ways rowing helps people. In particular it helps with their mental health, due to the fact you can’t be on your phone and row at the same time. As a result of the amount of time that rowers spend training together it is easy for teammates and coaches to feel like part of a family. Emma says, “the support that comes from the other people in rowing offers athletes a chance to escape from the stresses of everyday life.”

Words by Samantha Cunningham

weeks worth of training, gather around a common cause.

Jack Dougan is representing the University of South Wales and has only been rowing for six weeks. Jack used to be a competitive gamer. However after gaming cled to back and neck problems, Jack experimented with a few different sports as an alternative way to switch off, settling on rowing. After Jack’s girlfriend first introduced him to the sport and the rowing community, Jack fully committed himself. He says that he has only played one video game in the last six weeks.

He credits his busy training schedule and the community of people involved in the sport for his commitment to his new hobby.

“I like the environment and the people. It is one big family even across teams. Everyone who participates loves the sport,” he says.

Jack believes that a team sport such as

Getting started

1 Throw yourself into the training and give it 100%

2 Enjoy it! Not everyone has the time to get out onto the river in the fresh air and row. While you still can, seize every opportunity to do so.

3 Look after yourself, stretch

after sessions, re-hydrate and eat well. This is vital when wyou are training regularly.

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Switch Off

Top picks for April

Forget your phone, mute the group chat, and postpone your Tinder date. It’s time to relax

Get reading

Normal People A coming-of-age love story from the celebrated author of Conversations with Friends. It follows the story of Connell and Marianne, from their early high-school romance to their final years at university.

Out now

Descendant of the Crane Princess Hesina of Yan has never wanted to be a ruler, but when her father is found dead she is thrust into power. Convinced her father was murdered, Hesina enlists the aid of magic, a dangerous choice, as the practice is illegal and her court might rebel against her.

Released 2 April 2019

Get watching

Dumbo

Avengers: Endgame

We aren’t children anymore but we still remember the way we felt when we first watched Dumbo. The movie that moved a whole generation to tears is returning in fullHD animation. Tim Burton’s reworking of the sad tale of a big-eared circus elephant will send you down memory lane.

This much-anticipated Marvel release will give closure to anyone who was left on a cliffhanger after watching last year’s Infinity War. This film is intended to be the finale of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ‘phase three’ narrative arc, so we can safely assume much will be revealed.

Pet Semetary

Hellboy

The new adaptation of Stephen King’s famous Pet Semetary will keep you glued to your chair in suspense.The plot has the necessary ingredients to thrill: an unsuspecting family, a new house, a cemetery, a dead cat and many suspicious occurrences…

Based on the Dark Horse comics, the Hellboy series is coming back in April. David Harbour plays Hellboy, a half-monster, halfhuman creature condemned to roam between two worlds. If you like classic comics with a dark humour, this one is definitely for you.

We love

If you haven’t got round to watching The OA yet, do it. And do it now. If, like us, you were glued to your screens back in 2016, you’ll be pleased to know the long-awaited second season was finally released on Netflix at the end of March.

Words by Anya Walsh

In

When we Left Cuba

1960s Florida, a young Cuban heiress is recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro’s inner circle, and begins a dangerous affair with one of his men.

Released 11 April 2019

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The OA tells the story of Prairie Johnson, an adopted woman who mysteriously resurfaces after seven years of absence. Blinded as a child, she mysteriously recovers her sight during her absence and starts calling herself “The OA.” She assembles a team of five students to practice incantations she says will open a portal to the “other side.” We’ll not spoil the rest, as much of the appeal of The OA is held in its mysteries. The science-fiction series debuted on Netflix in December 2016 to rave reviews.

Hopefully, season two will offer answers to its fans who are still on tenterhooks.

Switch Off

Head for the hills This month join Mairi Hughes, as she switches off her phone to boost wellbeing

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ietzsche once said, “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”

Being not only a ground-breaking philosopher but also a great pessimist, this seems high praise from Nietzsche. So, what are the benefits of going outside and putting one foot in front of the other?

It would appear that Nietzsche was well ahead of his time. Brain Balance Achievement Centres, a US-based company aiding mental health in children, recently published a study which showed that those who exercise regularly perform better on creativity tests. The study states that “Exercise promotes proper brain function by preparing and encouraging nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for learning new information.” Getting blood pumping through our veins is not only good for our physical health, but can also be the source of creative inspiration. It seems that all truly great thoughts may well be conceived while walking.

UK charity the Mental Health Foundation say that regular physical activity can also reduce stress and anxiety. The endorphins released during exercise are known to reduce our brain’s perception of pain and the Mental Health Foundation state that there is an approximately 20-30% lower

risk of depression and dementia for adults who participate in daily physical activity.

Additionally, mental health charity Mind state that spending time in the outdoors in our everyday lives can benefit both our mental and physical wellbeing.

If you’re keen to feel the benefits of exercise but don’t consider yourself a budding athlete, hill walking is the perfect way to do this. The UK spoils us for choice with an overwhelming range of hills you may pick and choose from to select a route as

A digital detox is far simpler than it seems. While #digitaldetox posts on social media create the illusion that this is some unattainable and glamorous ideal to scramble for, it isn’t. Cleanse yourself of the negative effects of digital and immerse yourself in a natural, digital-free environment.

Simply switch off your phone, go outside, and walk. You may not be surrounded countryside, but if you stop stressing about how you can make this outing as Instagrammable as possible, you’ll have a ball.

Illustrations by Tamzin Wilks

Scotland is frequently voted the world’s most beautiful country

Take a hike

Wales

strenuous or as leisurely as you desire. Hill walks allow us to easily get our endorphin fix while also gaining the rich benefits of absorbing nature. Best of all, it’s free. Get away from everything and everyone or bond with friends - old-fashioned as it may seem - simply going for a stroll can benefit you in many more ways than you may realise.

Easy: Holyhead Mountain, 220m, Anglesey Challenging: Pen-y-Fan, 886m, Powys Bloody difficult: Mount Snowdon, 1,085m, Gwynnedd

England

Easy: Cleeve Hill, 330m, Gloucestershire Challenging: Meldon Hill, 767m, Cumbria Bloody difficult: Scafell Pike, 978m, Cumbria

Scotland

Easy: Conic Hill, 361m, Balmaha Challenging: Ben Ledi, 879m, Callander Bloody difficult: Ben Nevis, 1,345m, Fort William

N. Ireland Don’t waste your spare time scrolling this weekend. Do yourself a favour: switch off

Easy: Black Mountain, 389m, Belfast Challenging: Cuilcagh, 665m, Co. Fermanagh Bloody difficult: Slieve Donard, 850m, Co. Down

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the social mediators. exploring the highs and lows of social media

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