3 h. ago Ready to give up social media? ‘Advice pollution’ might just get you there | Emma Beddington

I almost admire the confidence it must take to tell people what to do online. But I long for the days when the internet wasn’t just lists of bossy self-optimisation plansI may have found what will finally wean me off social media. It’s this “things I’ve learned” trend. Take, for example, advice that will supposedly “change your brain chemistry”, courtesy of someone who is definitely not a neuroscientist. Or “my nutrition rules”, from a dewy, gen Alpha sylph who doesn’t realise what they actually have is a teenager’s metabolism. Or “45 things you need to understand” about a place from someone who has spent 45 minutes there. Endless lists of the bleeding obvious: eat intuitively, embrace nature, exercise compassion, remain curious, be childlike, contact friends, put down your phone, put your head in a blender.OK, not that last one, but it’s how this stuff makes me feel. I don’t know what to call it – expertise overload? Advice pollution? A bottomless pit of wisdom brain rot? – but aut...

Politics

4 d. ago Woman baffled after she 'got told off' by stranger for sunbathing

The sunbather turned to social media for advice after the stranger called her behaviour 'selfish'

Politics

5 d. ago 'Neighbour has disgusting bin habit that makes life hell now I'm taking revenge'

A man has taken to social media to ask for advice on how to deal with his neighbour who has a 'disgusting' habit - and many have told him to get sweet revenge on them

Politics

1 week ago ‘It’s like a stone gets shoved into the river of your life’: Eva Victor on sexual assault drama Sorry, Baby

The actor’s directing debut has been acclaimed for reimagining the ‘trauma plot’. Victor discusses bootcamp with Barry Jenkins – and what you can learn from working in a bridal shopIn late 2020, the actor and comedian Eva Victor decamped from New York to their cousin’s house in rural Maine with a surprise window of time and an urgent subject. Covid had shut down production on Billions, Showtime’s soapy finance drama on which Victor scored their first regular acting gig. Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, a fan of Victor’s short comedy videos on social media, had DM-ed to offer encouragement and a request: send a script when you’re ready.That year, everything felt incomprehensibly big – global pandemic, political upheaval, social fracturing. But alone in wintry Maine, Victor turned far inwards, towards a quiet personal trauma. “It’s like a stone gets shoved into the river of your life. There’s a lot of pain in trying to remove it and you can’t,” says Victor. “You just have to find a w...

Events

2 w. ago Fuzzy hats and a ban on swearing: the New Zealand town that bonds over curling

Scottish goldminers first brought the sport to Central Otago and the traditions live on as farmers sweep stones and catch up on the iceOn a July evening in Alexandra, a small town in New Zealand’s South Island, the temperature is a chilly 3C. While most of the town is in quiet darkness, at Ice Inline Molyneux Park, the lights are on and the banter is abundant. It’s a social curling night, and the shouts of “sweeeep!” can be heard from the car park. Players from teams with names such as the “Plonkers”, “Too Dam Cold” and “Doome and Broom” gather on the outdoor ice rink, sweeping furiously as 11kg curling stones move across the ice.L-R: A collection of enamel badges from curling competitions and tournaments. Curling stones ready to be put away after a Thursday night social curling game in Alexandra. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago What the law says if your neighbour's dogs bark 'day and night'

A homeowner turned to social media looking for advice on their noisy dog problem

Politics

4 w. ago Expert dietitian warns young people 'don't take weight loss tips from influencers'

While social media may be full of dieting advice and health guidance, not all of it is correct and people should think twice before taking it, experts have explained

Events

4 w. ago Is it true that you need to lift heavy weights to build muscle mass?

Most people who want larger muscles head to the gym. But gains can be made at home without any equipment at allScroll through social media for muscle-building advice and the message is often clear: go to the gym; lift weights so heavy you can barely finish your final set. “People assume that’s the only way to build muscle,” says Leigh Breen, professor of translational physiology at the University of Leicester. “But there are other ways.”Muscles grow when we place a demand on them that isn’t typical in our daily lives. If that demand is repeated often enough, the muscles adapt: getting stronger and, yes, larger. But they don’t “know” whether this stimulus to the muscle is coming from a heavy or low load. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Elle Brooke issues major advice as she warns 'you need to change your whole life'

Content creator Elle Brooke took to her social media to provide some real pieces of advice, as she continues to switch up her content career in favour of something tastier

Events