Dress to (finally) impress
Online dating had <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/08/23/12-pandemic-dating-tips-how-to-do-romance-with-the-covid-19-coronavirus/?sh=5bcf99a72b37" target="_self"><ins>unique perks to i</ins></a>t. No need to pay for expensive restaurants, no worrying about transportation or being late, you can act like you’re losing internet connection if it was getting too awkward, etc. But, now that lockdown restrictions are becoming more lenient, in-person dates bring back <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/health/2021/02/03/4-practical-tips-dating-during-pandemic" target="_self"><ins>a few things to consider</ins></a>.
You can’t get away with wearing your boxers to a date anymore.
 After months of only needing to worry about what to wear on top, now we have to consider the entire outfit. For those who are willing to brave the pandemic after being sick Facetiming and chatting all the time,<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/09/what-dating-during-pandemic-like/616533/" target="_self"><ins> a few surprises</ins></a> may come. 
Cover up
Most of us haven’t had a chance to really dress up at all for months. I had job interviews wearing pajamas for crying out loud. Going on a date nowadays gives us an excuse to open up the outfit cabinet once again.
Time to step it up a bit. 
Outfits work best when they compliment who you are instead of overpowering your entire presence. You think wearing a semi-formal outfit that’s just one coat away from looking like you’re ready to defend a thesis is a good idea for a simple coffee date? 
<a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/first-date-outfit-ideas" target="_self"><ins>Less is more</ins></a> when it comes to your outfits, unless you want to be <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/lady-gaga-most-outrageous-outfits" target="_self"><ins>looking like early 2000s Lady Gaga</ins></a>. Everyone’s anxious about being locked away from the rest of society for so long and so you want your presence to be a bit more relaxing and less “loud” for lack of a better term. 
Summer dresses, loose button downs, oversized shirts, anything that makes you feel <a href="https://www.uniqlo.com/my/en/news/topics/2020122101/" target="_self"><ins>relaxed and comfortable</ins></a>. You don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard. If you’re feeling good, high chances are that you’re looking good. Of course, these are all highly subjective to your personality, location and time of the date, etc.
Worrying about accessories? You have one right on your mouth. <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/relationships/first-date-tips" target="_self"><ins>Safety protocols and boundaries have to be considered</ins></a> when stepping out of the house. We are dealing with a highly contagious deadly virus here. Face masks are important. Some see them as a nuisance while others see <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/how-the-face-mask-took-over-fashion" target="_self"><ins>an opportunity</ins></a>. 
Face masks can be a part of your outfit. You just have to <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/05/9782883/stylish-fashion-face-mask-coronavirus#slide-4" target="_self"><ins>find one that fits your style</ins></a>. Even though we’re already reaching the year 2 mark wearing these things, they’re probably <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/honeywell/2021/05/05/facing-the-future-masks-are-here-to-stay---why-thats-a-good-thing/?sh=5625578d11ca" target="_self"><ins>here to stay</ins></a> for far longer so might as well get used to it. Not only are you showing your date that you care about health and safety, you’re also doing it aesthetically. 
Dating has lost some of its weight when it was all stuck online. Now that we have another crack at it in person, it’s time to put ourselves out there and it all starts with a good first impression. If you’re already looking good, you’re already halfway there.

Good looks, good luck.

What to Wear on an Outdoor Date Within the Pandemic

I worry a lot. 
Anxiety <a href="https://themighty.com/2018/04/anxiety-sucks-the-life-out-of-me/" target="_blank">sucks</a> . I don’t exactly know how to explain it in a definitive statement. One day it’s worrying about what’s going to happen and then the next it’s being confused for no reason. 
It’s a million other things all at once. 
Being concerned about a lot can get <a href="https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2021/03/how-to-take-care-of-yourself-when-youre-feeling-overwhelmed/" target="_blank">very overwhelming</a> . It’s not as simple as worrying because you did something wrong or because someone is angry at you. It’s thinking that what you do will never be good enough, or how the next person you’re talking to will not like what you have to say, or sometimes even worrying about something but, you don’t exactly know what. 
There are <a href="https://adaa.org/tips" target="_blank">a lot of ways</a> that help reduce the uneasiness. Mediation, relaxation, hobby distraction, social therapy, etc. Needless to say, there’s a lot of bad conceptions about it.
Even though it can be a heavy burden, I’d like to use it sometimes <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/07/1034777586/good-anxiety-benefits-coping-strategies" target="_blank">to my advantage</a>. My favorite f orm of anxiety? Deadlines. Without those suckers, I probably would have finished writing this maybe a week from now. There’s nothing to be scared of if I don’t finish it immediately so why bother? 
You can’t tell me you haven’t done crunch work with anything in your life. When I heard my teacher say that we couldn’t cram the report, I almost took it as a challenge. Sometimes, I find myself to be <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/i-hear-you/201905/3-reasons-why-anxiety-is-good-you" target="_blank">the most productive because of the deadline</a> . It’s motivation at extreme levels. 
Worrying about something allows me to take it more seriously. It’s uncomfortable but, if I don’t allow it to overpower me, <a href="https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/why-anxiety-should-not-be-feared" target="_blank">it won’t be dangerous</a> . It’s like cockroaches. I’m worried if I see one and as soon as that thing starts flying, I’m turning into an olympic sprinter running for my life. Thus, it’s not a danger to me anymore. I hope. 
I overthink a lot.
Sure, I sometimes go overboard with the thoughts in my brain. Maybe I’ll feel like every output I produce isn’t worth anything, or maybe I think my boss doesn’t like me, or I think my dog doesn’t love me anymore after refusing to offer his belly for me to rub. 
The voices in your head can get loud. 
Although, as a creative, it’s rare that I find something bad in being meticulous about details. It’s all about <a href="https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/7-ways-anxiety-actually-works-to-your-advantage-0202165" target="_blank">using anxiety to help</a> you achieve whatever it is you’re trying to achieve. 
You think the first draft isn’t good enough? Go through it again and you might find something better. Feel like you’re not being healthy? Change up the diet. Worried about the day because you have no idea what to do? Go talk to a co-worker or maybe even your manager. They might need help with something. Something feels off about what’s being offered to you? Listen to your gut, it may have saved you from a scam. It’s okay to acknowledge, or even welcome the thoughts. 
“Fear doesn’t shut you down; it wakes you up.” - Veronica Roth, Divergent.
I’m conscious a lot. 
Sometimes, I like to poke fun at anxiety and call it “an exaggerated form of awareness”.
It’s like my very own spider-sense.
Anxiety can be viewed as <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/benefits-of-anxiety-2584134" target="_blank">one big natural warning sign</a> from your brain. If you think there’s a booger in your nose, chances are that there is. You feel like your zipper is down? Yup, probably. 
Come to think of it, Spider-man’s <a href="https://twitter.com/JessiSheron/status/1200121080486203392?s=20" target="_blank">spider-sense is basically anxiety</a> . Oh my god, his creators are a genius.
<a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/top-ways-anxiety-is-helpful-1393079" target="_blank">Being attentive</a> allows you to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. Despite all the things that makes it stink, anxiety sure is one heck of a superpower to have.

Thank God for anxiety. 

Anxiety isn’t so Bad, Sometimes.

What’s available?
You know it’s going to be a good day when someone in the house starts a grocery checklist. Jotting down your favorite snacks that you haven’t eaten for weeks because you finished your stack at most, a day after your last trip to the store. And then you finally arrive, and you get yourself a shopping cart.
And then, your checklist isn’t entirely checked. 
It’s not like this is alarming. Despite believing it as a kid, grocery stores aren’t unlimited utopias for food no matter how much we want them to. It’s even more troublesome nowadays due to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-you-cant-find-everything-you-want-at-grocery-stores-11629633601" target="_self"><ins>lockdowns and pandemic restrictions</ins></a>. Suppliers just can’t ship out products as fast as they could.
Lack of manpower, decrease in sales, fear of the virus, it all adds up to make things a little bit harder for<a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/dining/2021/10/22/grocery-store-shelves-empty-supply-chain-issue/6122800001/" target="_self"><ins> both shoppers and sellers</ins></a>. If it was hard enough to look for international products prior to the pandemic, it’s even more evident now. 
Wait, you don’t have that too?
If you thought only the “exotic” products are rare, so are your <a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/food-shortages-2021/" target="_self"><ins>everyday items</ins></a> that you wouldn’t even think twice of. Chicken, bottled water, sanitation materials, etc. it’s either no one is around to make them or everyone is hoarding them.
Thanks ‘rona. 
Unfortunately, things might <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/09/business/grocery-stores-food-supply-chain/index.html" target="_self"><ins>not get any better</ins></a> anytime soon. Cases are still high and <a href="https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/ou-pulmonologist-seeing-slow-recovery-rates-from-covid-19-lung-damage-it-is-still-really/article_4805277c-e659-11eb-be6b-d32d70fdb528.html" target="_self"><ins>recovery rates are still slow</ins></a>, the world is just not ready for it all yet. 
Our stomach’s don’t care though. They still crave what they want to crave. There are a few solutions one can do to possibly get their hands on some of the food that have seen <a href="https://khak.com/popular-grocery-store-items-that-are-getting-harder-to-find/" target="_self"><ins>lower visibility in stores</ins></a>. 
The easiest one would be to buy directly from the supplier themselves or <a href="https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/how-to-find-hard-to-find-grocery-items" target="_self"><ins>order it online</ins></a>. You might run the risk of <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/grocery-store-shelves-bare-products-173151608.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEG9hzSohStZuaibmqPwXQfMJG97IVMsPCFWG7a0ORsj6ySNz74zUnZduYpnLGcnG0tYoreVZ-imB1dr3auyegn1lbIUcuyZN9Y2fgFunJ1Z678Ryn7BhVHlGZa9re7MbzHzWyfa7rx54qoZaLMDfLg4_Guyd-na-N1YOwSMQ4sk" target="_self"><ins>paying more for shipping</ins></a> than the actual food itself or even lose the ability to choose the better piece, one that expires at a later date, or even discover new ones you’ll find alongside the shelves but, at least you won’t have to wait for stores to receive their delayed orders in bulk or risking exposure to others. 
Or you can just try to <a href="https://www.purewow.com/food/easy-snacks-to-make" target="_self"><ins>make your own snacks at home</ins></a>. Fun little bonding moment with the family members, you can tweak the flavors and proportions however you want, and you at least know what’s being stuffed in the food you’re eating. 
Hungry for more
Whatever the case may be, <a href="https://fit.thequint.com/chew-on-this/why-snacking-junk-food-addictive#:~:text=Snacks%20often%20contain%20little%20in,and%20designed%20to%20be%20addictive." target="_self"><ins>we all have our demons</ins></a> in the form of whatever snacks we like to regularly eat. 
Here’s to hoping we can splurge on our tummies again.
Experts might claim that supply shortages may last till the next year, unexpected things happen in the world all the time. No one told us beforehand that a global pandemic would be happening back in 2019 right? Or better yet, no one told you that your grocery list will be followed. You either don’t find half the stuff in it or you lose yourself in there and go way beyond the ideal budget.

Shopping + food = yes please.

The Great Hunt for Grocery Snacks

Thank you, next.
Year by year, we’re bombarded with tech showcases that basically amount to which company can flaunt the shiniest looking flagship phone. We’ve come a long way from the original iPhone reveal back in 2009. Even though frequent releases may suck for our wallets, it’s quite the opposite for what it means to the tech industry. 
Designed to outdate others.
If you were to talk to someone from a couple of decades ago and say that the DVD player, GPS, health tracker, map, video camera, editing software, video game or whatever app it is you can think of can be found in just that <a href="https://www.inc.com/magazine/201904/amy-webb/smartphones-replaced-new-smart-devices-wearable.html" target="_blank">one block of screen</a> you’re holding, they’d probably pee their pants. 
Smartphones are specifically designed to make life easier and make processes much more convenient. It’s a product meant to <a href="https://www.geekdashboard.com/smartphone-made-our-life-easier/" target="_blank">streamline life itself</a> at the cost of making past technologies obsolete. 
Them phones bout’ to be outsmarted
Even though we sit comfortably with the smartphones we have today - shelling out thousands of dollars for a product that’s essentially the same with slight adjustments and adding a +1 to the product name’s number, there’s still a constant desire to see what’s the next big thing.
There’s always the next big thing. 
A life <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/moving-past-mobile-why-innovation-must-happen-beyond-smartphones" target="_blank">beyond the screen</a> sounds like an ideal situation amidst the oversaturation and dependence on tech but it’s also something the industry is trying to explore. Concepts such as <a href="https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/beyond-smartphones-tomorrows-tech" target="_blank">virtual reality</a> have been trying to ease its way into the mainstream but despite it being unique, it’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reason-virtual-reality-hasnt-taken-off-future-technology-2018-11" target="_blank">not quite there yet</a>. 
There is one common idea that’s going around innovation conversations - that the way to innovate smartphones… is to <a href="https://www.androidauthority.com/future-phones-927528/" target="_blank">move away from smartphones</a>. I guess they’re the next in line to be obsolete. 
Face reality 
You ever look at your phone and think “dang, I wish I could wear this.” Tech companies definitely think so. 
We’re in the endgame now.
It seems that we are at<a href="https://itchronicles.com/mobile/future-of-smart-phones-2021/" target="_blank"> the peak</a> of where smartphones can get at this point, or at least gearing towards it any time soon. Connectivity is king. Wires are being removed, ports are reduced, voice command, and 5G is becoming more and more popular. 
All these “innovations” point to a future where we <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/01/29/nine-tech-experts-share-their-predictions-for-the-future-of-smartphones/?sh=6fdc9e8f4020" target="_blank">barely have to use our hands</a> anymore. I guess when people watched Tony Stark flip around with holograms they thought “yo, we can definitely do that.” Technology isn’t just about making life easier at this point, it’s about standing <a href="https://www.inc.com/magazine/201902/amy-webb/augmented-mixed-reality-virtual-workplace-magic-leap.html" target="_blank">alongside life itself</a>.
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. A world that is <a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/mobile-computing-platform-future/" target="_blank">no longer limited</a> to the four corners of your screen. Whether this can come from a watch, a pair of glasses, a necklace, or even a shirt. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/22749341/smartphones-future-predictions" target="_self">Wearable tech</a> is possible to come. Heck, we already have bits of it in the form of smart watches and wireless earphones. It’s only a matter of time until those sci-fi stories aren’t so “fiction” anymore.

Tech is never content.

Imagining A Future Beyond Smartphones … But We’re Stuck With Them For The Meantime

Help.
The Philippines is a very complicated place to love. On one hand, it’s a country that has great people, good values, and multiple opportunities. On the other hand, it has horrible people, questionable values, and a severe lack of opportunities. 
It’s a win-lose situation here.
You know it's bad when seeing good news on the timeline is more surprising than seeing the bad nowadays. I wake up, see that the pandemic response is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-29/why-the-philippines-just-became-the-worst-place-to-be-in-covid" target="_blank">(heavily) flawed</a> , I feel angry/ sad about it the rest of the day, then I go back to sleep and repeat. 
If we’re not busy <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/South-China-Sea/Philippines-and-China-intensify-war-of-words-over-South-China-Sea" target="_blank">fighting other countries</a>, we’re going at it with <a href="https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/duterte-year-4-netizens-reaction" target="_blank">each other</a>. Neither benefits anyone. If there’s one good thing I can say about Filipinos, it's that they’re really headstrong about their values. Religious, political, conservative, liberal, or just any other opinion. They will take it to their grave if they have to. And yes, that is also a bad thing. 
The pandemic hit the whole world hard but not as hard as <a href="https://www.bworldonline.com/philippines-worst-in-covid-19-pandemic-response/" target="_blank">we have it back here</a>. When we were ranked as one of the worst places to be in amidst COVID-19, I wasn’t even surprised. If anything, I’m more shocked that the rest of the world didn’t realize it sooner. 
More than just the pandemic.
I can go on forever about the <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/04/philippines-faces-health-human-rights-crisis-covid/" target="_self"><ins>Covid response</ins></a> in the Philippines but that’s a narrative that everyone knows too well already. You think 2020 was the start of the bad?
We’ve been on the struggle bus for so long. 
Where do I even start? <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7vy3m/why-internet-speeds-philippines-slow-laws" target="_self"><ins>WiFi sucks</ins></a>, cities are <a href="https://www.prb.org/resources/rapid-population-growth-crowded-cities-present-challenges-in-the-philippines/" target="_self"><ins>overcrowded</ins></a>, trying to survive <a href="https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/1/30/Manila-second-worst-traffic-congestion-report.html" target="_self"><ins>the traffic </ins></a>before someone in your car celebrates their birthday for the second time in one sitting is impossible, half the time, we don’t even know <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/6/6/dutertes-many-pandemic-failures" target="_self"><ins>what the heck the government is doing</ins></a>.
It’s just tiring to have to live through it all every single day. Like dang, pick a struggle at least, not throw it all out one after the other.
It’s more “fun” in the Philippines. 
Even though I can go on forever about the problems the country has, it would be wrong for me to say that there’s no redeeming factor to it. In fact, there’s <a href="https://guidetothephilippines.ph/articles/ultimate-guides/why-travel-the-philippines" target="_self"><ins>a lot</ins></a>.
Sometimes, they just cancel each other out.
Filipinos know <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/11-reasons-why-youll-fall-in-love-with-filipino-people/" target="_self"><ins>how to have fun</ins></a>. Festivals, gatherings, hospitality, humor, sense of unity, plus, the country has some <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/11-places-in-the-philippines-all-locals-are-proud-of/" target="_self"><ins>beautiful scenery</ins></a>. These are all just a fraction of what can be experienced here. 
Even though <a href="https://opinion.inquirer.net/132791/so-what-if-i-dont-want-to-be-a-filipino-anymore" target="_self"><ins>leaving the country behind</ins></a> is becoming more and more attractive each day that passes, I can’t fully say I despise it. Maybe it’s because it’s the place I’ve known all my life, or maybe I just like a little challenge. Either way, the Philippines is a country you just love to hate, or the other way around whatever floats your boat.

It’s (not) more fun in the Philippines.

Living Life in Hard Mode a.k.a. The Philippines

Wow… that’s pretty rich
Richie Rich was a fairly entertaining watch that showed me how poor I was as a kid because I didn’t have my own McDonald’s in our living room. You wouldn’t believe what I wrote to Santa later that year. It’s a fun movie that, at its surface, does a good job at making kids jealous but, it also has <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-29-ol-14014-story.html" target="_blank">a thing or two to say</a> about the costs of fortune. 
Money can(t) buy happiness. 
Out of all the <a href="https://lifestyleasia.onemega.com/wealthy-richie-richs-family-real-people-2/" target="_blank">ridiculous things</a> that were in that film, (like a backyard roller coaster are you kidding me?) the one that stood out to me the most even to this day is how Richie had a home theater all to himself to use whenever he wants. 
This was around the time that I thought I wasn’t allowed in the cinemas. Either I had no money for it, I was too young, I needed parent supervision, or I was stuck at home. Now that I’m all grown up and living in a pandemic, I’m still not allowed in cinemas because I have no money for it, I need parent’s permission, and I’m stuck at home. Not a lot has changed huh?
Cinematic Privilege
A home theater is something I’ve always dreamt of having. The idea of experiencing high quality sound and picture within a dark enclosed environment all in the comforts of your own home sounded incredible especially to a film nerd such as me. 
But, it’s easier said than done - and more expensive. Definitely more expensive.
The <a href="https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/home-theaters/" target="_blank">average cost of having a home theater</a> installed can be a whopping $2,000 all the way up to even $63,00 depending on the specifics such as furniture, projector quality, sound system, sound proofing, etc. 
I used to think that Richie’s home theater would be the only one that would be somewhat realistic to get. Just put a big TV in a room, plug a DVD player, turn on the air conditioner, add a few lazy boy chairs and that’s it. 
Once again, Hollywood crushes my dreams. Celebrities make <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/16-of-the-highest-paid-movie-roles-of-all-time-2018-5#25-emma-stone-as-mia-in-la-la-land-1" target="_self">a lot of money</a> . Even more so with the executives and the people behind the cameras that pay them. They have money to burn at this point. What better way to do so than <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/hollywoods-most-kickass-home-theaters-w495120/neil-patrick-harris-blankets-w495179/" target="_blank">splurging on their own</a> home theaters?&nbsp;
Some of the ones they own <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/gallery/20211014123948/celebrity-home-cinemas-photos/13/" target="_blank">cost more than my entire house</a> and beyond. I’m starting to think that they all secretly have a contest within themselves to see who can have the best one. Most, if not all of the Hollywood home theaters <a href="https://utv4fun.com/celebrities-home-theaters-discover-the-most-luxurious/" target="_blank">look far better than any cinema</a> I’ve gone to in my whole life.
Kesha’s beautiful outdoor theater, John Caudwell’s luxurious room that look like it could belong to royalty, or even Dan and Sheree Landove Funsch’s all in one party area, it’s all so breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time to look at. 
Viewing Experience
When the lockdowns started happening all over the world, the first thing I immediately missed was the experience of going to the cinemas. As I see how the rich and famous get to basically put one of the best parts of a mall <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2020/04/19/outrageous-home-theaters-of-the-rich-and-famous-are-the-perfect-pandemic-escape/?sh=25ec83b4a5df" target="_blank">into their own houses</a> , I remain as a day-dreaming spectator to the lavish comfort they might be experiencing.
Damn it Richie, this all started with you.

