A select few pieces I've read online in the last month...
This fantastic write up comparing various oat milk brands available in the UK and how they stack up against each other, with detail on price, flavour and creaminess!
I found myself strongly agreeing with this piece on the issues with 'influencers' aligning with fake news and micro-advertising, and why the world of marketing and influencer culture has got pretty out of control in telling us what we want all the goddam time. Here's a snippet cos I really did find it so juicy:
"To be clear, I don’t think social media in a vacuum is the problem, nor do I place the blame entirely on the people who enter these contracts. I blame the companies that understand consumerism and the insecurities that they themselves have planted into cultural zeitgeist to make sales. It’s the same aspirational marketing deeply rooted in the assumption of competition and the assumption of scarce resources (even if those resources are attention, love, beauty, or a caring partner) that brands have been doing for decades. Now, it’s sent to us over a medium that theoretically should have supported community, but instead furthers anxieties over comparison and competition."
It mainly resonated with me because I feel the exact same.When I started this blog, it's becaue I want to inspire, educate and share information and help people to make better, more positive ethical choices, but I do not want to encourage the bright lights of being an influencer or the next stage, i.e. modern capitlaism
Coincidentally, I also found this refreshingly honest post from another ethical living blog I follow, and am constantly inspired by. It's about influencers and bloggers getting paid for their work,(or not) and is a frank personal call out on the fine line she treads between getting paid for working with brands and being expected to work for free.
A nice follow on from that is something on the Guardian's Labs boutique native advertising service, (part of the Guardian's business model) which discusses whether ethical advertising can be a thing...
Oh and before I go, I found this extensive list on Independent bookshops in the UK, didn't I?
Photo credit: Tetiana SHYSHKINA
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