Comment Like You Mean It

it's probably the freest form of currency we have in todays world

Last week I wrote about the idea that if you want the village, you have to be a villager.

I wasn’t expecting how many of you responded to it. My inbox was full of messages. The reshares on stories actually kinda shocked me. It made me realize we’re all craving the same thing: community.

Being a good villager doesn’t just happen in real life anymore. It happens online too and this week the “No Influencers” thing made me really contemplate the digital landscape as a whole and how I always try to show the f*ck up for my friends on the internet. Don’t ask me how I got from one to the other, but here we are.

If someone I know launches a business, I’m sharing it. If they write a book, I’m buying it. If they’re opening a restaurant or promoting something they’ve poured months or years of their life into, I’m there. I’m commenting. I’m sending it to my group chat. I’m telling people to check it out.

Not because they asked me to. Because that’s what friends do.

We spend so much time talking about supporting small businesses, shopping local, and putting our money where our mouth is. But one of the easiest ways to support someone doesn’t cost a thing. It takes twenty seconds to leave a thoughtful comment. It takes even less time to hit share. Honestly, commenting is probably the freest form of currency we have in todays world and it really really matters.

I’ve been so fascinated by all the discourse lately about how boring Instagram comment sections have become. Everyone is tired of seeing “comment RECIPE” or “comment SHIRT” under every post. I understand it, I feel it too. I miss the comment section of 5 years ago. It’s too transactional these days.

But I also think... that’s kind of on us.

If we don’t want social media to become a place where bots are talking to bots and AI is creating content for people who aren’t really paying attention, then we have to be the humans who keep the conversation going. We have to stop scrolling for twenty extra seconds and actually engage. Tell someone you loved what they made. Congratulate them on a launch. Ask a question. Leave a review. Make them feel like there was another real person on the other side of the screen who saw what they created and thought it was worth acknowledging.

I think that’s only going to become more important over the next few years. The more technology automates everything around us, the more valuable genuine human interaction becomes. A thoughtful comment, a message to say you’re proud of someone, sharing a friend’s work because you actually believe in it... those things really really matter. They remind people that someone is paying attention.

And while we’re talking about social media, I also think it’s worth asking who you’re giving your attention to in the first place.

Every single person you follow is an invitation into your day. Every account you follow gets a tiny piece of your time, your energy, and your headspace. If someone consistently makes you feel bad about yourself, gives you the ick, leaves you feeling like you’re behind in life, or trying to keep up or just isn’t adding anything positive, it’s okay to unfollow them. Protect your peace.

I’d rather fill my feed with people I’m really excited to root for. The people whose success makes me happy. The people whose businesses I want to see grow. The people whose posts I actually want to stop and engage with because I know there’s a real human behind them trying to build something.

Maybe this is just another version of last week’s lesson on being a villager. And these days, part of being a good villager is showing up online just as much as you show up in real life.

So that’s that. I’m doing a hard reset of what I consume on social media over the next few weeks and I feel cleansed already!! And once I’m done with that… I’m purging my house before school starts. I am a creature of habit and this brings me a lot of joy.

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Recipes on Repeat

• Made a batch of this Butter Tomato Sauce this week and have been dousing all my pasta with it.

• My strawberry peach cobbler is on deck in my fridge tonight for a dinner party and I cannot wait

• Ground Chicken Taco meat that gets rolled into a bean and cheese burrito is our current breakfast of choice before camp.

• This Raw Tomato Sauce is equally as insane as the butter one from above!

• This Sriracha Lime Noodle Salad is our current lunch

• Crispy Rice Salad is my absolute favorite treat. It’s cold. It’s crunchy. It’s refreshing!

Where We Ate

• Bar Stella is back open and better than ever! It’s a great date night and their bar is quite possibly the sexiest bar in all of LA!

• Courage Bagels - I am embarrassed to say this was my first time and it is sooooo cute!!! I’ve had the bagels before but the actual brick and mortar is so cute!!

  

What I’m Watching / Reading

• Almost done with Season 2 of The Agency.

• If you aren’t caught up on Lioness, this is your moment. The next season comes out next week and we will be DEEPLY invested.

• Just started a book club and Yesteryear is our first book. I posted it on IG and got a LOT of mixed opinions so I’m excited to see where I land.

Things I Sent to the Group Chat

• LOVE LOVE LOVE this interview with Casey Neistat about the difference between lean forward consumption and lean back consumption. Worth a listen.

• Also ran into this video after writing the opening of this weeks Substack and it made me giggle big time. She nailed it. “my girl Kim K” - dead dead dead absolutely dead.

Ask Me Anything - keeping a running table of these and will do a big dump soon!

Happy weekend friends!! xx