The rich remain comfortable.

Being Jealous of Richie Rich and His Very Own Home Theatre (Plus Others)

Stay at home
As much as we are all waiting for the world to be revived again after the pandemic, working from home is <a href="https://www.apollotechnical.com/statistics-on-remote-workers/" target="_blank">most likely here to stay</a> for years to come. 
People are more productive, flexible work hours benefit mental stability, it creates more opportunities for creative outputs, etc. 
It’s not as bad as people think it is. 
Companies were already met with a seemingly impossible task of bringing the office to each of their individual employees during the start of the lockdown. 
Not only do they have to worry about devices, accountability, internet speeds, accessibility, employee welfare, etc. and that is assuming it’s just a regular desk job. So many <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-26/why-remote-workers-spend-more-on-housing-and-rent" target="_blank">other factors</a> have to be taken into consideration. 
Hello? You can hear me right?
Zoom links, Google Meets, Google Drive, Slack, or whatever it is you use for remote work. These all make our lives relatively easier (if we haven’t gone crazy looking at them already at this point) to do our jobs while in the comforts of our own rooms. Only one problem though.
They all have a paywall behind it. 
It was just too good to be true if these essential programs were free to use. A part of me thinks who can blame them? They saw how much the world needed it and so they capitalize on the opportunity. 
If I myself can barely pay for my own Netflix and have to carefully evaluate what other monthly subscription I should avail, what more for enterprises and SMEs as they have to consider company packages and software licenses? 
Company treat
My own Medium account is being paid by my company just because my boss asked if I had a subscription and I said no. They did this so I can browse through materials to use for my own work. That’s $50 a year. And that’s just for me.
What more if we add up all things being spent on for the rest of the company?
Companies <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/03/03/the-high-cost-of-working-from-home-protecting-your-business-and-team/?sh=7d94b3437411" target="_blank">do spend a lot</a> despite the office being closed. Tech and logistical problems aside, employee welfare also <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/remote-work-costs-expenses-wfh_l_5f452535c5b6c00d03b462dc" target="_blank">has to be considered</a>. 
Other than providing laptops, <a href="https://www.business.org/hr/benefits/cost-of-wfh-vs-the-office/" target="_blank">do they have to give out</a> tables, chairs, internet allowance, electricity bills, and food? - all things that were readily available in the office <a href="https://www.compt.io/hr-articles/should-employers-pay-for-work-from-home-costs-legal" target="_blank">prior to all of this</a> . 
Everyone’s on <a href="https://www.uctoday.com/collaboration/are-work-from-home-benefits-bigger-than-the-costs-of-remote-working/" target="_blank">the same boat</a> when it comes to dealing with the uncertainty of today’s times. Big ol’ evil corporation is a common image for regular employees but they do have their bright spots as they try to accommodate everyone outside of the office. The fact that I’m able to do this right now in my own bedroom is proof of that. &nbsp;

Damn you capitalism.

The Bleeding Cost of Supporting Employees Working From Home

But, don’t worry.
Having a hobby is great. Whether it be collecting, playing, watching, shopping, creating, eating, exercising, etc. it is <a href="https://www.uwsect.org/importance-having-hobby" target="_blank">essential</a> if we want to have a personality outside of our work. 
Who doesn’t like being happy? 
Nowadays, saying “I’m busy” seems like <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happy-trails/201509/six-reasons-get-hobby" target="_blank">a badge of honor</a> . A phrase to validate our role in society as a contributing member to our dear old friend, capitalism. 
There’s a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1039676445/laziness-does-not-exist-devon-price" target="_blank">stigma</a> going around that preys on people who try to slow down from the hustle culture. You’re watching netflix? What a bum. Playing a video game? Loser. Your boss asked for 2 reports and when you submitted it, he was actually expecting you to do 5? Get out. 
I’m here to validate your desire to be a “bum”. It’s okay to slow down because frankly, <a href="https://online.kettering.edu/news/2019/04/15/why-hobbies-are-important" target="_blank">we all need to</a> . Rewards always come after the hard work. If no one is giving it, you might as well give it to yourself. I’m not saying “screw work” okay? I’m saying something completely different. 
Screw the ones who say you can’t.
What’s the point of doing whatever it is you’re doing and earning all that cheddar if you’re not going to <a href="https://www.peaceinnovation.com/blog/working-to-live-the-importance-of-hobbies" target="_blank">eat it every once in a while</a> ? With working from home creating a smaller gap between work and play nowadays, setting aside treats for yourself is now important more than ever. 
The world sucks (especially right now). You can make it suck less. 
A rich inner life alongside solid interests can be <a href="https://medium.com/@anninw/what-is-a-rich-inner-life-and-how-to-achieve-it-f2c7ca974274" target="_blank">far more valuabl</a> e than you realize. So if your wallet is screaming at you that you can’t, maybe you can pretend to not hear it at times. 
Your lifestyle is a reflection of the habits you cultivate. Take up cooking, read those books, go through your watch list, check out that cart that’s been sitting idle for a few weeks already. In <a href="https://www.elitedaily.com/p/why-i-believe-in-treating-yourself-more-than-once-a-month-to-self-care-necessities-13062783" target="_blank">healthy moderation</a> of course. Set aside an hour or two each day for activities and allow your credit card to get angry at you maybe once a month. You’ll thank me later, your bills? Maybe not so much.

Treat yourself!

My Credit Card Hates Me and I Love It.

Troubled Viewing 
The film industry collectively lost their cool when the pandemic hit. Studios weren’t sure about how to distribute their films which caused <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/coronavirus-movie-industry-studios-move-blockbusters-audiences-stay-home.html" target="_blank">trouble for cinemas</a>. Either they weren’t allowed to open or they didn’t have anything to show. 
Now what?
For a while, conversations about the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/impact-coronavirus-covid-19-hollywood-global-film-industry-movie-theatres/" target="_blank">survivability of the industry</a> began to be more common. With streaming services becoming more and more popular even prior to the pandemic, now it even had more leverage as a business model since it had the main draw of watching a film all from the safety of your own home. 
There have been a few from around the world who have tried to <a href="https://www.screendaily.com/news/cinema-reopening-dates-around-the-world-latest-updates/5149917.article" target="_blank">reopen every now and then</a> only to be mandated by the government to shut down. Despite a rocky situation, people had no doubt that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200403-why-cinemas-will-bounce-back-from-the-coronavirus-crisis" target="_blank">cinemas will bounce back</a>. People just love it too much to let it fade away. 
Let me in… let me iiin.
We all have some semblance of normality back in our lives after experiencing a pandemic mandated house arrest. Every day, I try to tell myself I’ll experience walking into that dark hallway thinking I’m about to forget the rest of the world exists in 2 hours. 
And it seems the rest of the world thinks so as well.
Given that establishments such as retail stores and restaurants are starting to open up, there are claims that<a href="https://qz.com/1862622/how-movie-theaters-can-safely-reopen-after-covid-19/" target="_blank"> a cinema is safer</a> than any of those environments. Less talking, movements, more opportunities for social distancing, and everyone is more focused on just watching instead of interacting with each other. 
For the Philippines, it’s been an opportunity that’s been long awaited. With the multiple surge of cases and even the sudden arrival of the deadly delta variant, plans to reopen the economy have been<a href="https://www.roedl.com/insights/covid-19/corona-virus-situation-philippines-working-hours-wage" target="_blank"> stagnant and troublesome</a>. 
November 10, 2021 is the day <a href="https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/05/cinemas-in-metro-manila-some-provinces-to-reopen-on-nov-10-mtrcb/" target="_blank">we’ve all been waiting for</a> out here. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. There are (as expected) a few things that must be done in order to be allowed to experience the cinemas. 
Typical <a href="https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/safety-protocols-cinema-reopening-malls-philippines-october-2021" target="_blank">standard procedures</a> such as temperature checks, sanitizing the area before and after screenings, social distancing, and face masks are all there but what I imagine will be a <a href="https://www.bworldonline.com/vaccine-hesitancy-still-a-major-challenge-experts-say/" target="_blank">controversial condition for some</a> would be the mandatory vaccine requirement. 
It’s a slightly more comforting thought knowing that malls are taking strides to improve ventilation in the cinemas to hopefully help lessen the spread of the virus should there be any. 
As excited as I am and as much as I miss the experience, I don’t know yet if I’m ready to return. It may not be a full comeback but, at least it’s a step in the right direction.

WE’RE EXCITED!

How are Malls Preparing for the Reopening of Cinemas?

‘Pop’ Culture
Let’s address the elephant in the theater here, ever wonder why popcorn is the staple food offering in the cinemas? If you find one that doesn’t sell popcorn, no you didn’t. Don’t fight me on this. 
Depression made popcorn.
Oh, I’m actually serious. <a href="https://foodiosity.com/why-is-popcorn-a-movie-snack/" target="_blank">Popcorn was the cheapest food</a> cinemas could offer during the Great Depression. Plus, it was (and still is) so much easier to munch on. Ever tried eating a full meal there? It’s dark, it’s loud, and as soon as the lights come back on, your pants look like a massacre took place on it.
It was an easy to make snack that can <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61130/why-popcorn-default-movie-theater-snack" target="_blank">generate a lot of profit</a>, and was extremely versatile as well. Nacho’s are delicious, but you have to dip them. Chips are nice, but they’re noisy. Hotdogs are always a great idea, but they’re only good for a couple of bites. Popcorn is where it’s at. You can put almost any flavor on it, it barely makes a sound, and it’s easy to clean up. Just pop that sucker in.
Food Genre
There’s no question at this point that <a href="https://www.therecipe.com/movie-theater-snacks-officially-ranked-buttered-popcorn/" target="_blank">popcorn is the best</a> snack in the cinemas. And if I may add, butter flavor will always be S tier and no, you can’t contest that. But, there are also <a href="https://www.purewow.com/food/Best-Movie-Theater-Snacks" target="_self">a lot more food options</a> out there. More food, more happiness, right?
Well, it depends.
If there is one advice I can give to anyone, it’s that you should probably never watch a horror film <a href="https://filmschoolrejects.com/grossest-food-scenes/" target="_blank">when you’re hungry</a>. If you’re wondering why, come back to me the next time blood splatters on screen and you’ll need to finish that spaghetti. Or better yet, why would you even eat spaghetti in the cinemas?
Your appetite can be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278262615300178" target="_blank">affected by what you see</a>. If you see someone vomit in the movie, chances are, you wouldn’t want to eat some oatmeal. 
On a lighter note, I definitely don’t recommend drinking a lot during a comedy. Unless you want to give the person sitting in front of you a free impromptu shower then by all means, go ahead. 
Pee breaks suck. Unless the movie itself sucks then it’s basically an escape. When you’re laughing out loud at a comedy, there’s a high chance that<a href="https://kineticptgreenville.com/why-laughing-can-make-you-pee-in-your-pants-for-real/" target="_blank"> you’ll want to pee</a>. So it’s either you miss out on some scenes or you wear a diaper. 
Lights, camera, aaand I’m hungry.
Whatever the case may be, we all have our preferences when it comes to our cinema snacks. A personal honorable mention for me would be candy. Popcorn with <a href="https://www.delish.com/food-news/g3686/most-popular-movie-theater-candy-the-year-you-were-born/?slide=29" target="_blank">candy is actually great</a>. Highly recommend it. 
All the food I mentioned to avoid? I ate all of them in the theaters as well at some point. Some experiences may or may not have been true. And yes, oatmeal as a movie snack is very random, I know. 
A film is an experience worth having and food is something that can elevate any situation. Great movie? Food compliments it. Horrible movie? At least you’re eating something.

Welcome to the cinemas! Can I take your order?

Popcorn and Other Snack Favorites at Cinema 

Skeptical science
When the pandemic hit, everyone was hoping for a cure. When vaccines were quickly invented showing just how advanced we are now when it comes to medical development, people started doubting the existence of it. 
I’m so confused.
<a href="https://www.who.int/immunization/research/forums_and_initiatives/1_RButler_VH_Threat_Child_Health_gvirf16.pdf" target="_blank">Vaccine hesitancy</a> has been a major problem everywhere in the world. Whether it be doubting that a highly contagious and deadly virus can be cured or the idea that such a virus doesn’t even exist, or thinking that COVID vaccines implant nanobots in our blood streams, people really go out of their way to justify their refusal to receive a jab. 
People don’t like being stabbed by a needle. I’d be really concerned if you told me otherwise. People are also afraid of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01459-7" target="_blank">the unknown</a> (or what they don’t understand). Two things that are present in the COVID vaccine. Sprinkle in reports about side effects that come after the first and second doses and you have a recipe for a “no thanks” sandwich. 
Pinoy problems
With the Philippines approaching the <a href="https://doh.gov.ph/covid-19/case-tracker" target="_blank">3 million mark</a> for reported cases of COVID-19, you’d think everyone would be more than willing to take the vaccine right?
No. 
Vaccine hesitancy in the Philippines has been around <a href="https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2021/how-philippines-lost-faith-in-vaccines/index.html" target="_blank">even before the Coronavirus</a> hit its shores. It’s only gotten worse now because of a wonderful thing we all know and love called <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20201007-anti-vaxxer-misinformation-goes-viral-in-the-philippines" target="_blank">fake news</a> . 
<a href="https://www.muhealth.org/our-stories/covid-19-vaccine-myths-vs-facts" target="_blank">Rumors</a> of people dying, magnets sticking to the area where the needle was placed, china implanted microchips for future world domination, infertility, etc. People are getting real creative with these. But these are all either twisting the truth or straight up mumblings from a weirdo who just so happens to post on Facebook and now everyone and their grandma believes it. 
It has got as far as to have <a href="https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/09/19/2128217/covid-19-deniers-anti-vaccine-protesters-get-warning-pnp-chief" target="_blank">people protesting</a> for “their right to choose” against vaccines. Even though there are already <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fvaccines%2Fkeythingstoknow.html" target="_blank">countless proven facts</a> that support the effectiveness of the vaccines against the virus, and the millions of cases of people suffering and dying around the world because of the virus, <a href="https://www.bworldonline.com/health/2021/09/22/398016/vaccine-hesitancy-still-a-major-challenge-experts-say/" target="_blank">people still think it is better</a> to live with the said virus instead of dealing with a tiny needle for less than 5 seconds tops that feels nothing more than an ant bite at best. 
Grow up
The only way for society to come back to normal (which is literally what everyone wants) is for us to achieve <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/herd-immunity-lockdowns-and-covid-19?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJOMBhCZARIsAGEd4VG05oUipcTe8b5uMBxQ4H-5hhMDnhkM-OscptGI6SSe-pYH6nb20AIaApnMEALw_wcB" target="_blank">herd immunity</a> so we can finally contain the virus that took us all by surprise. This process can be significantly sped up if only people agreed to a scientifically proven medical process of receiving the vaccine (which is what some people don’t want). 
There won’t be future children to be scared of receiving a shot if you’re the one doing it for them. 
We always talk about building a better tomorrow for future generations to come. How our mistakes shouldn’t be solved by our children. This COVID-19 is serious. So serious to the point that it effectively crippled the whole world for as long as it did. It’s <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(19)30092-6/fulltext" target="_blank">up to us</a> to make sure it doesn’t go beyond our generation. 
The best vaccine may be the one that’s available, but availability won’t matter if there’s <a href="https://jepha.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s42506-021-00081-2" target="_blank">no one willing</a> to claim it. Maybe vaccine centers should give out free lollipops, that always worked for me as a kid.

I think we need to grow up

Anti-Vaxxers… In the Philippines? What Are They So Scared Of?

Oh how the time’s have changed
I was under the impression that productivity at home was a nonexistent concept. Coffee shops with overpriced products and being in the presence of my friends who would distract me every couple of minutes was the secret formula to success in my mind. 
Now I’m just a hermit in my room.
Oh don’t get me wrong. I love it. The<a href="https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/working-from-home.htm" target="_blank"> peace and quiet</a> allows me to really focus on my job and more importantly, my wallet isn’t screaming at me for buying another iced caramel macchiato. 
I used to problematize if I’m going to have enough gas to drive to school and to whatever place afterwards, now I’m just worrying about what game I’m loading up after my shift. 
Working from home has been great.
It might be hard to believe, but the ability to earn money without having to remove my pajamas is genuinely awesome. 
Time saver.
The outside world is very distracting. Restaurants, movies, cafes, your buddy’s house, spontaneous road trips are all very fun and I’ll admit, took up the majority of my time back then but I can’t say I was the most productive as well. 
Working from home has a lot of <a href="https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/benefits-of-remote-work/" target="_blank">hidden benefits</a> that I feel like is mostly overshadowed by the sad idea that we are all dealing with a pandemic and that it isn’t safe to be out. 
Clock in n’ out anytime, anywhere. 
I believe that if things were different and that I was required to be at the office every single day, I probably wouldn’t like my job as much as I do now. It’s the <a href="https://whatis.techtarget.com/feature/15-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-remote-work" target="_blank">freedom and flexibility</a> of remote work that allows me to have a much more personalized and distinct separation of <a href="https://ideas.ted.com/9-things-you-can-do-to-make-working-from-home-more-joyful/" target="_blank">work from play</a>. 
It’s the same, but better. 
If before, you would be stuck in the same place for 8 hours - a place that’s just purely all work and business, now, you’re stuck in another place too but you’re free to be more <a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-reasons-working-remotely-is-even-better-than-you-thought-it-was" target="_blank">“expressive”</a> than you normally would be in the office. 
Don’t tell me you can pet your dog while at work or whip up a random snack or even watch Netflix on the side while you are doing a report. You couldn’t even pick your nose without at least one person noticing it. 
Now, you’re free to do whatever you want (while still doing your job of course). I had a meeting with our CEO while he was just lying down on his bed. And you know what? I don’t blame him. &nbsp;

