Influencers everywhere, but actual personalities? Hardly. Reality TV is drowning in TikTok-ready cast members who are great for promo but often times terrible for entertainment. Here’s why the genre is flopping… and flopping hard.

TikTok, Reels, Shorts … whatever you call them, short-form videos have BEEN running the internet. Here’s the kicker though: they’re also messing with our attention spans, frying our dopamine receptors, and turning kids into full-time iPad zombies. Before you scroll again, let’s break down what these bite-sized dopamine bombs are actually doing to us.

Spoiler alert: most Cyber Monday deals aren’t deals at all. Retailers jack up prices, throw in filler bundles, and call it a “sale.” Here’s why you should shop smart … and maybe just enjoy the online window shopping instead.

Black Friday is officially chopped. Between fake discounts, low-quality products, and the death of in-person shopping, it’s basically a marketing zombie that refuses to truly die. Let’s call it what it is, a relic of a retail era long gone.

Remember when reality TV was about messy breakups, bad tans, and actual humans? Now it’s just an influencer factory churning out discount codes and podcast hosts. Let’s talk about how your favorite reality shows turned into one big marketing campaign, and why the influencer-to-reality-star pipeline is officially out of control.

Tired of your inbox being flooded with “Hey {Name}! I can help grow your business in 15 minutes, Calendly link attached”? You’re not alone. Cold DMs are out of control, and the worst offenders? People who try to be funny with forced memes … or the ones who just say “hey.” It’s time to talk about why this modern networking tactic is exhausting, annoying, and how it could actually be killing your chances of making genuine connections.

Oh, you’re so concerned about how kids dress, talk, and eat? That’s cool … but if you’re also cool with gutting schools, libraries, and basic services for them, maybe, just maybe, stfu. Let’s talk about why yelling at Gen Z and Gen Alpha (and their parents) is pointless if you’re not actually helping make their world better.

UGGs didn’t start as a billion-dollar cozy-core empire, they started as scrappy surfer boots in Australia. Then an American company trademarked the name, muscled out the locals, and sold us “ugly but chic” as a lifestyle. Messy? Absolutely. Effective? Oh, 100%. We need to unpack UGG’s history, because it’s not really their history.

Your emails aren’t getting ignored because “email marketing is dead.” They’re getting ignored because they suck. Let’s talk subject lines, pretty design, and how to make your emails actually worth opening. (P.S. “Weekly Newsletter” isn’t a subject line, it’s a yawn in Times New Roman.)

I say this with love: stop letting TikTok trends rob you blind. That overpriced lip gloss case? Trash. That endless Crumbl lineup? Mid. I’m here to save your wallet … and your storage room. Some trends are just dumb sh*t in disguise, and it needs to be discussed.

Think gaming these days is by default, just harmless fun? Think again. Today’s online worlds like Roblox, Fortnite, and Discord are full of creativity, but also risks that can catch kids off guard. As parents (or just adults in general,) we need to stay informed, have real conversations, and keep kids safe while letting them enjoy the magic of modern gaming.

WTF is a “Boo Basket,” and why does everybody suddenly need one? The cutesy Halloween trend has taken over TikTok and Pinterest the last few years, but behind the cozy pumpkin blankets and batty socks lurks a whole lot of pressure, performative romance, and consumerism dressed up in cobwebs. They can be fun if you want them to be, but only for the right reasons.

Think your favorite influencer has it all? Think again. Behind the yachts, designer outfits, and dream vacations, many are drowning in debt, renting their lifestyles, and stressing just to keep up appearances. The reality behind the perfectly curated feeds is a lot more sinister than you think. Let this serve as a reminder that what you see online isn’t always real … and that’s totally okay.

Subcultures used to mean something … now the internet has cut them into a thousand meaningless aesthetics. From “pastel goth” to “clean goth” (like, what?) everything’s become more about vibes and algorithms than music, community, or ideology. The result? Gatekeeping, watered-down identities, and brands cashing in … and that really sucks.

AI isn’t just about chatbots or quick image generators, it’s reshaping the internet in ways that are messy, exploitative, and honestly terrifying. From ripping off artists to fueling misinformation to the deeply disturbing rise of non-consensual C/SAM, there are plenty of reasons people are furious about generative AI, and the outrage isn’t overblown.

So … it’s the big year of 2025 and some brands are still pretending skinny, white influencers are the only people on Earth? Yikes. From Altar’d State to Tarte to Chanel, too many campaigns look like copy-paste Southern sorority lineups, and it’s not just lazy, it’s exclusionary, which is terrible for business and makes you suck as a human being (which is arguably, way, way worse.)

Exclusivity: it’s the marketing move we all love to hate. From Supreme drops that vanish in 0.2 seconds to PopMart’s elusive Labubu restocks, brands know exactly how to toy with our FOMO. But … does hype always equal loyalty, or are they just leaving people behind? There’s some genius and some mess in the “get it before it’s gone” game.

Celebrities love to flaunt their influence when it comes to selling you a perfume, a diet tea, or the latest lip kit, but when it comes to speaking up about real issues? Crickets. Let’s down why so many A-listers stay silent, how “good PR” has become code for “don’t rock the boat,” and why it’s time to expect more from people with billion-dollar platforms.

There’s just nothing quite like the Minnesota State Fair. Cheese curds, baby goats, endless people-watching, this is what we wait all year for. It’s the one place where everyone in Minnesota shows up, eats way too much, and actually enjoys it. Consider this my love letter to the Great Minnesota Get-Together, so grab a bucket of Sweet Martha’s and let’s get into it.

Remember when your biggest worry was picking the right Myspace song, not replying to texts in 2.5 seconds? We’re talking about how constant access, social media, and “always-on” culture might be making life harder, not better. A little nostalgia, a little truth bomb… this one will have you wanting to dust off your Sidekick and log off for a while.