Watch me cook
Feminism is trending on social media
Threads copied a Twitter feature that lets you choose who can reply to your posts. There are three options: anyone, profiles you know, & mentioned only (here’s more from TechCrunch). By choosing “mentioned only” and not mentioning anyone, you can basically stop people from replying. But nothing can stop you from taking a screenshot and sharing your thoughts.
In today’s newsletter:
Going Behind the Headlines: Feminism is Trending on Social Media
Social Snacks: Instagram Updates its Algorithm and Stickers
Don’t Diss This: Rap Beef Spills Into Academia
Watch me cook
For weeks, I’ve watched an increasing amount of feminist-focused content on social media, including discussion of the 4B movement in South Korea, the man vs. bear debate, and the latest trend — “watch me cook.”
While these posts may seem unrelated, they are part of an increasing trend of content highlighting feminist-positive themes. Given the political climate in the U.S. (where a lot of these content creators live) these trends may only become more prominent.
It could impact the comments you see on your posts, and/or your social media strategy. Let’s discuss.
1/4 Man vs. bear
Women, would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear?
This man vs. bear debate has spread across TikTok as the topic of women’s safety takes centre stage. It all started, according to USA Today, with this video by ScreenshotHQ where seven women were asked this question. Six out of seven women in the video answered bear, and as the trend spread across TikTok, the majority of the answers to this hypothetical question were — you guessed it — bear. This caused some men to lash out in anger, and other men to show up as allies. Either way, it’s still being debated.
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2/4 Watch me cook
As the man vs. bear trend started to wind down, a new feminist trend popped up. I noticed it a few days ago on TikTok. It involves stitching* a video that opens with creator @LilyKateShow saying, “I’m not a feminist. I can actually cook.” And she pushes a plate of food forward.
Content creators have taken that snippet and added to it by saying, “I am a feminist. Watch me cook.” And then the video cuts to snippets of that person at work.
I’ve seen it stitched by astronauts, such as Amanda Nguyen, doctors such as Dr. Grunch, and many others.
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*Stitching a video on TikTok is when you take a few seconds of a video and then add your own take on it.
3/4 Why is this trending?
In addition to these two recent trends, another feminist topic was trending earlier this year. The 4B Movement in South Korea is a feminist movement where women renounce men, marriage, sex with men, and children. And we can’t forget about last year’s trending Girl Dinner where women felt free to make an easy dinner that can be anything we want it to be.
So, why is there so much feminist-positive content popping up right now? In the U.S., where a lot of these content creators live, it might be in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the ongoing battle over abortion rights. Also, the issue of femicide has become more visible on social media as content creators share stories from around the world.
4/4 What does this mean for you?
For one thing, it might mean that any feminist-positive content you post could result in anti-feminist replies. For example, in the “Watch me cook” videos, a lot of men replied to say that they liked the first video better (of the non-feminist in the kitchen).
Secondly, it’s important to know that these debates are happening. If someone mentions man vs. bear, it’s good to know what they are referring to.
And third, you might want to start featuring your own feminist-positive content. As always, just make sure it fits with your content strategy and social media goals.
🍭 SOCIAL SNACKS 🍭
Instagram Updates its Algorithm & Stickers
Earlier this week, Instagram announced upcoming changes to the algorithm to help smaller creators reach more people via Reels. The updates outlined in this blog post include:
A new ranking system to share content from smaller creators to non-followers that Instagram thinks will enjoy the content; top performing content will continue to be shared more widely
Prioritizing original content over repurposed content
Labelling reposted content with a link to the original creator
Removing aggregator accounts from distribution (Note: there is a lot of debate about this on Instagram about the value of these type of accounts)
Meanwhile, Instagram also announced four new stickers in Stories. The one I’m most curious about is the “Reveal” sticker. “With the Reveal sticker, you can post a hidden story for your friends and followers to uncover. The only way for them to see the content is to send you a DM.”
🫠 DON’T DISS THIS
Rap beef spills into academia
It’s no surprise that Merriam-Webster recently won a Webby Award for Best Overall Social Presence — People’s Voice. They are always quick to jump on trends, like their latest post on the definition of “diss.”
This is a not-so subtle nod to a beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, who are currently locked in an intense rap battle, releasing one diss track after another (Here’s a great backgrounder from The Toronto Star). Way to jump on a trend. 👏
My favourite response on the Instagram post is from @Andre_in_vegas: This rap beef is spilling into academia 🤓