WFH is Fun

Working From Home Isn’t So Bad

“Play has no limits” or so they said. 
Sony’s PlayStation 5 was announced on September 9, 2020 and was met with a lot of praise and hype. With a release window of a month before the Christmas holidays, and coming off of an extremely successful PS4 lineup that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2020/02/28/theres-never-really-been-a-console-war-because-playstation-left-xbox-behind-from-the-start/?sh=32209fb313d7" target="_blank">dominated the market</a> for 8 years, the PS5 console was a guaranteed seller for the company. 
But, scalpers had a different way of seeing it. 
The first red flag came in the form of a pre-order system that was announced a day before. Needless to say, it was <a href="https://collider.com/ps5-pre-order-details/" target="_blank">an absolute disaster</a>. Websites crashing, servers not holding up, people were rushed due to the lack of an early heads up, and everyone’s favorite, scalpers taking up all of the available stock for themselves. 
When all you do is sit on your computer waiting for stocks to be open again and <a href="https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-scalper-bots-profit-by-buying-and-reselling-sony-ps5-and-xbox-consoles/" target="_blank">use automated bots</a> to purchase faster than a human can ever compete against, and sell that product with an extremely inflated price on the internet, you’re probably <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2021/02/10/playstation-5-scalpers-arent-happy-with-their-public-image/?sh=45de5e002c8d" target="_blank">a loser</a>. 
It’s bad enough that Sony can <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2021/02/10/playstation-5-scalpers-arent-happy-with-their-public-image/?sh=45de5e002c8d" target="_blank">barely keep up with the high demand</a> for the product due to semiconductor shortages well into the one year mark since release. The public now has to deal with scalpers who take up all of whatever stock is available for their own profit. It makes the <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-ph/ps5/" target="_blank">PS5’s slogan</a> “Play Has No Limits” all the more ironic. Sorry Sony, but it has a LOT of limits. 
Supply and demand
Scalpers have been causing <a href="https://medium.com/upskilling/how-scalpers-stall-the-integration-of-consumer-technology-6ac45770c1d7" target="_blank">headaches for the tech industry</a> for quite a while already. They see how much the public wants to experience the product and so they profit off of people’s desperation. 
It’s completely unethical. 
Sony has revealed that they’re already <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/ps5-is-being-sold-at-a-loss-but-has-generated-record-gaming-revenue-for-sony/" target="_blank">selling the PS5 at a loss</a> because of “strategic price points for hardware that were set lower than the manufacturing costs" the<a href="https://www.t3.com/news/ps5-scalpers-are-making-more-money-off-the-playstation-5-than-sony-is" target="_blank"> opposite can be said</a> for weirdos on the internet, a.k.a. scalpers. 
One can argue that scalpers exist because people are there to tolerate them. They wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t making money in the first place. The best way to deal with it is to *gasp* <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-05-17-what-can-we-do-to-stop-the-ps5-scalpers" target="_blank">stop buying from them</a>. But, I guess some people back then weren’t <a href="https://www.techspot.com/community/topics/scalpers-have-generated-nearly-40-million-in-profit-from-this-holidays-hottest-tech.266680/" target="_blank">ready for that conversation</a> just yet. 
Press Play
As unfortunate as it all may sound, there is light at the end of this tunnel. Since its launch last November 12, 2020, stocks for the PS5 are somewhat improving even though it still might be inconsistent going into 2022. We have <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/sony-warns-tight-playstation-5-supply-to-extend-into-next-year" target="_blank">a global pandemic</a> to thank for that. 
Retailers are <a href="https://www.cbr.com/japanese-retailer-solves-ps5-scalpers/" target="_self">getting creative</a> when it comes to <a href="https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/retailers-are-fighting-back-against-ps5-scalpers-heres-how-4126286" target="_blank">their strategies</a> to prevent scalping. Selling a console through a bundle to throw of automated bot that focus on purchasing just the console alone, selling at a much higher price and then refunding the customer after the transaction is made, only allowing people who sign up for a personalized newsletter to receive a pre-order form, they all do their own little way of helping out those who just want to buy normally. Heck, I even managed to get myself one a couple of months ago because of these said tactics. 
Suck it scalpers. 
No one likes a bully. Especially ones that affect our wallets. One of my favorite narratives that developed this year is finding out that scalpers are now<a href="https://www.gamingbible.co.uk/news/games-playstation-playstation-5-scalpers-are-starting-to-lose-money-and-we-love-to-see-20210913" target="_blank"> losing money</a> slowly, but steadily. It’s even gone as far as the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2021/03/13/ps5-scalpers-dont-understand-why-youre-giving-them-so-much-money/?sh=15f945a0659e" target="_blank">bully gets bullied</a> themselves. 
The problem still exists, but at least more and more people are <a href="https://gamerant.com/ps5-scalper-prices-are-falling/" target="_blank">starting to realize</a> that being patient is way better than paying 2 or even 3 times more. I look forward to the day when everything comes back to normal. People can meet face to face, I don’t have to go outside wearing a mask, and being able to play video games with a lot more people.

Patience is a money saver. 

A Story of Supply and Demand: PS5 Vs. Scalpers

Trust me.
COVID-19 sucks. The world seemed to shut down and 2020 just got bumped up on everyone’s worst year ever list. For a moment, we were all scrambling for what to do about it. Vaccines weren’t properly developed and so we all had to find out what were the best preventive measures. 
Horses to the rescue.
Ever heard of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc49PUVEz8g" target="_blank">bananas</a> being a cure? Or how <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/coronavirus-myths-explored" target="_blank">5G helps spread</a> the virus? Honestly, you can get a solid afternoon’s worth of entertainment by just looking up COVID-19 myths. Some of the things people think of are wild. 
Probably one of the most divisive of them all is the use of a deworming, antiparasitic drug that’s commonly used for animals for treatment and prevention against the Coronavirus. 
The conversation started when <a href="https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/study-ivermectin-kills-coronavirus/" target="_blank">Australian researchers discovered</a> a drug that was said to have the ability to kill the Coronavirus. A miracle drug that can cure a deadly virus within just 48 hours? It was an easy sell to the public. Too easy. 
But… I read somewhere...
No. Stop it. <a href="https://guides.lib.umich.edu/fakenews" target="_blank">Fake news</a> has been a constant problem ever since humans found out that the internet exists. The fact that anyone can pull out their phone and say something like a piece of plastic hanging in front of your face can help protect you from the pandemic is ridiculous. 
It’s even worse if people don’t know how to verify for themselves. 
I said before that if I send to my family group chat that bulletproof vests can help fight back Covid, the older people would believe it. It was clearly meant for a joke but after seeing how <a href="https://time.com/5362183/the-real-fake-news-crisis/" target="_blank">gullible people</a> are on the internet, I might not be too far off the mark with that one. 
Is ivermectin a miracle cure for the pandemic? As much as we all want it to be, no it is not. There is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0jzRPZogTI" target="_blank">data to prove</a> why and yet there are still some who are too stubborn to see it. 
FDA has gone as far as to take their warnings to <a href="https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/fm-fox/trending/2021-08-26-ivermectin-a-killer-vaccine-for-the-wilfully-ignorant/" target="_blank">social media</a> , laughably so if i may add. As funny as it may be, it’s also proof of just how much people are so easily fooled into believing what they see first despite the countless credible sources that say otherwise. 
Get well soon.
Unfortunately, you just <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/demon-sperm-doctors-new-bogus-cure-has-covid-truthers-eating-horse-paste" target="_blank">can’t change</a> some minds. Whether it be <a href="https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/ivermectin-covid-19-antiparasitic-political/" target="_blank">political</a> , personal, or a matter of convenience, an individual’s ideology is one <a href="https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/why-you-should-not-use-ivermectin-treat-or-prevent-covid-19" target="_blank">tricky nut to crack</a> once it settles on what it wants.
Fight back. (Responsibly) 
Nothing’s going to happen if we ridicule the people who are victimized by fake news. We’ve all been affected at some point. What matters is how we deal with it.
The root cause of fake news is the lack of proper knowledge. You tell a kid that Santa is real, they’ll believe you because they know no better. Would you make fun of them? That’s mean. Educate &gt; retaliate.

Trust me lol

Ivermectin and The Insanity of Fake News

What is Shein? 
If you don’t know what Shein is, you’re probably <a href="https://www.grin.com/document/942994#:~:text=The%20target%20audience%20for%20fast,than%20any%20other%20demographic%20group" target="_blank">one (or more) of three things</a>: 1.) male, 2.) above the age of 25, or 3.) you do all your shopping at the mall. If it’s the third one, then you’ve probably heard of H&amp;M and Zara, the world’s top <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fast-fashion.asp" target="_blank">fast fashion</a> brands—until recently. 
At its latest <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/shein-valued-at-100-billion-in-funding-round-11649126740?mod=Searchresults_pos2&page=1&AID=11557093&PID=6415797&SID=in%7C624ba8b9ed6d0d7b5c4e72df%7C1649396690827m6fa26if&subid=Business+Insider&cjevent=06171271b6ff11ec818c00740a18050f&tier_1=affiliate&tier_2=moa&tier_3=Business+Insider&tier_4=3861930&tier_5=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fshein-valued-at-100-billion-in-funding-round-11649126740%3Fmod%3DSearchresults_pos2%26page%3D1" target="_blank">funding round</a>, e-commerce company Shein was valued at a whopping $100 billion. That’s more than H&amp;M and Zara combined. 
So how did a brand without any brick-and-mortar stores overtake these fast fashion giants? 
An ingenious business model 
Shein is a Chinese fast fashion brand known for selling trendy items at rock-bottom prices — even <a href="https://www.extrabux.com/en/guide/6308726" target="_blank">compared to other already cheap fast fashion brands</a>. Except for <a href="https://fashionunited.uk/news/retail/shein-and-klarna-partner-on-london-pop-up-store/2022040762494" target="_blank">special collaboration pop-up events</a>, Shein operates exclusively online. Last year, they <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/18/shein-overtakes-amazon/" target="_blank">overtook Amazon</a> as the No. 1 retail shopping app in the US. Their products sell for as low as $3, but as of July 2021, they were making as <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-shein-gets-consumers-spend-fast-fashion-ecommerce-chinese-company-2021-6" target="_blank">much as $10 billion</a> in revenue annually. 
Shein operates on an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shein-china-billion-dollar-company-fast-fashion-brand-2021-8#the-company-operates-an-on-demand-business-model-5" target="_blank">on-demand business model</a>, meaning they release new designs in small batches, and only mass produce items that sell really well. With this model, Shein can bring in 2,000 new items a week without having to worry about inventory. 
They’re able to do this because their <a href="https://coresight.com/research/shein-how-is-the-chinese-brand-conquering-the-us-fast-fashion-market/" target="_blank">supply chain</a> is designed to pump out new products up to three times faster than their competitors. That, plus its intuitive and frankly <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9936113/How-shadowy-teen-brand-Shein-uses-algorithms-harvest-data-users.html" target="_blank">scary algorithm</a> that allows them to keep up with latest trends and what their consumers really want, is only one part of Shein’s secret success formula. 
Tiktok is the key 
Shein has worked with celebrities like <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/fashion/Madelaine-Petsch-Shein-Collaboration-46490287" target="_blank">Madelaine Petsch</a>, and regularly taps influencers with smaller followings to promote their brand. Sponsored posts like these help them reach wider customer bases and build brand reputation. After all, if you see someone you like wearing a brand, you’re more likely to buy from them. 
But that’s not all. Shein’s insanely cheap pricing and constant influx of new items is practically bait for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sponsored-tiktok-live-videos-see-increased-demand-more-expensive-valuable-2022-3" target="_blank">content creators</a>. Tiktok influencers can buy a large amount of items and showcase them in a “haul” video. The more items they show in the haul, the more impressive it is — and the more their audience becomes interested in the brand. 
More purchases lead to more haul videos, and more haul videos lead to more purchases — and Shein doesn’t have to spend a single cent. It’s free advertising, and the main reason behind Shein’s explosive social media success. 
Building loyalty — despite controversy 
Shein did not become the e-commerce monster that it is without getting their hands dirty. Shein, and the fast fashion industry in general, has been heavily criticized for <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/07/20/1018381462/why-indie-brands-are-at-war-with-shein-and-other-fast-fashion-companies#:~:text=But%20its%20growth%20has%20not,copying%20designs%20from%20indie%20designers" target="_blank">stealing designs</a> from artists, being generally <a href="https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/is-shein-bad-for-environment.php#:~:text=Shein%20receives%20very%20low%20scores,global%20warming%20and%20climate%20change" target="_blank">bad for the environment</a>, and encouraging a culture of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22573682/shein-future-of-fast-fashion-explained" target="_blank">overconsumption</a>. 
But despite it all, people still keep buying from them. 
Shein has mastered the art of building loyalty. Their affiliate program encourages buyers to promote their products on their social media accounts, and in exchange, affiliates get a commission from each referred sale. They also have exclusive memberships and generous reward systems that incentivize buyers to leave reviews and post photos of their purchases. 
Guilty shopping 
All of the aforementioned factors stack up like building blocks, creating a perfect storm of trendy, affordable, guilt-inducing, and addicting fashion. You see someone post a haul and you think “oh, those clothes are cute!” Tiktok recommends similar videos, you watch a few, and all of a sudden now you’re seeing Shein in every app and every website, the low cost of their items heavily featured in every ad. 
Before you know it, Shein is at the forefront of your mind. 
Shein’s marketing is effective because it holds your hand through the entire process. They’ve become masters at piquing and sustaining consumer interest — before you even realize it, you’re not just a casual window shopper looking at what the app has to offer. All of a sudden you’re clicking “Add to cart.” 
And okay, I’ll admit, I was one of those casual window shoppers. I was just looking at cute clothes, and then the next thing I knew, I clicked “Add to cart.” Do I feel bad about it? Yes. Am I happy with my purchase? Also yes. 
Gen Z prides itself in its <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/wokeness" target="_blank">wokeness</a>. We care about a lot of things, and we don’t shut up about the things we care about. But Shein’s primary audience, despite being <a href="https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/387548/shein-is-shady-but-cheap-so-can-we-blame-people-for-buying/" target="_blank">sketchy</a>, is women aged 18-24 — it’s us. 
The fact is, shopping for sustainable and ethically sourced clothing can be expensive. Shein offers items that are decent quality, size inclusive, and dirt cheap — and I am a struggling large-bodied woman in her early 20s who just wants to look nice. 
So even though we <a href="https://www.documentjournal.com/2022/04/gen-z-isnt-as-sustainable-as-we-thought-as-fast-fashion-retailer-shein-is-valued-at-100-billion-equaling-that-of-space-x/" target="_blank">feel bad about it</a>, people like me will likely continue to buy from fast fashion brands like Shein. And it doesn’t help that Shein’s marketing strategy is so damn good, it makes you forget you’re doing something bad.

What we can learn from Shein’s digital marketing genius.

How Shein Became the World’s #1 Fast Fashion Brand

Lying about graphics 
Every developer wants to put their best foot forward. An impressive first showing of their game would mean a lot more interest, especially if it’s a brand new IP and not connected to any established franchise. 
When <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcMRkyoHKeA" target="_blank">Ubisoft first showed Watch Dogs at E3 2012</a>, audiences were immediately sold at how impressive it looked from a graphical standpoint. It was touted as a real glimpse into the future of gaming as it was ushering in the eighth generation of consoles. 
It received countless awards ranging from critic’s choice, best showcase, and most anticipated release from multiple sources. Come release day in 2014, it was soon found out that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX4HTUuCy3k" target="_blank">the developers lowered the quality of the graphics</a> without telling anyone. 
You don’t promise a bucket of candy only for you to give out just a piece of mint per person. Always make sure that if you are showing off something, <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/watch-dogs-downgrade-controversy-is-a-lesson-learned-for-ubisoft/" target="_blank">it’ll reflect what the final product will be</a>. All the hype and praises at the start won’t be worth it if you end up losing the trust of the people – which is exactly what happened with Watch Dog’s sequel as it received <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-11-21-watch-dogs-2-launch-sales-nowhere-near-watch-dogs-1" target="_blank">significantly less sales</a> compared to its predecessor. 
Extreme initiatives 
Sometimes, being “different” to stand out isn’t always a good thing. It’s one thing to get attention with your campaign, it’s another to anticipate what type of attention you would want to surround your product with. 
When Sony was attempting to market a white-colored PSP, they had a caucasian woman look down upon a black woman. You can probably guess how well that ended up for them. The ad was so controversial that <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/5/15190396/sony-psp-ad-white-is-coming-pepsi-kendall-jenner" target="_blank">it is still being talked about years later</a>. 
Another example would be EA’s attempt at appealing to a younger demographic with a video called “Your mom does not like Dead Space 2” and surely enough, <a href="https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/02/your-mom-hates-dead-space-2-advert-stirring-controversy.html" target="_blank">moms definitely did not like it</a>. 
Be careful with your messaging and make sure that it’s not just for shock value. Being edgy is catchy but it certainly won’t make everyone happy. 
Misleading gameplay previews 
You wouldn’t market coke and then serve up water. Aliens: Colonial Marines made the mistake of showing previews that didn’t accurately represent the final game. 
A video showcasing an immersive atmosphere, impressive gameplay, and accurate enemy designs, had fans of the classic film franchise excited for a great gaming experience. When the game was finally released, all that was shown in the demo was <a href="https://www.denofgeek.com/games/aliens-colonial-marines-what-went-wrong/" target="_blank">nowhere to be found</a>. 
The developer and publisher of Aliens: Colonial Marines got <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/05/01/aliens-colonial-marines-draws-false-advertising-lawsuit/?sh=50253ee32b0a" target="_blank">sued for false advertising</a> by the way. 
Present what your game truly is, not what you want the audience to think it might be. You can control what the public will want. 
Deceptive trailers 
The Dead Island cinematic trailer was considered <a href="https://knowtechie.com/dead-islands-2011-reveal-is-still-the-best-game-trailer-of-all-time/" target="_blank">one of the best trailers in gaming</a>. It showed an emotionally resonant tone that would bring in the drama and suspense. When the final game was released, it had the resemblance of what a car looks like to a piece of bread. 
With B-movie levels of wacky writing, the game’s narrative was a far cry from the soap opera tone the trailer was trying to suggest. 
Although cinematic trailers are visually impressive and allow for more creative freedom as you’re basically making a mini-movie without the constraints of your game’s systems, you run the risk of going overboard. 
Stay true to what you’re selling. If it’s dramatic – present it as such. If it’s fun, don’t make it look like it’s trying to win ‘best in drama’ at the Oscars. 
Over promising 
Cyberpunk 2077 promised a lot of gameplay innovations and unique features that had fans anticipating for almost 10 years. As you would expect at this point in the article, it did not deliver at any of those. 
When the game <a href="https://www.engadget.com/cyberpunk-2077-delay-december-10-173917295.html" target="_blank">kept getting delayed multiple times</a> while the heads of the studio kept <a href="https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2020/03/16/cyberpunk-2077-development-cd-projekt-red-works-from-home/" target="_blank">insisting that development was going smooth</a>, it had gamers confident in a product that would meet expectations. 
Not long after the game’s release, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/12/cd-projekt-red-investors-sue-company-over-cyberpunk-2077-debacle/" target="_blank">CD Projekt Red’s investors sued the company for false advertising</a>. 
A good marketing campaign is more than just generating hype, it’s also about tempering expectations. Be realistic about what you say and consumers will be realistic with what they’re going to be looking for. &nbsp;

It's a game over for these games.

5 Mistakes in Video Game Marketing (And How to Avoid them)

No one likes an early “game over” 
It’s easy to say that if you develop a good enough game, it won’t need good marketing as it will sell itself for you. This argument can be further supported by the examples of big franchise brands such as Call of Duty (CoD) selling <a href="https://fortune.com/2020/01/17/best-selling-video-games-past-25-years/" target="_blank">record numbers with each release</a> despite massive criticisms from fans and critics. 
That won’t be the case all the time. The most recent entry in the CoD series is actually <a href="https://gameranx.com/updates/id/281320/article/poll-reveals-why-people-didnt-buy-call-of-duty-vanguard/" target="_blank">the worst selling one</a> in recent years. Franchise fatigue, bloated release windows, lack of visibility are just some of the factors that contribute to lower sales records. Before anything else, here’s a few of the things to remember when it comes to marketing your new game: 
<ol>
<li>Relying on brand recognition is not always the best strategy. The most recent example would be the Guardians of the Galaxy game from Eidos-Montréal, the developers of the critically acclaimed Tomb Raider reboot trilogy. Despite glowing reviews, <a href="https://www.cbr.com/marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy-sales-disappointed-square-enix/#:~:text=Eidos%2DMontr%C3%A9al's%20critically%2Dacclaimed%20Guardians,how%20many%20units%20were%20moved" target="_blank">the publisher made a statement</a> that the game did not meet sales expectations. </li>
<li>Miscommunicating what the game is about is instant death. False advertising may lead to high initial sales, but you’re at risk of damaging the trust and credibility from your playerbase and potential customers. We all know <a href="https://www.givemesport.com/1632972-cyberpunk-2077-creators-are-now-being-sued-by-investors-for-false-advertising" target="_blank">the mess that was Cyberpunk 2077</a>. </li>
<li>Don’t forget about the importance of community building. Word of mouth is a powerful tool for any marketing campaign. Develop a solid fan base around your game, and they'll do half the job for you. Minecraft, <a href="https://insights.dice.com/2016/01/08/minecraft-and-the-power-of-word-of-mouth/" target="_blank">the best-selling game of all time, was built upon this premise</a>. </li>
</ol>
Take the controller 
A large part of what makes anything great is how you promote it. You can create the best thing on earth but if no one knows about it, you won’t get anything in return. When it comes to video games, as someone tasked to ensure that it hits sales targets, you have to ask yourself first, are you selling a product or an experience? 
To avoid the disconnect between the quality of the game and how it is shown to the public, it is important to make sure that <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/4-reasons-why-you-should-involve-marketing-your-game-anna-bouveng" target="_blank">both the marketing team and the game developers are working together</a> from the very beginning of the process. You wouldn’t want to do a class presentation without knowing what your group did for the project right? 
In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrZlSDngwH8&t=1333s" target="_blank">GDC talk given by Thomas Reisenegger</a>, he emphasizes that development companies usually begin the PR planning between the time a game is revealed to the public and its release date. By that time, it would’ve already been too late. 
There are four key phases to selling a game: 
<ol>
<li>Building awareness. It all begins in the pre-production phase of the game’s development. Surveys and focus groups of marketing teams will be instrumental in navigating what the current landscape is with players and competitors. Which genre is the most popular? What features do players want to see? Learn about what type of game people want to buy. </li>
<li>Developing consideration from the audience. This is when the game is announced with trailers, PR stunts, feature videos, or whatever unique initiative that fits the experience the game is trying to convey. This is your chance to showcase what makes your game stand out. A well-made gameplay showcase is the most recommended here as long as you <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/did-ubisoft-mislead-gamers-about-watch-dogs-next-gen-graphics-1234788" target="_blank">don’t pull a Watch Dogs</a>. Be clear with your messaging and remember to always show, don’t tell. Making aspirational promises is one thing, but gamers will appreciate it if they can see what you are talking about. </li>
<li>Conversion into a customer. At this point, you are already nearing the launch window of your game. You probably have released a number of trailers, featurettes, and press conferences to show what your game is about. One of the best ways to convince someone to buy something is to make them try it out first. A great example would be <a href="https://kotaku.com/back-4-bloods-beta-hit-nearly-100k-active-players-on-st-1847446673" target="_blank">Back 4 Blood’s highly successful beta weekend</a> before launch. Give players a slice of what the experience can be when they buy the game. It instills confidence in their purchases while enabling them as well to share it with others. </li>
<li>Nurturing a fanbase. Free demos and trials can be given away through channels such as Discord, social media, or newsletters. Not only are you slowly building up a community for your game, you are also giving them an exclusive look at what they can expect. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2015/09/08/why-transparency-in-marketing-is-key-for-the-customer-experience/?sh=7100901c61b9" target="_blank">Transparency is ideal</a> for the customer experience. Social channels are a great way to constantly communicate with potential customers about the behind the scenes of development, dev diaries, and community updates. A great example is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJZWKBDXXFY" target="_blank">God of War 2018’s “Raising Kratos” documentary</a> of how it all went down from the pitching phase all the way to the release reviews. If you’re looking for an example for a multiplayer experience, <a href="https://www.warframe.com/news/coming-soon-devstream-160" target="_blank">Warframe’s regular dev streams</a> are a great template to show what the studio is working on while at the same time, celebrating the community of the game. </li>
</ol>
As soon as potential customers turn into fans, they’ll begin to sell the game for you. A classic example is the critically acclaimed Demon’s Souls which was <a href="https://gamerant.com/sony-demons-souls-japan/" target="_blank">initially considered a failure</a>. After people started talking about the difficulty and uniqueness of the experience, others got more and more curious until it eventually got considered as <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2019/11/15/20967134/demons-souls-most-important-game-of-the-decade" target="_blank">one of the best games</a> of the generation. 
Word of mouth advertising can also be achieved through partnering with content creators such as streamers and youtubers to showcase your game. In 2020, the number of people that watch games being played online <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/3147/gaming-video-content-market/#topicHeader__wrapper" target="_blank">have reached 1.2 billion</a>. 
<a href="https://cs-agents.com/blog/game-review-affect-game-purchases/" target="_blank">Game reviews will either make or break your launch</a>. They will serve as your voice to speak to the consumers. If you are confident in the experience of your game, make sure to get in contact with gaming publications and media to provide them with early review codes. Come launch day, thousands of individuals will look for external confirmation if the game is good enough to spend their hard earned money on. If the reviewers say so, gamer wallets will soon follow. 
The more eyes that are placed on your game, the more conversations there will be about it. Eventually, distribution platforms such as the PSN store, Steam, Apple Store, and Xbox Marketplace will take notice and start showing your game in the featured discovery pages. Barely anyone goes to the second page in a google search right? Same concept here. 
Speaking of search results, it’s also worth noting that release dates are very important for SEO. What good is all your promotional initiatives if gamers won’t know when the game will come out? Once you hook in a potential customer, the first thing they'll be asking is “when will this come out?” When they inevitably search this question on Google, you would want to draw them into your website or social channels. 
Press Start 
PR planning for a video game is not an exclusive process. Sometimes <a href="https://whatculture.com/gaming/8-great-trailers-for-underwhelming-video-games" target="_blank">a great trailer can lead to a bad game</a> or vice versa. Sometimes <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-11-04-titanfall-is-a-victim-of-chest-beating-pride" target="_blank">a great game can be overshadowed</a> by a bad one just because the latter had the better public appearances. 
<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/552623/number-games-released-steam/" target="_blank">Thousands of games</a> get released every year. That is thousands of competition gunning for the top spot with each release window. Not everyone has the capability to buy every single release during its launch. <a href="https://www.destructoid.com/half-of-pc-gamers-will-wait-for-a-sale-before-buying-games/" target="_blank">Most would rather wait for a sale</a> and as the marketing team, profit from discounts is not the most ideal. 
To market a game based on surface-level concepts such as how good it looks, who’s in the cast, who’s the studio that made it, etc. is to rid it of its potential to reach a wider audience in a much more substantial manner. 
The advantage of video games is in its interactivity. The unique experience each one gives to the player will hardly be replicated by any other piece of media. It’s already a story worth telling, now all it needs is the extra push to make it worth getting. &nbsp;

Playing the marketing game right. 

Level Up The Right Stats: How To Market Video Games

Enter the <a href="https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/popmedicine/94505" target="_blank">medfluencer</a>, one of the more worthwhile Internet trends to gain traction in the pandemic as people scrambled for timely and reliable information on the novel coronavirus. 
A portmanteau of “medical” and “influencer,” “medfluencer” literally describes a social media celebrity from the medical field. The term is as inherently 2020 to us as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLKN9kOxdy8" target="_blank">dance trends</a> or dalgona coffee, but medfluencers have been around way before that. 
Vox once coined “nursefluencer” for Sarah Warren, also known as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shesinscrubs/" target="_blank">shesinscrubs</a> on Instagram. We can’t forget Dr. Adam Smith, or <a href="https://twitter.com/docadamsmith?lang=en" target="_blank">Doc Adam</a> for short, either. Best known for being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2wKW7cIT9Y" target="_blank">that Tagalog-speaking Australian doctor-vlogger</a>, he has been active on Twitter and Youtube since 2017. 
While other medfluencers have since been propelled to celeb status due to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/doctor.mike/" target="_blank">Hollywood-grade looks</a> or a claim on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgrsF4TYwmrV0QsXb8AoeHQ" target="_blank">niche (yet ultra satisfying)</a>, more everyday nurses and doctors like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dr.noc/?hl=en" target="_blank">Dr. Noc</a>, or Morgan McSweeney in real life, focused on the pandemic. 
As TikTok exploded to global and mainstream use in the early days of quarantine, so did false information and unbacked claims on COVID-19 (<a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/pandemic-conspiracy-theorists-disinformation-tiktok" target="_blank">“Plandemic”</a>—ring any bells?). Dr. Noc became one of the many experts who rolled up their white coat sleeves to debunk all that misinformation on the platform themselves. 
#DocTok will see you now 
The way TikTok’s algorithm endlessly feeds users with videos of similar content already makes it a battle of quantity over quality. It doesn’t matter if a conspiracy theorist has 100 or 100k followers, or if you follow them or not—if you watch one #Plandemic video, more like it will appear on the For You page. This is how any video could amass thousands to millions of views on TikTok. 
With TikTok’s mostly young user base, fact-checking has never been more dire. The youth are the least likely to suffer from severe COVID-19, but they’re also the most likely to spread it to older and more vulnerable populations. 
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@drleslie?lang=en" target="_blank">Dr. Rose Marie Leslie</a> is a chief family medicine resident and a TikToker with 908.1k followers. In an <a href="https://time.com/5926397/health-workers-tiktok-covid-19/" target="_blank">interview</a> with Time, she said it’s important to reach young people at a time they’re “really hungry for health information, but don’t know where to look for it and often aren’t going to the doctor frequently.” 
And how do they do it? <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/doctok?lang=en" target="_blank">#DocToks</a> range from <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@christinaaaaaaanp/video/7063224766353755438?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en" target="_blank">straightforward explainers</a> to expansive <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@drglaucomflecken/video/7053535891322670383?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en" target="_blank">alternate universe skits</a> starring themselves, all in the name of medical science. It’s easy-to-watch, informative, and best of all, it’s an easy one million views. 
Naturally, it hasn’t been easy. Writing, filming, and editing one’s own content on top of a demanding, on-call schedule is extra work. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@christinaaaaaaanp?lang=en" target="_blank">Christina Kim</a>, an oncology nurse with 228k followers on TikTok, has battled fake news and critics. If their trouble, however, saves a few more people from a positive diagnosis or worse, a trip to a crowded ER, then they feel it should be worth it.
That’s where the kicker lies. Influencer culture has primed us for medfluencers. What sets the latter apart from the typical endorsers brands have pitched to us in recent years is the sense of obligation that comes with every EduTok or IG Reel they post. 
Sure, they make some money off their views—med student turned Youtube star <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/AmericaRevere/videos?app=desktop" target="_blank">America Revere</a> claimed it’s helped her pay off student loans—but that’s just a secondary perk. They primarily do it to keep us healthy and informed at minimal cost and <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2022/03/25/dr-glaucomflecken-will-flanary-profile/" target="_blank">maximum entertainment</a>, true to Doc Adam’s promise of “effective, safe, and free” medical advice. If anything, medfluencers make our collective <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/doomsurfing-doomscrolling-words-were-watching" target="_blank">doomscrolling</a> experience more worthwhile.
A remedy to the times
Clear and concise health communications have always been relevant <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/people-vintage-mask-ads-spanish-flu-1918-pandemic-2020-5" target="_blank">for as long as humans have battled with disease</a>. In the age of #TMI and misinformation, engaging yet factual content is a step towards media literacy. If those <a href="https://fanbooster.com/blog/how-to-get-verified-on-social-media/" target="_blank">little blue check marks</a> mean anything, it encourages people, especially the youth, to verify their sources of information now. 
“There clearly was an appetite for scientific content, but nothing so much as like it is now,” said Dr. Noc in an <a href="https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/generalprofessionalissues/93360?xid=fb_o&trw=no" target="_blank">interview</a> with MedPage. “What I'm hoping is that this interest will translate even after the pandemic, after people get vaccinated, they'll still want to consume pro-health, medical scientific information on social media.” 
Medfluencers also make us exercise this often neglected muscle called empathy. A medical practitioner’s work is empathic by nature. In urging viewers to take up public health measures like getting vaccinated and keeping masks on, they ask us to protect ourselves and other people around us too.
“I genuinely want this pandemic to end. I want people to recognize what we need to do to make it end,” said Kim. “And I have responsibility, now with this platform that I have, I think it would almost be irresponsible to step away from that.”

Who says healthcare is boring?

The Medfluencer is In: How COVID-19 Produced a New Variant of Influencers

I can’t believe I’m actually saying this but ~back in my day~ 
I remember being excited for the Sunday newspaper so I can skip over to the comics and incoming movies section. Spider-man and <a href="https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes" target="_blank">Calvin and Hobbes</a> were definite highlights to read, and seeing those <a href="https://opinion.inquirer.net/category/editorial-cartoon" target="_blank">editorial cartoons</a> that poke fun at the state of politics blew my mind as a kid (even though I didn’t understand the *very* mature punchlines). Alternatively, convincing my parents to catch the next screening of whatever film had the coolest looking poster in the print was an experience I never got bored of. 
Now that I’m all grown up, having graduated college, and pursuing a career in writing, I’m still the nerdy dude who is deeply fascinated with pop culture because of what newspapers showed me all those years ago. 
It just doesn’t hit the same anymore.
Now, I’m not one of those people who included the morning paper in their daily coffee routine. I’m not that old. But it was fun to sit by my parents and wait for their snarky comments with every headline they pass. How else do you think I found out that *some* political slogans don’t mean what they actually say? 
Nowadays, it’s just sharing articles online. While yes, I agree that it is a much more efficient way to spread information since everyone from little timmy to that senior on the street corner has their own electronic device - it also loses the weight newspapers give when it comes to the content you’re seeing. 
“Truth is a point of view, but authenticity can't be faked.” - Peter Guber
When something is being talked about in the newspaper, you know it was a big deal. <a href="https://people.howstuffworks.com/newspaper.htm" target="_blank">Before that paper can reach your hands</a>, it had to go through multiple writers, editors, fact-checkers, and revisions. Today, some random joe can write about how medicine meant to de-worm a<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2021/08/29/ivermectin-a-40-year-old-anti-parasitic-now-embedded-in-a-covid-19-culture-war/?sh=520aea7ace09" target="_blank"> horse</a> can help cure a pandemic causing infectious disease and people will believe it just because the writer said “dude trust me.” 
Newspapers gave that sense of security with the information it was giving to the people. It was the gatekeeper of fake news before it lived in our online news feeds rent-free. 
“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” - Christian Lous Lange
In the US back in 2020, no major newspaper circulated more than a million copies daily. This was the lowest it has ever been since 1940. Only 3% of the citizens get their daily news from print. 28% of daily newspapers have closed down which is a total of 488 publications in 50 years. These are all just in <a href="https://letter.ly/newspaper-statistics/" target="_blank">America alone</a>. 
The numbers don’t lie, newspapers are disappearing and it’s all because of what you’re looking at right now. 
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/technology/20green.html" target="_blank">Paul Gillin</a>, operator of the <a href="http://newspaperdeathwatch.com/" target="_blank">Web site Newspaper Death Watch</a> (little bit on the nose don’t you think?) says that “In an electronically mediated world, where frictionless access to information is the norm, the high fixed cost of print publishing makes the major metro newspaper business model unsustainable.”
Print fell out of fame, instant gratification is the new face of the game. 
It’s just<a href="https://clubs.waketech.edu/wake-review/magazine/creative-writing/non-fiction/the-decline-in-newspapers-a-closer-look-joseph-ahrens/" target="_blank"> not profitable anymore</a>. People didn’t have to pay and wait for a newspaper delivery when they can just boot up Google and search whatever they want. 
Companies realized that their ads can be better seen on Facebook. Schmucks like me found out that clicking the upload button was a million times faster than mailing my piece to an editor and wait 2 months for them to reply and say “this is cr*p.”
Black and White 
Newspapers thought they were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBo1mFKV2F0&t=696s" target="_blank">invincible</a>, but the<a href="https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/reports/expanding-news-desert/loss-of-local-news/loss-newspapers-readers/" target="_blank"> sign of the times</a> called for them to slowly evolve into a digital code. Sure, you can still consume well-written content in places such as <a href="https://medium.com/" target="_blank">Medium</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/asia" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">NYTimes</a>, and <a href="https://www.rappler.com/" target="_blank">Rappler</a>, but you can’t deny the charm of receiving that roll of paper and seeing what’s up with the world today. 
While there are still some out there that prefer print to give them their daily 411, millions more prefer to receive a digital newsletter. Yes, just like you. &nbsp;

Oh how the Times have changed, literally. 

Anyone Remember Newspapers?

Whether it be an act of <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/25/wtf-is-clickbait/" target="_blank">over-promising</a>, misleading, or sensationalizing a headline, the <a href="https://medium.com/publishous/what-ive-learned-after-publishing-250-clickbait-headlines-61edd02f54ab" target="_blank">goal</a> is to always have the maximum amount of views and interactions. You can make the greatest edited video of your life or probably the best-written article but when your titles and thumbnails end up falling flat, you might as well just post it in a private account. 
First impressions matter. A lot. 
Some of the best practices in PR always involve efficient ways to expand exposure and visibility. With everything being online nowadays - work or leisure, there is a greater need to <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/07/15/clickbait" target="_blank">fight for the attention</a> you would want your post to get. Regardless of the subject matter, it all comes down to a couple of things, would you want to tease, taunt, or entice your viewer into <a href="https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/thenow/what-is-clickbait/1/" target="_blank">clicking into what you have to say</a>?
Everyone loves a good chase.
Nothing piques an individual’s interest more than a fun little challenge. When your title is specifically designed to appeal to one’s curiosity then, you’re already halfway there. A curious viewer is more than likely to click on your work. They may or may not finish consuming your content, but your click-through rate is up, which enables your post to be more visible in the online space. <a href="https://youtu.be/S2xHZPH5Sng?t=169" target="_blank">The ultimate resource is people’s time and attention</a>. 
Let’s say you want to talk about a niche topic such as the increasing delay in the production of computer chips causing the inability of the tech industry to meet the rising demand for electronics during the lockdown. Maybe your first title would be “Computer Chip Shortages Hinder the Electronic Market”. It’s straightforward but does it really invite more investigation out of the potential viewer?&nbsp;
The title already summarized the article which gives no real incentive to read through the whole thing just to land into the conclusion that computer chip shortages really do hinder the electronics market. How about “You Won’t Be Getting that New Gadget Anytime Soon”? The new title now creates a <a href="https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/07/clickbait-headlines-good-tactic/" target="_blank">curiosity gap</a> for the viewer to potentially explore. Deliberately ambiguous but, it’s not an entirely false statement to make. 
Click baiting entails a big responsibility out of the content creator. 
You want to make sure that your titles are interesting enough to invite further exploration or you can easily lose the trust of your viewers by <a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/07/what-is-clickbait.html" target="_blank">overpromising</a> the content that you have. Titles such as “This is the Greatest Life Hack!” or “You Wouldn’t Believe What Just Happened!” all sound too generic and hyperbolic. You are setting yourself up to <a href="https://www.benchmarkone.com/blog/5-reasons-clickbait-negatively-impacts-business/" target="_blank">disappointing your viewer</a> if you hype up something that <a href="https://keap.com/business-success-blog/marketing/content-marketing/what-is-clickbait" target="_blank">isn’t as grand as you made it up to be</a>. This can cause a downward domino effect for your content’s interaction rates. 
P.T. Barnum, arguably one of the earliest to ever adopt an excessive form of a “clickbait” PR strategy wrote in his book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Art-Money-Getting-P-Barnum/dp/1617201952" target="_blank">The Art of Money Getting</a>, “You may advertise a spurious article and induce many people to call and buy it once, but they will denounce you as an imposter and swindler, and your business will gradually die out and leave you poor.”
The internet is filled to the brim with people who have something to say, the trick to standing out is to immediately assert yourself as someone who needs to be paid attention to. 
Whether it be a marketing campaign, a PR initiative, or just you wanting to share an opinion, practicing good and responsible click baiting goes a long way to solidifying your presence in online spaces. Making good content is half the job. Set the bait, lure them in, and make sure you don’t disappoint with what they’ll see. 
 &nbsp;

Give me your attention, I need it.

This is Probably Clickbait

Pay-To-Live
Staying at home isn’t so bad right? You don’t have to worry about commuting/ traffic, food is technically free, your bed is there at any time you need it, and you can easily do whatever hobby or leisure activity at any point. 
It is if you’re lucky enough. 
When lockdowns were enforced, we all had to live every aspect of our lives away from the outside world. None of us were ready for it. Socializing, entertainment, education, business, and jobs had to be done online or none at all. 
If there was anything that was spreading faster than the COVID-19 virus itself, it would be <a href="https://brandgenetics.com/human-thinking/self-isolation-a-privilege-many-cant-afford/" target="_blank"><ins>the gap between the rich and the poor</ins></a> and how different both sides experience the reality of the pandemic.
Healthcare has <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/insurance/why-do-healthcare-costs-keep-rising/" target="_blank"><ins>always been expensive</ins></a>. For some of us, we barely bat an eye when we catch a cold or feel under the weather that warrants a visit to the doctor because we have the means to pay for it. But for the ones <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/podcast/2019/apr/its-harder-people-living-poverty-get-health-care" target="_blank"><ins>who are in the lower class</ins></a> of the population, it’s not as easy. 
In the case of the Coronavirus pandemic, what’s usually recommended? Social distancing, an act that would require you to stay at a home that’s large enough to fit your needs with all the resources such as food, electricity, and entertainment to keep you at bay. Sanitation, which needs stable access to running water, alcohol, soap, and disinfectants. Only going out for essential travel which needs face masks, safe transportation to avoid public exposure, and the necessary permits and possibly, proof of vaccination.
If it wasn’t obvious enough already, <a href="https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/viral-message-social-distancing-privilege/" target="_blank"><ins>not everyone can say that they can afford</ins></a> all of this. 
We’re all in this “together”
As much as I’d love to sing along with everyone else, the harsh reality is that we’re only collectively experiencing the effects of this pandemic at a surface level. 
It’s the same, but different. 
When a large-scale crisis happens, it usually exposes a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01284-5" target="_blank"><ins>failed system</ins></a> that was meant to prevent it. Governments didn’t impose stricter policies at the start? Traveling outside started to spread the virus. Imposing a lockdown but failing to give proper financial and practical support to people in poverty? Lives will continue to be in danger. 
The rich are able to carry on with their lives through the use of a digital screen and online spaces, <a href="https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/05/22/covid-19-we-are-not-all-in-it-together-less-privileged-in-society-are-suffering-the-brunt-of-the-damage/" target="_blank"><ins>the poor are left behind by the rest of the world</ins></a> because they can’t keep up with it. The Internet and technology <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/22/digital-divide-persists-even-as-americans-with-lower-incomes-make-gains-in-tech-adoption/" target="_blank"><ins>aren’t exactly easy to get</ins></a> for everyone. 
Make no mistake, COVID-19 feels like a pandemic for the poor and <a href="https://afsee.atlanticfellows.org/blog/2020/craig-dube-harare-covid19-lockdown-is-a-luxury-for-the-global-south-l8t22" target="_blank"><ins>a minor nuisance for the privileged</ins></a>. I was out here complaining that I didn’t finish my senior year in college in the actual college while hundreds, if not millions out there <a href="https://www.voicesofyouth.org/blog/online-classes-are-future-millions-households-internet-connectivity-remains-privilege" target="_blank"><ins>have to stop going to school</ins></a> altogether. 
Check your privilege
The next time I think about complaining about waking up early to sit in front of my laptop to type a few words and get paid for it, I’ll remember to <a href="https://www.rappler.com/voices/rappler-blogs/being-privileged-time-coronavirus-pandemic" target="_blank"><ins>slap myself</ins></a>.
It’s easy to complain. 
I think the pandemic is annoying. I think it sucks that I got my degree through online classes. I think it sucks that I’m working in the same area I sleep and do my hobbies in. I think it sucks that I can only see my friends through social media. The fact that I’m able to complain about all of these, already shows that <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-25/covid-19-pandemic-exacerbating-wealth-inequality/13089128" target="_blank"><ins>my problems are miniscule</ins></a> compared to those who have to worry about whether or not they’ll even have a meal for the day. 
We can’t just sit here and say that “things are looking up” when we see the number of cases start to go down. Sure, the virus may not be as wild as it was before due to more defined health protocols and vaccine development, but we’re not out of the woods just yet. And if you’re part of the lucky ones who can say that you can wait, countless others out there are saying they can’t afford to.

Taking “social distancing” too far. 

It’s Only A Lockdown if You Can’t Afford It

HEY!
Getting an ad in the middle of whatever content you’re consuming is equivalent to a virtual slap in the face. It’s annoying, intrusive, and don’t tell me you like being slapped in the face.
That’s just weird. 
Imagine trying to relax/ fall asleep to some soothing tunes or ASMR even, and when you’re just about to finally start snoring… BAM! Do YOU want to know what makes grammarly great?! 
The main character in the TV show that’s been running for longer than it has any right to be is about to die for the 32nd time and you’re just sitting there hoping they finally put him out of his misery after almost 1,500 episodes and suddenly let’s talk about why this detergent bar eliminates 99.99% of germs.
What choice do we have?
Digital advertisements aren’t necessarily all that bad. It’s a growing industry that <a href="https://www.adlibweb.com/why-advertising-is-essential-to-any-kind-of-business/" target="_blank">helps grow other industries</a>. It’s an essential part of our economy. But you can’t deny just how disruptive it can be. 
They’re everywhere. 
<a href="https://www.vieodesign.com/blog/new-data-why-people-hate-ads" target="_blank">Consumer studies in 2018</a> show that 91% of people believe that ads are now more disruptive than they have ever been with the ones that pop-up being the most popular on the “thanks, I hate it” list. Who would’ve thought that something that forces itself onto majority of the user’s screen would earn a 73% disapproval rating. Shocking right?
Even the ones that are supposedly designed to be more subtle in their appearance, banner ads, are being viewed as <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2013/under-the-influence-consumer-trust-in-advertising/" target="_blank">untrustworthy</a>. I don’t know about you but when I see boxes at the side of my screen that say “click me!”, I immediately think it’s a virus. 
Peace is for the privileged
It’s not a secret that <a href="https://wistia.com/learn/marketing/the-psychology-behind-why-people-dislike-ads" target="_blank">people find ads intrusive</a>. Even the big corporations who do it <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/21/want-to-get-rid-of-ads-pay-google-a-fee.html" target="_blank">know that they’re annoying</a>. 
People are now willing to pay to be left alone. 
42.7% of internet users around the world <a href="https://backlinko.com/ad-blockers-users" target="_blank">use an adblocker</a> as of 2021. Imagine paying someone to stop talking because their voice was getting too much. 
When people mess with the system, the system fights back. There are websites that rely on ad revenue to make a buck and once they detect some form of an adblocking program, they restrict content from the user. 74% of these adblock users would rather <a href="https://www.vieodesign.com/blog/new-data-why-people-hate-ads" target="_blank">leave the site</a> rather than put up with it. 
Not everyone has the luxury to do so. 
It’s a little ironic that in a world where almost everything is monetized, companies still earn from people who don’t want any part of it. When you have the money to pay for an adblock subscription or a premium version that eliminates pop ups, why not right? No one likes to be disturbed. 
Companies who earn from ad engagement still earn because you pay them to leave you alone. 
But for those who can’t afford to spend on something that isn’t necessarily a primary need, they’re left to deal with the disruption. The rich stay focused, while the poor remain disturbed.

Annoying? Pay up.

Excuse Me While I Disrupt Your Experience

Corporate therapy.
Okay let’s be honest here, we’re not always happy with our jobs. Bad days are inevitable, I mean - Mondays exist right? 
Some of us may handle it better than others but recently, around <a href="https://manilarecruitment.com/manila-recruitment-articles-advice/understand-why-employees-leave-turnover-statistics-need-to-know-infographic/" target="_blank">50% of employees quit</a> their job within the first two years. When an applicant finds out that <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/news/foods-longest-expiration-dates-070000960.html" target="_blank">canned beans last longer</a> than the employees in the company, it’s not exactly a place they’d want to work for. 
We need help.
It’s easy to write off the HR department as the group of people who hire, pay everyone’s salary, organize the annual christmas party, and then be the one to tell you that you’re fired. You’re not exactly wrong, but you’re also not completely right. HR is the one that <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/what-does-hr-do" target="_blank">keeps everyone in check</a>, whatever form that may take. 
Family Feud
Have you ever had a time where you felt like fighting someone in the company? I know I did! (for legal purposes, I’m joking by the way).
Friction in the workplace is bound to happen. Everyone <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/01/why-we-should-be-disagreeing-more-at-work" target="_blank">isn’t always on the same page</a> and that naturally causes a few bumping heads. Egos are left unchecked, authority hierarchy is imposed, you remember that one time the office forgot to save you a slice of pizza and then all hell breaks lose. 
HR is like the mom of the company. 
When Boss A wants a cookie baked the right way but then Manager B thinks a different recipe is more appropriate and then Employee C comes in and says that brownies are better then we have a problem here folks. 
<a href="https://inside.6q.io/why-the-human-resource-department-is-important/" target="_blank">A middle-man is needed</a>, someone who has everyone’s best interest in mind and ideally, prefers that the kitchen isn’t burnt down - and that’s exactly what the HR department is for. 
“Hey sweetie, how’s work?”
You might lose a human element when you’re working a nine to five every day. No one wants to clock into a place where everyone only really cares about the paycheck at the end of the month. 
Good communication, relationships, and a healthy working environment are all <a href="https://blog.vantagecircle.com/importance-of-hr/" target="_blank">major factors</a> for employee retention in a company. What’s the point of a higher salary if all you do is despise what you do and who you do it with? 
Who says work can’t be fun? 
HR is really the heart of the company. Bingo nights, employee awards, christmas parties, birthday greetings, that’s all from them. 
While everyone is busy trying to sail the ship, HR is the one making sure the waters are still. It’s already complicated enough dealing with multiple personalities in the office, <a href="https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/fall2021/pages/pandemic-expands-role-of-hr.aspx#:~:text=HR%20operated%20in%20crisis%20mode,for%20keeping%20their%20organizations%20functioning" target="_blank">the pandemic had to make things worse</a>.
It’s easy to forget the people who aren’t always in the pitches and board meetings. Sometimes, we only remember HR when we have a concern regarding our pay or with each other but, what we don’t normally see is just <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unsung-heroes-hr-professionals-sandip-ramdharne/" target="_blank">how much they do</a> in order to make sure everyone is okay. In recent times, that’s more valuable than ever.

You can’t spell “hero” without HR.

I’d Like to Report an HR Concern

You’ll never get a second chance to make a good first impression. 
People want things fast. Food, entertainment, transportation, internet speeds, the workout your trainer gave you, your work hours, all of it. When you take more than a minute to reply to a message, it’s either your partner thinks you’re cheating or your manager is already contemplating firing you. 
There is no in-between. 
Our attention spans used to be 12 seconds back in 2000. In the year 2015, it went down to 8 seconds. We’re now on the <a href="https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/" target="_blank">same level as goldfishes</a>. And people wonder why <a href="https://brandastic.com/blog/what-is-tiktok-and-why-is-it-so-popular/" target="_blank">TikTok is so popular nowadays</a>.
Short-form entertainment dominates the online space. Instagram stories, YouTube Shorts, TikTok, the 140-word limit of Twitter. When people go on social media, they don’t want to read an article every other post or watch a documentary with every video. 
The internet made us all dumb. 
People consume online content like it’s free doughnuts with no risk of diabetes. With the amount of stuff we can access in just a few swipes, it’s information drugs we’re all <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/heres-how-technology-affects-our-life/shortened-attention-span/slideshow/62497182.cms" target="_blank">so hoplessly addicted to</a>. We <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sbs-on-demand--are-you-addicted-to-technology/2021/apr/23/is-technology-short-changing-our-attention-spans" target="_blank">don’t like missing out</a> on the latest. 
When you’re in a buffet, you wouldn’t want to just stick to one dish, you’ll want to try out every single offering they have. Why? 
Because you can. 
Instant gratification at the maximum level. That’s what we look for in the internet. If a web page takes more than a couple of seconds to load in, there’s an <a href="https://psychminds.com/is-the-internet-destroying-our-attentions-span/" target="_blank">11% risk of losing the viewer altogether. </a>
How many times have you heard “back in my day…” which is followed by a variation of either the younger generation is lazy, studying nowadays is so much easier because of google, and how sending a message required a whole damn military operation to accomplish? Technology has eliminated the need to work more. 
Accessibility allowed us to care less. We don’t have to pay attention to every single detail because we don’t have to. And because there are a million other tabs, links, videos, tweets, stories, etc. we can go to, nothing’s really stopping us from <a href="https://fortune.com/2016/02/03/nicholas-carr-internet/" target="_blank">exploring what’s already available</a>.
“So you’re a man who has everything, and nothing.”
Words directed to Tony Stark after talking about his unlimited resources and where they have led him to. The exact same thing can be said to all of us.
Don’t get me wrong, the internet is great. I make a living writing in the damn thing. But the fact that you’ve reached all the way up to this point already makes you <a href="https://buffer.com/resources/55-visitors-read-articles-15-seconds-less-focus-attention-not-clicks/" target="_blank">better than 55% of online readers</a>. I’m guilty of this myself. You don’t even want to know how long it took me to write this. I type in a word or two then I tell myself I deserve a couple of hours break. 
When our brains are constantly overstimulated by thousands of things we see online, no one’s going to blame you for having a hard time choosing which one to focus on. Now, what are we talking about again?

Thank you, next. 

Your Attention Span is Probably Dead

I was once in a job interview where I was asked why my generation is “easily burnt out”, why do we all expect promotion, and why is it that we think staying in the office till (at least) 3 am is unconventional? He then proceeds to ask me if I am diagnosed with depression and if I’m seeing a therapist.
All because I just briefly mentioned that I care about employee welfare.
All I could feel was pity towards the junior HR that was in the call with us who was clearly showing discomfort with every question his boss threw at me. 
Job interviews have always been intimidating. Will they like me? Am I going to look dumb? Do they even think I’m qualified or did they just accidentally sent me the interview letter?
They’re scary. 
The interviews last about 30 mins more or less and you only really have about <a href="https://legaljobs.io/blog/interview-statistics/#:~:text=The%20average%20number%20of%20interviews,ll%20just%20find%20new%20candidates" target="_blank">7 seconds to impress</a>. Say something they don’t like, you probably lose your chance. Not only that, you’re not even aware of how many people are gunning for the same spot you are trying to get. It all just stacks up. 
On average, a corporate job attracts hundreds of applications, 4-6 will be interviewed, and <a href="https://zety.com/blog/hr-statistics" target="_blank">only 1 will be selected</a> for the position. 
Recruiters are ruthless.
Part of me wants to say that I don’t blame them. Companies have deadlines to reach, a board to impress, and employees to pay. It’s all high stakes in there. 
But once you start noticing red flags, maybe run.
Take notes from dating. A job IS a relationship and if that ain’t healthy, you’re either being manipulated or you’re just too dumb to notice. 
A job interview is a perfect way to recognize how a company treats its people. This is your <a href="https://www.careertoolbelt.com/top-10-tips-for-interviewing-your-interviewer/" target="_blank">one opportunity</a> to see beyond the flashy websites and sugarcoated job postings. You’re not just there to beg for a job, you’re there to see if they deserve to have someone like you as well. 
Love yo self.
<a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/51-interview-questions-you-should-be-asking" target="_blank">Ask questions</a> about the company. What are the benefits? What’s the work culture like? What’s the goal for the year? Do you have a coffee machine in the office and is someone going to judge me if I come back to it for the 5th time in a row?
You don’t just book a second date in advance.
You make sure if it’s worth coming back to for seconds after the first one. It doesn’t hurt to be <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40574192/4-ways-to-show-curiosity-in-job-interviews-and-why-you-need-to" target="_blank">properly curious</a> and it may even help you stand out from your other competitions. 
If all the honor student says is “yes” and “no” while the average one engages the interviewer with questions and an interesting conversation, which one do you think the recruiter will most likely perceive as someone who thinks outside the box and provides valuable input? 
Know your worth.
It’s all a game really. Job recruiters <a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/8-secrets-recruiters-wont-tell-you/" target="_blank">play it well</a> at times and they’re trying to see if you can keep up. 
They probably won’t admit it but job recruiters <a href="https://www.careertoolbelt.com/why-job-interviews-arent-as-scary-as-you-think/" target="_blank">want to hire you</a>. They don’t want to be stuck just combing through resumes all day long trying to search for the right one. They need you as much as you need them. 
It’ll always take two to tango. If you feel like your dance partner isn’t exactly ideal, then it’s probably best to go find another one.

Please don’t hire me. 

Thank You for Rejecting Me

I just miss experiencing a film, man. 
That’s not to say I haven’t watched anything since the lockdown, I have. 
It’s just that being inside a theater hits different. 
The atmosphere, the colder-than-usual-but-just-the-right-amount air conditioning, the fact that you are quite literally closed off from the rest of the world. It’s just you and the big screen - and the occasional guy who just won’t shut up and the girl who keeps using her phone with brightness turned up. Annoying as those can be, I miss being annoyed at them. 
Call me old-fashioned but I like to view cinema as an experience. I don’t care how good or bad the film is. I still vividly remember the first time I bought a movie ticket on my own without my parents - feeling like I reached a whole new level of independence and maturity at that point. 
Aaand... ACTION! Wait, can you pause it please?
When streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu hit the scene, people thought that was it for physical movie theaters. For almost a decade, they would mostly be relegated to TV shows, made-for-streaming films, or at worst - the new destination for the previously called “straight to DVD movie releases”. But the blockbusters still remain in cinemas. 
Prior to the pandemic, movie theaters <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/06/unaffordable-90-day-theatrical-window-is-history-as-leverage-tilts-towards-studios-post-pandemic-analyst-1202948071/" target="_blank">had 90-days exclusive rights</a> to show a film before studios could bring them to home releases or streaming platforms. This is where most of the profits come from for theater owners. A portion of the box office sales even go directly into the bonus salaries for the people who worked on the film. Well, I’ve got some <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-21/netflix-hbo-max-streaming-is-hurting-actors-producers-big-paychecks" target="_blank">bad news</a>. 
Times are changin’
When WB Pictures, one of the biggest film studios in the world, announced that the rest of their 2021 releases would be coming simultaneously to both theaters and HBO Max, it received <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=736FjIoK0xA" target="_blank">very mixed reactions</a>.
Who can blame them for going that route? In just the first quarter of 2020, Netflix received 15 million new subscribers and in just one year, Disney Plus received 80 million. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/27/21195358/streaming-netflix-disney-hbo-now-youtube-twitch-amazon-prime-video-coronavirus-broadband-network" target="_blank">People flock to streaming services</a>. We’re all stuck at home anyways, what else are we going to do? 
Streaming platforms are upping their game with the quality of their original projects even going as far as to be <a href="https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/tv/a36842312/streaming-platforms/" target="_blank">nominated multiple times</a> for awards. It’s not going away anytime soon. 
“That ain’t Cinema.”
Call them what you like - elitists, cinephiles, pretentious, privileged, probably some other more “colorful” adjectives can be found in a lovely place called film twitter. There are filmmakers out there who are very outspoken when it comes to the streaming vs. theatrical release debate. 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/08/christopher-nolan-leads-industry-fury-over-warner-bros-streaming-move" target="_blank">In an interview with Hollywood Reporter</a> regarding the WB Studios decision, Director Christopher Nolan (who’s also an advocate of the movie theater experience) said that: “Some of our industry’s biggest film-makers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service.”
Yikes. 
Convenience comes at a cost when it comes to the digital world. When a film is distributed online, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-more-video-streaming-services-we-get-the-more-well-turn-to-piracy-166090" target="_blank">it’s free real estate for piracy</a>. Just take a look at what happened to <a href="https://smallbusiness.chron.com/illegally-downloading-music-impact-music-industry-27748.html" target="_blank">the music industry</a>.
According to analytics company Sandvine, BitTorrent accounted for 45% of all uploads in 2019. That’s before the pandemic. Think about that. 
“Are you still watching?”
It’s kinda ironic how <a href="https://help.netflix.com/en/node/114059" target="_blank">Netflix asks</a> this every once in a while. It’s like they know people’s attention span is significantly less nowadays. 
Even though I don’t think cinemas will fully disappear, they are turning into the less popular choice. 
The younger generations are now more familiar with watching movies at home. It’s weird to think that I might one day meet a kid who doesn’t even know what a cinema is. 
<a href="https://observer.com/2021/07/hollywood-movie-theaters-vs-streaming-pros-cons/" target="_blank">Theatrical releases and streaming</a> will continue to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nelsongranados/2021/02/22/how-will-theaters-and-streaming-services-coexist-after-the-pandemic/?sh=52a82e545106" target="_blank">coexist in the future</a>. Consumer behavior just demands for it. There will always be people who gravitate more towards a traditional theater experience like me but there will also be ones who prefer to sit on their couch, pause, fast forward, rewind, play with their pets, scroll through their phone type of movie goers. &nbsp;

RIP Cinema(?)

Watch From Home: A Eulogy for Cinema

Teamwork makes the dream work
Once everyone gets a little bit too comfortable, there's a risk of it all crashing down. That’s fine and all, if you want to raise an army of emotionless robots. Skill is only half of the requirement, attitude is what ties it all together. 
“We’re like a family here!”
The second someone says that in a job interview, it almost feels like a red flag. Comfort isn’t just built up overnight. It’s a process that has to be worked on a gradual basis depending on the needs of each member. It may sound tedious, but it’s one of the<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianscudamore/2016/03/09/why-team-building-is-the-most-important-investment-youll-make/?sh=76aeff3f617f" target="_blank"><ins> most important investments</ins></a> a company can make. 
It’s not as simple as getting everyone food for lunch or including smiling emojis every time you send in a new request for work. It’s about <a href="https://blog.vantagecircle.com/importance-of-team-building/" target="_blank"><ins>building trust</ins></a>. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not trusting someone right after they go get me a bunch of doughnuts just like that or someone who says “Hi! I hope your workload isn’t much, can you make a 30-page report on this due in about 30 minutes? Thanks! :D”
Companies are so focused on making its customers and stakeholders happy, it can sometimes forget the people who are doing all the dirty work to make it all happen. Team buildings are <a href="https://complianceandethics.org/why-team-building-is-important-for-your-business/" target="_blank"><ins>aimed to make sure this does not happen</ins></a>. 
Let’s work on this
Remember how you would hate it if you were paired up with a stranger or someone you didn’t like for a school project? Was it easy to talk to them? Did you enjoy the experience? 
Do you like working with strangers?
In today’s unprecedented time where we all just interact with each other through a screen, getting comfortable at work is <a href="https://snacknation.com/blog/importance-of-team-building/" target="_blank"><ins>now more important than ever</ins></a>. Knowing one another beyond job titles is crucial in building a healthy and desirable work environment. 
When all your conversations with your manager are just a variation of “what are you working on?” “When will you finish it?” “Is it done yet?” and “What do you mean you want a raise?” then I have a slight feeling that you may not like working for them at a certain point. Boosting team performance and efficiency will be much easier if the <a href="https://www.guardiansupport.co.uk/blog/the-importance-of-team-building-in-the-workplace/" target="_blank"><ins>employees don’t see each other as machines</ins></a>. 
I’m getting paid for this
The house will only be as strong <a href="https://www.hourly.io/post/why-is-team-building-important" target="_blank"><ins>as the hands that built it</ins></a>. Problems will happen. Crisis management is a major thing in any business.
I’m not solving problems with people I have a problem with. 
The stronger the foundations, the better it’ll hold in tough situations. COVID-19 has made things a little bit harder to see each other. We lose the human element at work and thus, gone are the much anticipated company outings, vacations, and fun initiatives. 
It doesn’t mean that it’ll stay that way though. As the world begins to slowly heal and open up, companies can get <a href="https://snacknation.com/blog/team-building-activities-for-work/" target="_blank"><ins>creative with their team buildings</ins></a>. Virtual parties, online competitions/ giveaways, team staycations, etc. it’s a lot of work to pull off, but so is everything else we do every single day. People are worth investing in. &nbsp;

The best investment is people. 

May Your HR Plan an Awesome Team Building When All this is Over!

We care
There’s a corporate side in viewing jobs, employees as robots, higher ups as dictators enslaving everyone to the 9 to 5. It’s a tired and overly exaggerated narrative, for the most part. While I won’t deny that <a href="https://www.iedunote.com/job-dissatisfaction-causes" target="_blank"><ins>work dissatisfaction is real</ins></a>, I also can’t say that there is nothing being done to fight back against it. 
HR is (or should) be your new best friend.
Aside from the typical interviewing, hiring, and firing that we all know they do, HR departments <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/what-does-hr-do" target="_blank"><ins>do much more than that</ins></a>. They are responsible for the employee's life cycle. It’s hard to imagine an HR person that wants people to be miserable. 
If work was a moving car, <a href="https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-hr-provides-career-help-4125267#personal-problems" target="_blank"><ins>HR would be the gas</ins></a>. We’re not going anywhere without them. Salaries? Approach them. Birthdays and employee appreciation initiatives? They’re your man. You think your boss sees you as an expendable android that doesn’t require sleep, rest, and a life outside of work? Mommy HR is here, have no fear. Every single one of us needs the proper support in order to do our jobs. 
Tech support
There’s no better way to motivate someone more than free stuff. Working from home has introduced all new issues for employees. Mental and physical welfare is already in the ballpark of every <a href="https://blog.capterra.com/what-hr-does-for-employees/" target="_blank"><ins>superHeRo</ins></a> department. 
And then there’s the practical side of things.
Digital workspaces require technologies. Shocker. Faulty equipment never leads to anything good. If you’re using something that’s not fun to work with, then you’ll barely get through any task. 
Providing employees with the right business equipment is <a href="https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/26773/why-employees-need-right-equipment.aspx" target="_blank"><ins>crucial to maximizing quality</ins></a> of work. When I was just starting on my job, the second I heard that I’ll be provided a new laptop, it was all I could think about. 
It’s not just the allure of a new toy to play with. Realistically speaking, not everyone is able to provide themselves with the recommended tech. Laptops, tablets, phones, software programs, etc. aren’t exactly the most affordable and yet, their importance is all the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/04/06/telecommuting-will-likely-continue-long-after-the-pandemic/" target="_blank"><ins>more emphasized with a remote work</ins></a> setup. 
Good cop, sometimes bad cop
HR departments are the first real interaction you will have in any company. They see if you’re up for the job, they handle your documents and process your position, they make sure you’re well equipped for the day-to-day tasks, and they know when things need to be changed.
Yes, they are work parents
The first and last line of defense for the team. At the end of the day, all they really want is what’s best for everyone. Now I just have to find out how to tell HR that getting me a top of the line phone and laptop will help boost my performance... &nbsp;

Love, HR.

HR Efforts that Make Us Say “Thank you!” 

Semiconductors power the modern world. Entertainment, security, health, leisure, whatever it is you can think of. Work from home, study from home, play from home, do everything from home. Everyone gets it. We all need tech nowadays more than ever. 
Do tech companies know about the demand? Absolutely. Can they keep up with it? 
Absolutely not. 
The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfAyXjRFUJk" target="_blank">global semiconductor shortage</a> crippled both consumers and suppliers. It’s sad to think that in a time where we now have all the reasons to go get ourselves a shiny new toy, we’re just not able to because it’s almost impossible to do so.
Tech companies just can’t keep up with all of it. 
When the pandemic first started, companies <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3133061/why-there-global-semiconductor-shortage-how-it-started-who-it-hurting" target="_blank">canceled their chip orders</a> in fear of a massive hit to the economy. Turns out, they were shooting themselves in the foot when they assumed that people won’t use laptops for work and other gadgets for entertainment. Crazy right?
A single car requires <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2021/06/15/car-chip-shortage-2021/7688773002/" target="_blank">multiple chips</a> in order for all of its components to function properly. Due to the lack of supplies, it could cost car manufacturers <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-global-chip-shortage-is-still-causing-big-problems-for-car-makers/" target="_blank">billions in lost revenue</a>&nbsp;
While healthcare technology continues to <a href="https://www.itproportal.com/features/digital-transformation-how-covid-19-revolutionised-healthcare/" target="_blank">advance at an impressive rate</a>, vaccine production and rising cases still persist. 
Gaming is now <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/covid19-coronavirus-pandemic-video-games-entertainment-media" target="_blank">more popular than ever before</a> and yet, major consoles from both Sony and Microsoft expect that supplies will be <a href="https://kotaku.com/xbox-head-explains-console-shortages-will-continue-into-1847787478" target="_blank">a problem all the way till 2022</a>. This encourages scalpers to <a href="https://youtu.be/SREbl7Mpw2g?t=307" target="_blank">profit off of the limited stock</a> that’s available right now. 
Looking to get a new phone soon? Yea <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/29/the-global-chip-shortage-is-starting-to-hit-the-smartphone-industry.html" target="_blank">better luck next time buddy</a>. Unless you wanted an iPhone since Apple is once again <a href="https://pocketnow.com/everyone-affected-by-chipset-shortage-except-apple" target="_blank">one step ahead of the game</a> as they anticipated the shortage and planned in advance. Other companies may not have had the same foresight. 
Either way you look at it, whatever industry it may be, <a href="https://www.popsci.com/technology/global-chip-shortage/" target="_blank">it’s rough</a>.
Strap in folks.
Semiconductors take<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SREbl7Mpw2g" target="_blank"> a lot of resources</a> to make. With COVID restrictions causing problems in manpower for production, shipping logistics, and catching up to an increasing demand that looks like it’s not slowing down anytime soon, we might have to just<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2021/07/12/worsening-computer-chip-crisis-shows-supply-chains-are-still-at-risk/?sh=46c7cb13e3da" target="_blank"> accept defeat on this one</a>. 
Intel CEO, Patrick Gelsinger, thinks that the shortage can last up to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/23/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html" target="_blank">2 more years</a>. 
When you’re competing against the likes of Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Microsoft for supplies, you’ll probably have better chances of scoring a date with your long-time crush. 
For better or worse.
Our lives lie within the four corners of a screen already. 
Who knew something so small could affect so many things on a global scale? Until things get better, it looks like the only chips that can easily be acquired will be the ones from the grocery.

No tech for you buddy.

You’re Not Getting That New Gadget Anytime Soon

Good job!
It’s always a packed day in the office. Busy schedules, boatload of work, stress here and there, and a lot more. If yours isn’t like this, let me know, asking for a friend. The line between business and pleasure is often kept to safeguard both the quality and quantity of work.
Now that work has invaded our homes, the line becomes very thin. 
Birthdays are one of the most significant moments in one’s life. If everything was normal, it’d be easy to have <a href="https://snacknation.com/blog/office-birthday-ideas/" target="_blank"><ins>celebrations in the office</ins></a> (assuming it falls on a weekday) and have a few food and drinks with the staff making lunch break a little bit more eventful than usual. Plus, don’t forget the sweet sweet birthday leaves. 
It’s a great gesture of gratitude and <a href="https://blog.bonus.ly/employee-birthday-ideas" target="_blank"><ins>appreciation towards the employee</ins></a><ins> </ins> which in turn, can prevent burnout, turnovers, and making work feel, for lack of a better term, just “work”. We’re not all robots here. Sometimes, we like to have <a href="https://www.tinypulse.com/blog/sk-fun-ways-to-celebrate-an-employees-birthday" target="_blank"><ins>a little bit of fun</ins></a>. Especially nowadays that we’re all, for the most part, stuck at home. 
“Special” treatment
What’s better than receiving a “your package is on its way to you” message during the day? Receiving a package you didn’t even expect/ pay for. 
Birthdays are perfect for free stuff.
Even when they’re not at the office, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be celebrated anymore. Nothing makes an employee happier than hearing the words “we’re giving you a rai-” sorry, I meant “we’re sending you something”. Just make sure it’s actually a gift and not more work. 
There are many different ways to navigate <a href="https://nectarhr.com/blog/celebrate-employee-birthdays" target="_blank"><ins>long distance birthday celebrations</ins></a>. Sending in food or cake is always a great idea by default. Pizzas, doughnuts, pastries, sushi bakes and no I’m not just listing down some of my favorite snacks for my fellow workmates to see. What made you think that?
The best thing with sending someone food, other than the fact that anyone will appreciate free food, is that it can easily be tuned to make sure that <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/workplace-birthdays.aspx" target="_blank"><ins>there is consistency </ins></a>with how everyone is treated. Joe gets pizza? Millie gets pizza as well. Isn’t that fun?
And who’s better at making sure employees are having “fun” than the good ol’ HR department themselves. Let’s face it, <a href="https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/blog/topic/business-process/why-is-human-resources-important" target="_blank"><ins>they’re basically the parents</ins></a> of the bunch. And the last thing a parent should do is to <a href="https://www.leavedates.com/blog/birthdays-at-work/" target="_blank"><ins>show favoritism</ins></a>. Not only are they met with the challenge of affirming employees on their special days, they have to make sure it’s done equally. 
Oh by the way, Happy birthday!
Of course, gifts won’t mean anything without the greetings. Remember how excited you would be on school mornings knowing that once you walk into that classroom, you’re like the most popular kid for the day. It’s always nice to hear it.
OMG! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Same idea in the office. Everyone’s smiling at you, going to your area every now and then to give you a greeting, your boss is like 2% less “bossy” for the day, it’s very pleasant. Now that we’re all working remotely, I highly doubt we’d be willing to hop in another zoom call with our workmates during our birthdays. We’ve got <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/work-from-home-burnout-zoom-fatigue-lot-more-complex-1e" target="_blank"><ins>enough of those</ins></a> already. 
<a href="https://www.pynhq.com/point/how-to-celebrate-birthdays-at-work-8-ideas-for-hybrid-offices/" target="_blank"><ins>Virtual boards</ins></a> are the way to go. Everyone can pitch in and write a dedication for the man/woman of the day. It’s a wonderful surprise to read through words of affirmation with the people you work with. Especially now that we barely see each other in person, it’s a small reminder that we’re not being forgotten beyond our work output. 
Or better yet, it’s your chance to anonymously send a confession letter to that officemate you’ve been crushing on. Whatever the case may be, everyone likes to be appreciated every now and then. Work is one of the main sources of stress in anyone’s life, all the more reason why it’s very pleasing when it gets every chance it can to be otherwise.

Getting paid and celebrated is nice. 

Birthdays: Celebrating Together while Working Remotely

In his bestselling book Narrative Economics, Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller says that <a href="https://www.m2comms.com/glossary/" target="_self">narratives</a> can have a profound impact on economic outcomes, and therefore deserve thorough examination by economists. According to Shiller, studying these narratives can vastly improve our ability to predict, prepare for, and mitigate the effects of major economic events such as recessions and financial crises. But recent years have also shown us that narratives – spreading in the form of popular stories shared on social media and other online channels – also affect political and social events. More than this, narratives can also be harnessed to bring about specific desired outcomes, as in the case of Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data to influence hundreds of <a href="https://www.m2comms.com/blog/what-twitter-users-are-saying-about-racial-injustice-how-it-shapes-todays-dominant-narratives/" target="_self">elections around the world</a>.
Our proposal is to apply the same analytical rigor of economists and data scientists to communications data to better understand the narratives that people share and the way that these stories spread and change over time. By doing so, we hope to surface richer, truly data-driven insights to enhance everything from strategic planning and reporting to messaging and influencer outreach. The integrated approach we take to achieve this is called <a href="https://www.m2comms.com/glossary/" target="_self">narrative mining</a>.
What is narrative mining?
This is the application of network theory, NLP, and other statistical methods to discover, unpack, analyze, and understand narratives. When analyzing narratives, we aim to answer the following questions: 
&nbsp;
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lOj7GUkMC_ONs0Aeul2mNJ_DPUv1tuXE9bwfwdasge1l3cszAUMk2ZJ084AePvW32aqDDpqHCn6cnyzsSydhxYnGw3NTZAxXwovIRotdzFrm2abZVvzFN0B9rrGsv7TepBlayUKFwjpXwfGzZA" alt="" style="height: ;width: "/>
Narrative mining involves complex statistical calculations borrowed from network analysis, data science, natural language processing, and even the life sciences. None of the techniques that we’ve integrated into our narrative mining workflow are new; for example, network analysis has been applied to the study of biological systems for decades and to literary texts since the 1990s (and more recently to scientific journal articles). Within natural language processing, our preferred model for topic clustering – latent Dirichlet allocation or LDA – has been around for exactly 20 years.
The scientific heritage of the techniques brought together for narrative mining gives us the confidence that our approach is objective, analytically sound, and supported by ample peer reviewed research. This is the foundation that allows us to innovate. And empowered by our experience developing software specifically for communicators and the wealth of data offered by such technologies, we hope to bring these tested methods to the world of public relations, digital, and marketing communications.
The biggest question: how do my narratives compare with those of my customers, constituents, and stakeholders? 
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1E1AiE9cZf8hBsFPZWxv6IqIMdr5m-JBmRovntLl11uSPZnhwpnejaekLwia2duXa9RW0A5ApzZmuwYgDIkcZSI-HL74r1Jflwmit3txmmk09ex5lhkIecq2AiqmdA9PPz2ybUIypwAONFTjUA" alt="" style="height: ;width: "/>
One of the most important ideas within the narrative mining framework is narrative congruence. Communications firms and the people and organizations they represent have long struggled to listen to and understand the stories told by the public that they seek to engage. Standard listening tools can give users the content of these stories, but often fail to provide insights not only on how these stories spread but also how the stories told by brands and their audiences overlap or differ. Understanding this difference is crucial to building effective strategies for communicating to third parties.
This is where narrative congruence comes in. Using graph theory and network analysis, we are able to map out the narratives relating to specific themes or topics, identify the people who originate and share these stories, describe the rate and manner with which they spread, and most importantly, measure and describe the similarities and differences of the stories of organizations and certain groups of people.
Understanding these similarities and differences can help communicators see where the gaps in their messages and strategies lie, as well as the opportunities. It can help communicators determine how well their messages are received by their audiences, and whether these messages are echoed by these audiences in social media. And it can also help communicators figure out what topics and themes resonate with online communities, as well as the actors that they should listen to and possibly engage in their outreach efforts.
How do we answer these questions?
Narrative mining can be boiled down into five major processes:
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3AMm7eg8-a-PwTHuI91yp5a6Jk0eufT65nhGZqDWwyECl053VWYLg2ZVbBygwU7biAmlBjV5Zpm4sADuGo8HgHB2qlTWzfFXSARNviEGs0mJizHWwhxEbCjZPFzg6r35b8aM7QCkhKREDHbEUQ" alt="" style="height: ;width: "/>
<ul>
<li>Data gathering, cleaning, and organization. We listen to news articles and social media posts on the topics our clients care about and collect information on the profiles that share these stories online. Unstructured text data is compiled into a corpus that can be understood by a computer for analysis.</li>
<li>Topic modeling. We use a combination of LDA and network analysis to quickly discover and synthesize the sub-topics, themes, and narratives from this corpus of text, which can then be measured and summarized by our team of analysts.</li>
<li>Narrative congruence analysis. We use specialized network analysis software to statistically determine the extent of similarity and dissimilarity in the narratives being shared online by organizations and people. With these tools, we can not only measure the extent of this overlap, but also describe the ways that these narratives intersect or diverge.</li>
<li>Social network analysis. We use various software tools to identify clusters of social media users who frequently engage with one another on the given topics, as well as the individual actors who are most influential, active, and engaging within these clusters. Within the limitations set by the specific social platforms being analyzed, we are generally able to mine a wealth of useful data on these actors relating not only to the size of their following but also the way they connect to other users in the network.</li>
<li>Text analysis. We use NLP tools to perform various actions such as keyword analysis, parts of speech analysis, and concordance to provide a fuller picture of the substance of these narratives.</li>
</ul>
What kind of data do we analyze and what tools do we use?
Narrative mining involves processing large volumes of communications data that fall into two broad categories: text data and social network data. A single monthly narrative mining report can easily cover thousands of news articles, and tens of thousands of social media users and their posts. We use both network analysis and NLP to analyze the content of stories on specific topics that come out in newspapers, online news portals, blogs, and most of the popular social media platforms, and then draw insights from this that might not be readily available with standard listening tools. And we also use network analysis to look at the relationships of people and organizations engaging with one another on social media on these same topics, providing a fuller picture of the narratives that drive change in society.
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/foGSSbA__b_v_PSR8LJ-97C0wfFkxlv0q-g2mWnIPTkTlODF_2pdZAp4OMu6KzvoRrq_oDVamTqDbH5JGZAfWZo1oEi_tMiy7neKjnzosdetpKQLInBbYI4jwHqTBQsPo1kkTXCposdsDrIPUg" alt="" style="height: ;width: "/>
To do all this, we use a variety of software tools both proprietary and third party. These include <a href="https://media-meter.net/home/main" target="_self">Media Meter v3</a> – the latest version of our media monitoring and listening software as well as our own implementations of open source libraries for NLP based on the Python and R programming languages. We also use third party software favored by data scientists around the world, such as Gephi and NodeXL for network calculation and layout, Sketch Engine for corpus management and text analysis, and the Mallet toolkit for tasks such as topic modeling. Niche software packages that are generally used for analyzing biological networks are part of our workflow as well, making for a rather complex yet well-integrated system of tools and techniques.
Our goal in the next year is to further integrate these different tools into our own software, with the aim of delivering the rich insights offered by narrative mining relatively quickly and at scale.

A Different Way of Looking at Stories and Conversations

Narrative Mining

Hahaha… sure? 
Okay fine, kids will be kids and some of the toys I’ll be talking about here are fun to play with but if you have to be the person to listen, witness, and clean up during and after play sessions? We might have a problem here kiddos.
Squeaky Shoes
These are undeniably cute. Imagine a child running at you with a smile on its face with it’s adorable little feet making <a href="https://weesqueak.com/" target="_blank"><ins>squeaks with every step</ins></a>. But, what if it’s all you hear all day long? Or what if you’re trying to be quiet in a church and as you walk down the seat hoping to God no one notices your existence, squeak, squeak, squeak comes to ruin your sneak master plan. They’re a fun novelty but not something you would want to be with all the time. 
Furbies
Fun <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-A0003-Furby-Purple/dp/B008C0O55Q" target="_blank"><ins>little colorful gremlins</ins></a><ins> </ins>that talk, sing, and dance. Perfect for children right? It’s all fun and games until the child wants to collect all colors and sizes and now you have an army of hairy creatures with big eyes and ears just randomly popping up in your home. Sometimes they even activate on their own without anyone touching them. One small tweak and these things are the stuff of nightmares. They’re alive man, I swear.
Any toy instrument
Musical talent can either be learned or it just naturally comes out. The earliest sign you can detect this from is to give a child <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mendini-Cecilio-Drumsticks-Metallic-MJDS-1-BL/dp/B00FS13BUC/r?linkCode=ll1&tag=szcz-20&linkId=f01d79d0c55de01fec0fa5aae7c40a63&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&th=1" target="_blank"><ins>a toy drum set</ins></a> or a guitar or a flute. Children love loud noises especially when they’re the ones who make it themselves. Here you are dreaming that your child will be an award winning piano performer in the future only to be woken up at 7am with a tune that can only be described as a DJ slamming their hands on every single button they see. 
Slime, Clay, Crayons, markers, etc.
A child’s imagination is something we should all empower. Let your kid’s creativity run wild and free! Some of the most famous concepts today came from a child’s mind. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Supplies-Everything-Unicorn-Instructions/dp/B078JYDS47?&linkCode=ll1&tag=szcz-20&linkId=5639da85c2d4671b026379897a395f89&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><ins>Slime</ins></a> and clay allows them to make whatever they want however they want, wherever they want. Yes, that is both a pro and a con. Good luck cleaning up. And those coloring and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Assorted-Doodling-Shuttle-Art/dp/B07DG22DQK?&linkCode=ll1&tag=szcz-20&linkId=00048fcc53eaff366e67e9a378e1568d&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><ins>writing materials</ins></a>? I hope your boss accepts the reason why his contract has dinosaurs on it. 
Baby Alive
Alright, this may not be the most famous but hear me out. If you saw this on TV before, you know what I’m talking about. <a href="https://babyalive.hasbro.com/worldwide" target="_blank"><ins>A baby doll</ins></a> that’s literally designed to act as if it’s a real thing. Some of the toy’s accessories involve fake food, poop, diapers, vomit, pee, etc. It cries at random times and it makes different facial expressions. And you thought furbies were scary? 
It’s just a toy. 
To be fair, I am (more or less) an adult now as I write this and some of the things I listed here do give genuine happiness to kids. Maybe us oldies just <a href="https://www.moms.com/20-of-the-most-annoying-kids-toys-and-hilarious-ways-parents-made-them-disappear/" target="_blank"><ins>find it harder</ins></a> to see the fun part. 
Extended shout outs to legos, action figures, water guns, nerf guns, cards, and hot wheels. All extremely cool but can cause serious damage, pain, and a pretty big mess to the people around. 
Maybe it’s just the grown man in me talking. I used to think getting a new <a href="https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-optimus-prime-auto-converting-robot-collectors-edition" target="_blank"><ins>Optimus Prime</ins></a> was the peak of my existence and now here I am getting excited over new pairs of socks.

Yay “fun”.

These Kids Toys Are Annoying 

Data is the oil of the digital era. Like with oil, there will be huge rewards for those who see data’s fundamental value and learn to extract and use it. We’re in a digital economy where data is more valuable than ever. Today’s global tech giants – Google, Amazon, and Facebook – have spawned a lucrative, fast-growing industry, one that uses data not just to predict human behavior but also to influence it. This has ushered a new era where companies are called upon to weave data into their operational fabric. 
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/2CoZYKkLAJOYc92U-EQB9bRFXJaTyH7F5EdAgnrixGXqfd1-cwlcqXO2kKLgYx_RQ4VeJpg3P7vuc0yJ5lRWSFPd2Wn16eR0tJggpMz6utVg36kXkA05_24C7_ih4EJ5bskNNJ3RC3Y8gICbFg" alt="" style="height: ;width: "/>
&nbsp;
This is true for communications as well. We’ve seen how narratives—spreading in the form of popular stories shared on social media and other online channels—can impact political and social outcomes.
“Today, strategy and creativity in communications needs to be a quantifiable discussion,” said Dabs Castillo, Co-Managing Director of M2.0 Communications, an agency focused on using data to drive its communications initiatives. “What is the role of data in communications? How can brands creatively use them to forge effective strategies? How can it help them understand their stakeholders better? These are just some of the questions we want to answer as we make a concerted effort to engrain data into everything we do.”
While already heavy users of data even before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was last year that M2 decided to invest even more heavily in its own Data &amp; Analytics department. “Everything changed with the pandemic, and we quickly realized that we had to change too,” added Castillo. “The things we were so used to doing were just not working anymore. We had to look deeper at what our clients needed and the other ways we could add value through our work as communicators.”
It’s this hard focus on data that has led to the development of an integrated methodology called narrative mining — which can help organizations analyze and understand the stories that people share and the way these spread and change over time.
“In so many words, narrative mining is the application of network theory, NLP, and other statistical methods to discover, unpack, analyze, and understand narratives,” said Karlo Cleto, Head of Data and Analytics of M2. “By doing so, we hope to surface richer, truly data-driven insights to enhance everything from strategic planning and reporting to messaging and influencer outreach.” 
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4eZA3fwWB4ZhIedUnKFgdt5VBx8Q1V5eOv5pzaAFG7E1QKELxkUst-YM8v_NNJBJsVMsqHF9JsySvbQOOa7D-EyhO55uZNyPEWzxV2uSkRtTeXfIbRtPnPq4XIjBxfYq2L_0XacX46pGLltW3Q" alt="" style="height: ;width: "/>
&nbsp;
But it’s the creative use of those time-tested techniques where in lies the opportunity. Because with the accelerated shift to digital, the wealth of data available will only grow, and so will the potential insights for public relations, digital, and marketing communications. “Data is the foundation that allows us to innovate,” said Oquias. “Our goal in this coming year is to further integrate these different tools and techniques into our own software, with the aim of delivering rich insights relatively quickly and at scale.”

M2.0 Communications is changing the way agencies use data to understand, plan, and strategize

From campaigns to analytics

What’s available?
You know it’s going to be a good day when someone in the house starts a grocery checklist. Jotting down your favorite snacks that you haven’t eaten for weeks because you finished your stack at most, a day after your last trip to the store. And then you finally arrive, and you get yourself a shopping cart.
And then, your checklist isn’t entirely checked. 
It’s not like this is alarming. Despite believing it as a kid, grocery stores aren’t unlimited utopias for food no matter how much we want them to. It’s even more troublesome nowadays due to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-you-cant-find-everything-you-want-at-grocery-stores-11629633601" target="_blank">lockdowns and pandemic restrictions</a>. Suppliers just can’t ship out products as fast as they could.
Lack of manpower, decrease in sales, fear of the virus, it all adds up to make things a little bit harder for<a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/dining/2021/10/22/grocery-store-shelves-empty-supply-chain-issue/6122800001/" target="_blank"> both shoppers and sellers</a>. If it was hard enough to look for international products prior to the pandemic, it’s even more evident now. 
Wait, you don’t have that too?
If you thought only the “exotic” products are rare, so are your <a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/food-shortages-2021/" target="_blank">everyday items</a> that you wouldn’t even think twice of. Chicken, bottled water, sanitation materials, etc. it’s either no one is around to make them or everyone is hoarding them.
Thanks ‘rona. 
Unfortunately, things might <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/09/business/grocery-stores-food-supply-chain/index.html" target="_blank">not get any better</a> anytime soon. Cases are still high and <a href="https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/ou-pulmonologist-seeing-slow-recovery-rates-from-covid-19-lung-damage-it-is-still-really/article_4805277c-e659-11eb-be6b-d32d70fdb528.html" target="_blank">recovery rates are still slow</a>, the world is just not ready for it all yet. 
Our stomach’s don’t care though. They still crave what they want to crave. There are a few solutions one can do to possibly get their hands on some of the food that have seen <a href="https://khak.com/popular-grocery-store-items-that-are-getting-harder-to-find/" target="_blank">lower visibility in stores</a>. 
The easiest one would be to buy directly from the supplier themselves or <a href="https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/how-to-find-hard-to-find-grocery-items" target="_blank">order it online</a>. You might run the risk of <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/grocery-store-shelves-bare-products-173151608.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEG9hzSohStZuaibmqPwXQfMJG97IVMsPCFWG7a0ORsj6ySNz74zUnZduYpnLGcnG0tYoreVZ-imB1dr3auyegn1lbIUcuyZN9Y2fgFunJ1Z678Ryn7BhVHlGZa9re7MbzHzWyfa7rx54qoZaLMDfLg4_Guyd-na-N1YOwSMQ4sk" target="_blank">paying more for shipping</a> than the actual food itself or even lose the ability to choose the better piece, one that expires at a later date, or even discover new ones you’ll find alongside the shelves but, at least you won’t have to wait for stores to receive their delayed orders in bulk or risking exposure to others. 
Or you can just try to <a href="https://www.purewow.com/food/easy-snacks-to-make" target="_blank">make your own snacks at home</a>. Fun little bonding moment with the family members, you can tweak the flavors and proportions however you want, and you at least know what’s being stuffed in the food you’re eating. 
Hungry for more
Whatever the case may be, <a href="https://fit.thequint.com/chew-on-this/why-snacking-junk-food-addictive#:~:text=Snacks%20often%20contain%20little%20in,and%20designed%20to%20be%20addictive" target="_blank">we all have our demons</a> in the form of whatever snacks we like to regularly eat. 
Here’s to hoping we can splurge on our tummies again.
Experts might claim that supply shortages may last till the next year, unexpected things happen in the world all the time. No one told us beforehand that a global pandemic would be happening back in 2019 right? Or better yet, no one told you that your grocery list will be followed. You either don’t find half the stuff in it or you lose yourself in there and go way beyond the ideal budget. &nbsp;

“Play has no limits” or so they said. 
Sony’s PlayStation 5 was announced on September 9, 2020 and was met with a lot of praise and hype. With a release window of a month before the Christmas holidays, and coming off of an extremely successful PS4 lineup that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2020/02/28/theres-never-really-been-a-console-war-because-playstation-left-xbox-behind-from-the-start/?sh=32209fb313d7" target="_blank">dominated the market</a> for 8 years, the PS5 console was a guaranteed seller for the company. 
But, scalpers had a different way of seeing it. 
The first red flag came in the form of a pre-order system that was announced a day before. Needless to say, it was <a href="https://collider.com/ps5-pre-order-details/" target="_blank">an absolute disaster</a>. Websites crashing, servers not holding up, people were rushed due to the lack of an early heads up, and everyone’s favorite, scalpers taking up all of the available stock for themselves. 
When all you do is sit on your computer waiting for stocks to be open again and <a href="https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-scalper-bots-profit-by-buying-and-reselling-sony-ps5-and-xbox-consoles/" target="_blank">use automated bots</a> to purchase faster than a human can ever compete against, and sell that product with an extremely inflated price on the internet, you’re probably <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2021/02/10/playstation-5-scalpers-arent-happy-with-their-public-image/?sh=45de5e002c8d" target="_blank">a loser</a>. 
It’s bad enough that Sony can <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2021/02/10/playstation-5-scalpers-arent-happy-with-their-public-image/?sh=45de5e002c8d" target="_blank">barely keep up with the high demand</a> for the product due to semiconductor shortages well into the one year mark since release. The public now has to deal with scalpers who take up all of whatever stock is available for their own profit. It makes the <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-ph/ps5/" target="_blank">PS5’s slogan</a> “Play Has No Limits” all the more ironic. Sorry Sony, but it has a LOT of limits. 
Supply and demand
Scalpers have been causing <a href="https://medium.com/upskilling/how-scalpers-stall-the-integration-of-consumer-technology-6ac45770c1d7" target="_blank">headaches for the tech industry</a> for quite a while already. They see how much the public wants to experience the product and so they profit off of people’s desperation. 
It’s completely unethical. 
Sony has revealed that they’re already <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/ps5-is-being-sold-at-a-loss-but-has-generated-record-gaming-revenue-for-sony/" target="_blank">selling the PS5 at a loss</a> because of “strategic price points for hardware that were set lower than the manufacturing costs" the<a href="https://www.t3.com/news/ps5-scalpers-are-making-more-money-off-the-playstation-5-than-sony-is" target="_blank"> opposite can be said</a> for weirdos on the internet, a.k.a. scalpers. 
One can argue that scalpers exist because people are there to tolerate them. They wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t making money in the first place. The best way to deal with it is to *gasp* <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-05-17-what-can-we-do-to-stop-the-ps5-scalpers" target="_blank">stop buying from them</a>. But, I guess some people back then weren’t <a href="https://www.techspot.com/community/topics/scalpers-have-generated-nearly-40-million-in-profit-from-this-holidays-hottest-tech.266680/" target="_blank">ready for that conversation</a> just yet. 
Press Play
As unfortunate as it all may sound, there is light at the end of this tunnel. Since its launch last November 12, 2020, stocks for the PS5 are somewhat improving even though it still might be inconsistent going into 2022. We have <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/sony-warns-tight-playstation-5-supply-to-extend-into-next-year" target="_blank">a global pandemic</a> to thank for that. 
Retailers are <a href="https://www.cbr.com/japanese-retailer-solves-ps5-scalpers/" target="_blank">getting creative</a> when it comes to <a href="https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/retailers-are-fighting-back-against-ps5-scalpers-heres-how-4126286" target="_blank">their strategies</a> to prevent scalping. Selling a console through a bundle to throw of automated bot that focus on purchasing just the console alone, selling at a much higher price and then refunding the customer after the transaction is made, only allowing people who sign up for a personalized newsletter to receive a pre-order form, they all do their own little way of helping out those who just want to buy normally. Heck, I even managed to get myself one a couple of months ago because of these said tactics. 
Suck it scalpers. 
No one likes a bully. Especially ones that affect our wallets. One of my favorite narratives that developed this year is finding out that scalpers are now<a href="https://www.gamingbible.co.uk/news/games-playstation-playstation-5-scalpers-are-starting-to-lose-money-and-we-love-to-see-20210913" target="_blank"> losing money</a> slowly, but steadily. It’s even gone as far as the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2021/03/13/ps5-scalpers-dont-understand-why-youre-giving-them-so-much-money/?sh=15f945a0659e" target="_blank">bully gets bullied</a> themselves. 
The problem still exists, but at least more and more people are <a href="https://gamerant.com/ps5-scalper-prices-are-falling/" target="_blank">starting to realize</a> that being patient is way better than paying 2 or even 3 times more. I look forward to the day when everything comes back to normal. People can meet face to face, I don’t have to go outside wearing a mask, and being able to play video games with a lot more people. &nbsp;

Lovely Times
Seniors tend to have a more <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sponsor-story/five-star-premier-residences-of-yonkers/2020/02/27/how-romance-changes-over-years-according-seniors/4881972002/" target="_blank">poetic view</a> on romance. Age comes with experience and experience differs based on the time it happened. 
They didn’t date using their smartphones back then.
If you were interested in someone, you had to approach them and work for it. It’s the physical push and pull that differentiates it from the digitally dominated lifestyle we have today. 
Courtship has <a href="https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/all-we-need-is-love-how-your-ancestors-courted-back-in-the-day/" target="_blank">a long history</a> that arguably had much bigger stakes. Before a couple was made official, wealth, family background, social status, educational background, etc. It was all very chivalrous (and for some may be a bit too judgemental). This process could take up weeks or even months before anything could happen. Nowadays, it’s a matter of who’s got the better looking social media and who can reply the fastest. 
I love you, say it back. 
Instant gratification. That’s what the modern world has conditioned us to. Anything <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-attention-span-dwindling-20210706-rwv2owqhezbp5hkmyqqtpmiq4u-story.html#:~:text=A%20recent%20study%20found%20that,a%209%2Dsecond%20attention%20span" target="_blank">slower than 8 seconds</a>, we just can’t seem to be bothered anymore. Your download speed is taking a bit too long? The webpage is not loading in as fast as a couple of milliseconds? 
Your crush takes more than a minute to respond? 
We all have our own specific love languages depending on our preferences towards intimacy and connection. Technology has <a href="https://www.tonyrobbins.com/love-relationships/love-in-the-digital-age/" target="_blank">either helped or hindered us</a> from pursuing these at a more fundamental level. Ever check on those who prefer physical touch during the time of the pandemic lockdown? Yikes. 
<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/05/08/dating-and-relationships-in-the-digital-age/" target="_blank">A survey conducted in 2019</a> saw that around 51% of individuals in the US say that their partners are distracted by their phones when they try to initiate a conversation. Social media alone, despite <a href="http://www.monicakade.com/blog/beauty-social-media" target="_blank">the advantages</a> it brings to our lives, has tarnished the way we approach relationships. 
Creating unrealistic expectations brought by comparison, opening old wounds from past posts, misinterpreting your partner because they “liked” the picture of someone else, or just the fact that <a href="https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/" target="_blank">it can get addicting</a> to mindlessly scroll through. Social media is loud, flashy, abundant, and easy-access. Ticks all the right boxes for people who get <a href="http://www.bprworld.com/news/its-official-our-attention-span-is-now-worse-than-a-goldfish/" target="_blank">beaten by a goldfish in the attention span contest</a>.
Love used to be all about the experiences made together. A walk in the park, seeing a movie, having a picnic, genuine time and work from the couples. Today, it’s about what <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-love-losing-its-soul-in-the-digital-age-110686" target="_blank">picture of us can we post</a> that will make it trending on our feeds? The internet has made us care more about what other people think of us more than what we think of each other. 
It’s all about the image.
Our grandparents had to muster up the courage to invite their partners to discos, the local carnival, a trip to the mall, or even study at the library together. They needed to go through the effort of trying to meet the one in person and even then, had to work harder to have a 1 on 1 date eventually. 
Today, we have dating apps. 
There’s <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/curiosity/dating-apps-and-sites-are-almost-as-common-as-they-are-disliked/" target="_blank">a stigma</a> that comes from the use of dating applications claiming that everyone that uses it just cares for a casual hookup. The process is simple enough to support it. Post a profile, match with someone, chat, meet up, have some “fun”. While that statement can be true, it’s not indicative of the rest of the population that uses it. 
Online dating <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/12/tinder-changed-dating/578698/" target="_blank">has reinvented</a> the way we see relationships. What opportunities were lost during the start of global lockdowns, were gained back by providing an online space for finding people to date/ interact with in the safety of their own homes. 
Instead of forcing us to go all the way back to outdated traditions of love, it fully embraces the whole social media/ fast paced lifestyle we’ve all come to prefer. Like someone? Swipe, talk. Don’t like anyone? Swipe. Say what you will about the internet and social media culture, it has provided more opportunities for communication and connection with each other. Chivalry is not dead, we just like to speed it up sometimes.

Quick! I love you!

Love in the Time of Short Attention Spans

Recognize the problem, sell the solution. 
If capitalism had a motto, this would be it am I right? It’s a formula that’s been working right under our noses for years. Kid’s bored? Present the toy. Having an existential mid-life crisis because of a minor inconvenience in your life?
Knock knock, technology here. 
Home appliances might just have one of the greatest character developments in an individual’s life. It’s easily the most boring part in every family trip to the mall. Either that or the department store but it’s all the same. Want to come home and play? Too bad, mommy and daddy want to check out the refrigerators for 2 hours. 
As we get older, we get more problems in life. Food’s too cold, room’s too hot, clothes get dirty, suddenly we realize that fried chicken doesn’t magically just come from a clown named Ronald McDonald. I know, crazy right?
With great age, comes greater responsibility. And what better way to deal with additional responsibility than <a href="https://home.howstuffworks.com/10-appliances.htm" target="_blank"><ins>passing it onto something else</ins></a>! 
Responsibly lazy.
Appliances are meant to <a href="https://www.residencestyle.com/the-importance-of-home-appliance-in-daily-life/" target="_self"><ins>soften the blows</ins></a><ins> </ins>of everyday life. It has had a <a href="http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3768" target="_blank"><ins>long history</ins></a><ins> </ins>of telling people the question they always want to hear.
Why bother? 
As someone who lives in a tropical country that can get <a href="https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2021/05/12/191656/philippines-hot-weather-reminds-social-media-users-of-avatars-fire-nation/" target="_self"><ins>REALLY hot</ins></a>, electric fans and air conditioners are quite literally life savers. I would probably be sleeping in our fridge if those didn’t exist. 
Sure, I could open every single window and fan myself to sleep. Same idea that I can scrounge up logs of wood and start a fire to cook some eggs. But, I won’t stress myself with thinking whether or not I could and instead, realize whether or not I should. 
Of course, nothing is perfect. Comfort does <a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-its-important-to-think-about-privilege-and-why/" target="_blank"><ins>favor the privileged</ins></a>. Appliances can <a href="https://www.hunker.com/13409289/advantages-disadvantages-of-appliances" target="_blank"><ins>take a toll </ins></a>on electricity bills, or even just bills in general. They’re not exactly “accessible” to one’s wallet if you don’t have them yet.
Relax.
Luckily, technology advancements have allowed appliances take strides to be <a href="https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/home-appliances-good-old-days-now-theyre-cheaper-better-energy-efficient-ever/" target="_blank"><ins>more efficient</ins></a> in every way. Functionality, affordability, and environmental stability. 
Convenience is now becoming more convenient. 
You want to know why our grandparents think our generation is lazy? It’s because they didn’t have an electronic box to google everything for them. At this rate, we’ll probably think our kids are lazy because they <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/2/14/21063487/self-driving-cars-autonomous-vehicles-waymo-cruise-uber" target="_blank"><ins>don’t use their hands</ins></a> to drive anymore. 
Not getting an appliance is more of a <a href="https://www.astralenergyllc.com/5-significant-benefits-of-using-energy-efficient-appliances/" target="_blank"><ins>hard sell</ins></a> nowadays. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages by too much. When the fundamental core concept of your product is “to make your life easier”, then it doesn’t take rocket science for people to realize it’s worth getting.

Easy with technology.

Why Home Appliances Might Be Your New Best Friend

Genuine storytelling
Calvin and Hobbes creator, Bill Watterson famously <a href="https://www.bpr.org/post/timeless-appeal-calvin-hobbes#stream/0" target="_blank">refused to license the brand</a>. A true testament to the core of what he was trying to convey with the characters. Hobbes is Calvin’s stuffed tiger who came to life in which he goes on daily adventures with, through the power of his imagination. 
"Is Hobbes real? Is he a toy?" … 
If Watterson gave in and accepted the heaps of money he would’ve made with merchandising, show and film adaptations, and whatever corporate people do to exploit recognizable brands for revenue, it would lose the significance of it all. 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpaoiEDPhrA" target="_blank">The comic</a> was all about where the limits of imagination could take you, how your reality is only a reflection of what you want it to be - all under the innocent perspective of a 6 year old boy. It was never meant to be printed in T-shirts, lunchboxes, have an overly bloated-longer-than-usual animated TV show with slapstick humour, it was meant to tell the children that it is okay to dream and dream big. 
Thinking out of the box (and beyond)
Calvin wasn’t just a typical child character who was clueless or clumsy. He was someone who had a <a href="https://www.theodysseyonline.com/calvin-hobbes-timeless" target="_blank">unique sense of curiosity</a> that seems to directly come from Watterson himself. 
“It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept.” ― Bill Watterson
The author was someone who always thought that there is something beyond what the world gives. He knew that one of the biggest mistakes one can make is to not think outside of the box. 
Calvin and Hobbes appealed to children because it validated their ability to imagine. Going on adventures anywhere in the world and even in space within the four walls of a house was one of the primary essences of being a kid. The fun and quirky <a href="https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=jiur" target="_blank">back and forth</a> between the two characters made for an easily digestible comic for everyone to enjoy. 
Going through the same illustrations as grown ups, we can appreciate the subtle messages Watterson tried to convey. It wasn’t blatant propaganda but there are a few entries which touched on social commentary while most would tackle <a href="https://bookriot.com/sixteen-things-calvin-and-hobbes-said-better-than-anyone-else/" target="_blank">philosophical concepts</a> on life itself. Either way you look at it, Calvin and Hobbes catered to all ages while having the ability to<a href="https://www.cbr.com/calvin-and-hobbes-turns-30-but-remains-timeless/" target="_blank"> stay relevant</a> decades after its release. 
‘“... Let’s go exploring!”
Calvin and Hobbes had a ten year run that ended in 1995. Watterson <a href="https://www.looper.com/339054/the-real-reason-calvin-and-hobbes-ended-in-1995/" target="_blank">thought it best</a> that he left the two beloved characters exploring on their own away from his creative input and the world’s expectations. A beautiful parallel that circles back to the point of it all. 
Imaginative freedom. 
The final entry had them both on top of a snowy mountain about to go sledding with Calvin telling Hobbes that there’s a magical world out there worth exploring, and that’s exactly what they did. I wasn’t even born when it all went down and yet, here I am, looking back fondly at the experiences they had and I take comfort in knowing they’re still out there, taking on one adventure after another. &nbsp;

There’s no limit to imagination.

The Timelessness of Calvin and Hobbes 

A free cause
To be fair, being an NGO doesn’t necessarily mean that the government is completely hands off. There are cases that they do receive some form of support from other officials but ultimately, every decision is on them. Self-founded, self-funded, self-operated. 
It’s a very independent endeavor, for the most part. 
NGOs are a very <a href="https://targetstudy.com/articles/importance-of-ngo-s-in-society.html" target="_blank"><ins>important part of our communities</ins></a><ins> </ins>for a number of reasons. They are the leading groups that call for education and awareness in things that can sometimes be overlooked. 
To be apathetic is to be ignorant with the issues the world currently faces such as inequality, environmental degradation, diminishing natural resources, abuse of power, etc. NGOs hope to change this and encourage significant social change. 
One of the main advantages they have come from what some may claim to be a disadvantage as well. Since they operate on an <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-role-importance-ngos-emisa-free-and-fair-competition" target="_blank"><ins>independent nature</ins></a>, they don’t have to worry about answering to political agendas and corporate roadblocks. This allows them to act faster than most government organizations and at times, call for accountability and transparency from the higher ups. 
Where do I sign up?
We <a href="https://lifeatlakshyam.wordpress.com/2015/10/30/why-do-we-need-ngos/" target="_blank"><ins>need NGOs</ins></a>. Sometimes, the governments and institutions have to be reminded of what they’re supposed to be fighting for. Campaigns and initiatives can only go as far until they need an extra push to be seen. 
And I barely see any of them. 
There are NGOs that are lucky enough to be <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/13/what-is-non-government-organization.asp#:~:text=A%20non%2Dgovernmental%20organization%20" target="_blank"><ins>supported by hundreds of benefactors</ins></a><ins> </ins>every year. I personally would like to support as many as I could but, my feeds are filled with memes. NGOs need to up their PR game if they want to see more engagements. 
They’re <a href="https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/ngo-why-they-are-needed-accountability-democracy-civil-organisation/11727" target="_blank"><ins>fighting the good fight</ins></a>. Ever see your favorite brands offset the major environmental implications of their product production with more sustainable practices? Not as often. Heard of a high level politician being free from any form of greed and corruption? Maybe one in a million. Do you know a lot of NGOs are dedicated to solving these problems? 
Despite how important their work is, I can’t say I’ve been exposed to a lot of it. It’s not like I’m actively avoiding them. They just don’t have a loud enough voice to be heard. Social media marketing is hard enough as it is. It’s basically a moshpit of everyone fighting to be noticed.
Words into actions
Good PR and marketing is tricky. You need the right message with the right set of tools to send out to the right set of eyes. The better the execution, the better the engagement. It’ll reach a point where <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimberlywhitler/2014/07/17/why-word-of-mouth-marketing-is-the-most-important-social-media/?sh=1e1db8b354a8" target="_blank"><ins>word-of-mouth will do the job</ins></a><ins> </ins>for you. 
NGOs already have the right message. 
It’s sure as heck better than the ad for an air fryer I get now and then just because I googled a Gordon Ramsay video once. With <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/01/30/five-things-great-pr-can-help-your-brand-achieve/?sh=4d70e8055c0f" target="_self"><ins>the right strategies</ins></a> to get seen and heard, NGOs can do so much more than just talk about social change, they might as well do it with all the new supporters they’ll get. &nbsp;

Where do I sign up? Really? 

The Last Time I Paid Attention to an NGO

SALE! — is cheaper than a therapist
Nothing gets you going with your work than a well said “hey man, at the end of the day, you’re getting paid.” - and money was never meant to be left rotting in a piggy bank. 
Treat yo’self.
Working all the time sucks. No matter how much you convince yourself that you enjoy your job, at some point you will want to do something else. We’re not machines. We need some form of play every once in a while. 
We have our down moments. There’s no shame in admitting that. There are a number of ways to fix this. Hobbies, food, meditation, exercise, or whatnot. Some have varying degrees of success but there is one that’s almost universally accepted as a major uplifter - SHOPPING!
When we’re stressed, we usually <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/retail-therapy-and-stress-3145259" target="_blank"><ins>shop differently</ins></a>. We’re more compulsive, not really thinking straight, see the shiniest one on the shelf and go for it-type-of-energy. Hitting that purchase button is a mood booster in itself. I just try to not look at the total bill that much, that might make my mental state worse than before I even started browsing the shop. 
Who doesn’t like new stuff?
Buying stuff for ourselves gives us a <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/retail-therapy-shopping-compulsion/" target="_blank"><ins>sense of control</ins></a> over our lives. Something which is desperately needed in today’s unpredictable circumstances. 
When you buy a new shirt, you can’t wait to wear it and look good in it. A new shoe might give you more motivation to go out and be more active. A new table may be able to re-energize your work environment and cause your productivity to skyrocket. 
It’s all about riding the hype wave. 
A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1057740813001149" target="_blank"><ins>2014 study</ins></a> revealed that retail therapy not only causes a happier mood in the moment, it also fights sadness that may come after.
Knowing that a delivery package is on its way to me is all I think about until I get my hands on it. I can’t help but anticipate it because I spent my well-earned money on something I’ve been eyeing for a long time. Or maybe it was something I just saw on the fly and thought it would be cool to have. 
And if you were worried about regretting it, retail therapy <a href="https://northstarpsych.com/files_uploaded/8df9f1b646b4900b8dd33849f6e898c5.pdf" target="_blank"><ins>usually doesn’t have buyer’s remorse</ins></a> shortly after. The <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/retail-therapy#does-it-work" target="_blank"><ins>mood benefits stay</ins></a> long after the purchase is made. 
Go ahead, confirm the purchase.
If you were in need of an extra push whether or not you’ll be getting that item that’s been sitting in your cart for a few days already, this is it. 
You deserve it.
Every once in a while, you have to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Shopping is one of the best ways to do that. In <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/addiction/shopping" target="_blank"><ins>healthy moderation</ins></a> of course. Think of it as a self reward after a successful pitch or after closing in on a sale with a client. 
Your boss didn’t call you an idiot this week? That calls for a celebration! Had a long day at work because your editor told you to write 6 blogs in one day without prior notice? Cha-ching baby. &nbsp;

Sun’s out, cash out. 

The Wonders of Retail Therapy

Hello? Can you hear me?
Living our lives through the internet is exhausting. Work, school, business, whatever it may be all had to be done through a screen. What’s usually suggested to take a break from all this? Socialize with friends and family. There’s a problem though.
It’s still online.
It’s not like online socializing not being a preferred option is an isolated case nowadays, even prior to the pandemic, people like <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/11/28/teens-who-are-constantly-online-are-just-as-likely-to-socialize-with-their-friends-offline/" target="_blank">in-person interactions</a>. 
There are <a href="https://www.rootsofaction.com/disadvantages-of-social-networking/" target="_blank">a lot of things</a> that can be said about social media and the negative effects it has to anyone. Anyone can be anything on the internet. That loses the human element of the interaction. Sure, you are chatting up your best friend, but the nuances of physical interactions are lost. Body language, hand gestures, facial expressions, etc. It’s a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-facetime-cant-replace-face-to-face-time-during-social-distancing-136206" target="_blank">hollow experience. </a>&nbsp;
Beep boop bop
Ever wondered how robots talk to each other? Now you do. It’s boring, mundane, and a bunch of ones and zeros shooting at each other with no emotion at all. If I were to type “LOL HAHAHA” you’d think I’m laughing hard right? 
No, I typed it with such a straight face, a ruler would feel threatened. 
<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/quarantine-fatigue-real-and-shaming-people-wont-help/611482/" target="_blank">People are tired</a> of the clickity claps and the tappity toes on their keyboards. Humans are at our very core, social beings. We <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/good-company-why-we-need-other-people-be-happy-ncna836106" target="_blank">need each other</a> to be happy or at the very least, be sane. 
If a person is mentally having such a hard time being forced to do everything in life through a computer screen that they’re in need of therapy and so when they finally meet the therapist, it’s through a computer screen as well then we have a real problem here chief. 
We are left to<a href="https://time.com/5835818/socializing-coronavirus-social-distancing/" target="_blank"> juggle between </a>our health and safety or social wellbeing. No one wants to die of a virus, but no one wants to just keep spending most of their days listening to “hello? Can you see my screen?” or at least some version of it. 
How do you do this again? 
We’ve been in this global pandemic for nearly 3 years already. 3 years without gatherings, events, and large group interactions at least without the fear of contracting the virus itself. Some may have done it more than others, with countries already slowly <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/16/world/covid-countries-opening-up-cmd-intl/index.html" target="_blank">getting back to normal</a> .
But not everyone is so lucky. 
We have gotten so used to avoiding people, only being with them through the internet, and going out in small proportions that we may have actually<a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210218-why-we-may-have-to-re-learn-to-socialise" target="_blank"> forgotten to act normal</a> with each other. 
I haven’t even shaken the hand of my boss yet and I fear that when I’m finally able to, I wouldn’t know how. Arm too stiff, hands too jittery, do I shake it once or twice? Is he just going for a brofist but I accidentally grab his hand because I thought it was going to be a handshake? You get the point. 
The pandemic has effectively created a void that we all want so desperately to <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-to-fill-the-need-to-socialize-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-159773" target="_self">fill back up</a> again. It’ll take some time for sure, but significant changes can only happen if we all do our part in <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/never-too-late-to-fight-back-against-pandemic" target="_self">fighting back</a> against the virus. Please. I can’t wait for the day that I have a conversation without lag. &nbsp;

HAHA vs. haha

Fake Spaces: The Woes of Online Socializing

Market for Dummies
Not everyone understands tech talk. A product showcase can list down every single specific specification a phone has and boast about how the <a href="http://techzle.com/the-a15-chip-isnt-as-fast-as-apple-promised-its-even-faster" target="_blank">A15 chip is the fastest</a> in the market but it won’t amount to anything unless they explicitly say the why instead of the how. 
You can’t win over a market by flaunting everything. You win it through the <a href="https://www.keeneview.com/2008/07/gullible-marketing.html" target="_blank">gullible people</a> who have nothing else better to do with their money. People have no time to analyze the ‘nerdy stuff’. <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/simplicity-apple-dna" target="_blank">Apple understood</a> and perfected this formula which they still use in their yearly iPhone showcases.
Simplicity beats complexity.
Even though Android is <a href="https://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-is-android-more-popular-globally-while-ios-rules-the-us/" target="_blank">extremely popular worldwide</a> due to its versatility and accessibility, iOS still remains to be the<a href="https://gregwyattjr.medium.com/why-people-prefer-iphone-555891b9f06" target="_blank"> preferred operating system</a> for many. It has formed a very loyal fanbase through its easy to use and highly reliable ecosystem. Regardless of the price, people will flock to Apple just because they’re comfortable with it. 
Despite the advantage of having multiple devices to be more flexible in the market for people on a budget, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHc37Gbdo9U" target="_blank">Google still falls behind Apple</a> who exclusively caters to a more luxurious consumer base. Even software developers have<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/23/9381325/apple-bias-iphone-reviews-day" target="_blank"> a bias towards </a>iOS. 
A new challenger awaits
This year, Google ain’t messing around. The Google Pixel 6 is their answer to the iPhone 13. A flagship android phone that is $200 cheaper than its competition with almost identical specifications (and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDAUOKxVEhE" target="_blank">some even better</a>). 
Big G is really trying to square up.
For the longest time, it always seemed like other smartphones are just playing catch up to the iPhone hoping they’ll strike lightning in a bottle the way Apple did and has sustained for years. 
With the recent reveal of the Pixel 6 lineup, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDAUOKxVEhE" target="_blank">Google came in swinging</a> and has turned a lot of heads. Streamlining a lot of features that would usually be complicated to an average user, doubling down on showcasing quality of life improvements such as battery life, camera features, and third-party app support.
A promise of 5 years of software support really elevates it from the common criticisms that past android phones are usually abandoned shortly after release. Also, an <a href="https://www.engadget.com/google-tensor-soc-pixel-6-chip-170059466.html" target="_blank">exclusive and custom-made</a> Google Tensor Chip really helps them compete <a href="https://www.macworld.com/article/352439/google-pixel-6-pro-iphone-processor-display-camera-security-design-android.html" target="_blank">toe-to-toe</a> with Apple’s A-series the market has long looked up to. 
Eenie Meenie Money Mo
Tech companies wouldn’t be releasing new models every year if it wasn’t profiting so much from doing so. 
People buy the damn things and so corporations capitalize on it. 
With just the iPhone 13 alone it has the base model, then the 13 Pro, then the 13 Pro Max, and Lord help us if one day they woke up and decided they wanted to sell 13 Minis, 13 Beginner, 13 Semi-pro. 
There are a lot of options. With the Pixel 6 <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/news/iphone-13-vs-google-pixel-6-which-phone-will-win" target="_blank">closing the gap</a> between android phones and the iPhone in terms of flagship features, it’ll be interesting to see how the market will look like.
While I don’t believe that this is the year that Apple will be thrown off the throne they sit comfortably on, Google is doing a good job setting up for a future that might have Steve Jobs worried from up there. &nbsp;

Tech is a popularity contest.

Google vs. iPhone: David vs. Goliath

Patients can’t get impatient. 
The healthcare industry was unexpectedly slapped to the face by COVID-19. As much as we all think life sucks because we now have to work from home and are unable to come and eat or drink outside, we fail to see much more pressing problems. 
What about the patients and the healthcare workers that deal with the damn virus themselves?
Hospitals are powered by technology. It ain’t the dark ages anymore, <a href="https://time.com/5805622/coronavirus-pandemic-technology/" target="_blank">we actually have equipment to deal with a pandemic</a> this time. As cases grow each day, doctors and nurses are left to treat not only COVID-19 patients, but also any other sicknesses the world has already been dealing with for years. 
Manpower is<a href="https://theconversation.com/nurses-are-leaving-the-profession-and-replacing-them-wont-be-easy-166325" target="_blank"> already shrinking</a> due to burnout or the high risks of being a healthcare worker, and medical equipment is also becoming more and more harder to come by. Patients who are at critical states in need of treatments have no choice but to wait till supplies allow it. The world just can’t keep up with all of it. 
Doc, we have a problem.
Semiconductor manufacturers are bombarded with orders from all sorts of industries. Almost every piece of technology in the world uses semiconductors. And oh my, who uses technology?
Everyone. Literally, everyone. 
The medtech world is almost<a href="https://www.medtechdive.com/news/medtech-semiconductor-shortage-advamed-biden/607128/" target="_blank"> begging to be prioritized</a> at this point. No one can argue that supplying for a device that can potentially save a life is way more important than making another iPhone but it’s not like other industries should be neglected to meet the huge demand of healthcare. That would cause even more problems to the economy. 
It’s not an easy conversation to have. The world needs tech <a href="https://www.semiconductors.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/From-Microchips-to-Medical-Devices-SIA-White-Paper.pdf" target="_blank">more than ever</a>. Everyone needs a phone, computer, internet, home appliances, because we’re all stuck inside. Do chip manufacturers cater to our needs so we can go on with our jobs or do they provide only to the medical side of things? There is no clear answer.
Get well soon, please. 
Critical medtech devices such as defibrillators, peacemakers, ventilators, or anything that powers an ICU wing are gasping for air at this point. What used to be around a month or two dedicated to manufacturing chips has now escalated to <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/chip-shortage-could-hit-supplies-of-critical-medtech-devices/articleshow/87219754.cms" target="_blank">30-40 weeks</a>.
We might have to strap in longer. 
General Electric (GE) already warns that the shortage will<a href="https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/ge-healthcare-supply-chain-semiconductors-resin-logistics/" target="_blank"> last long into 2022</a> and even then, no guarantee if things will get any better at a significant rate. Here’s to hoping the world gets back on its feet sooner rather than later. Some lives really depend on it.&nbsp;

It might not be getting well soon.

Healthcare Today: Gasping Through A Semiconductor Shortage

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