In 2002 Disney released the trailer introducing a small blue alien and a young Hawaiian girl. The alien was a science experiment gone wrong, resulting in glitches in his programming that made him destructive and evil. The little girl was an orphan, whose sister took guardianship over her and struggled to keep them afloat. They cross paths at the local animal shelter, when the little girl adopts the alien believing him to be a dog. The movie focuses on finding family, yourself, and your found family. In 2025, 23 years later, Lilo and Stitch live action will be released into theaters on May 23rd.

This campaign is separated into phases; pre-release, release, and post-release. Pre-release beginning on January 1st 2025 with the release of the actors and their respective characters. In February of 2025, the trailer will be released with an official look at the live action cast, scenes, and locations. After the release of the trailer our brand and influencer partnerships will begin. Release begins on May 23rd when the movie is released into theaters across the United States. This phase will continue for thirty to forty days before being removed from the theater and released on Disney +. Approximately, July 2nd depending on the success of the movie, agreements between the box office, and audience demand.

Our goals for this campaign are specific for each phase, focusing on engagement/ popularity, ticket sales, and streams. We would like to see an engagement rate increase of 50% between the months of January to May. We would like to see an increase in ticket sales for Lilo & Stitch to the estimated $100 million for opening weekend. A total of 132% increase for the last live action movie’s opening weekend. For the first 3 months of the movie’s release we would like to see a 3% increase in expected streams.

Our decision to focus our attention on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook was made with our audience in the forefront of our minds. These are some of the most popular social media platforms, but also the platforms that our audience is most present on. Tiktok is the most conversational, influential, and diverse. This is a popular platform for all generations, but mostly Generation Z and Millenials. This focus on Tiktok will ensure that we can post our most humorous, unseries, and casual content here. Getting the audience talking on this platform will create the buzz needed to bring attention to the release of the movie.

Facebook where we narrow down our audience and reach for the older groups that may not have much of a social presence elsewhere. We want to ensure that this group receives age appropriation and relevant content. Not only do we want this group to go to the theaters to see this movie, they are likely grandparents or parents who can bring their families. It is also the top social media platform influencing people to make direct purchases. Specifically focusing some of our attention to Disney related Facebook groups with up to 2 million followers.

Instagram is our third choice for social media platforms because it doubles down on the audience we have targeted already and grabs the stragglers that may not have accounts elsewhere. 60% of the main audience of Instagram is below the age of 35, which is the majority of our audience. Using Disney accounts, with their millions of followers, we can share the important information and create excitement that is easy to spread and share.

The brand voice for this campaign is reminiscent of everything you love about Lilo and Stitch. The personality is going to be light, casual, and full of love for life. Lilo is a young, eccentric, and full of life little girl who shows that personality throughout the movie. We want to use that personality to imitate our campaign after, giving it a friendly and approachable touch. We want lots of bright color to our graphics, videos, and merchandise. We want to use emojis to bring that same pop of color to the captions.

The vocabulary and word choice will focus on the popular phrases from the original movie. “Ohana” and “Ohana means family” are the two biggest phrases that will be used within the campaign. “My name, Stitch”, “this is my family”, “Stitch not bad”, and “blue punch buggy” are some more phrases that can be used throughout the campaign to nod to the original movie. The captions, post, and in-graphic text is going to be short with simple vocabulary. Adding a little flair and personality to the short captions to make it feel personalized for that movie. The focus of our marketing efforts are to encourage viewers to grab their friends and family and head to the theater on opening weekend. Hashtags we will be utilizing throughout the campaign are #LiloandSttich, #Ohana, and #Ohanameansfamily.

Through influencer partnerships I would love to create posts that encourage fans to create UGC content under the #LiloandStitch hashtag. One of the UGC content ideas I have is to create a series of photos on Tiktok with the sound “This is my family…I found it all on my own…it’s a little broken…but good…Yeah…Still Good”. Each slide showcasing a photo of their friends, families, or anything else they love about their life. An event would be the best way to capture the attention of Gen Z and Millennials. Some influencers we would think to collaborate with are Sienna Mae Gomez, Bretman Rock, Da’ana Williamson, Emma Wo, and Alice Payne. All appeal to different sections of our audience and have different niches throughout their respective platforms.

Some brands I would want a collaboration with are Labubu, DND nail gel, Lollipop, Touchland, Stanley, and Summer Fridays. I feel as though these brands offer us the opportunity to reach different audiences with different products and different purposes. By choosing brands and items that have generated hype with new drops, we can generate the same hype for a Lilo and Stitch related drop. These brands are something our audience loves and buys already, therefore enforcing their idea that they want to see Lilo and Stitch in theaters.

Some ideas of content for this campaign are below.

A video of Stitch in the Disney park embracing a child dressed as Stitch.

A side by side video of the animated and the live movie in the same scenes.

An interview of Maia Kealoha (our Lilo) with a child interviewer.

References

Brueggemann, T. (2023). How Long Do Movies Stay in Theaters? We Will Never Have an Easy

Answer Again. The Digital Entertainment

Group:https://www.degonline.org/how-long-do-movies-stay-in-theaters-we-will-never-ha

ve-an-easy-answer-again-indiewire/

Pratt, K. (2025) Lilo & Stitch Estimated to Do Over $100 Million at Domestic Opening.

IMDB:https://www.imdb.com/news/ni65235690/?ref_=tt_nwr_2#

BoxOffice Staff. (2025). Weekend Box Office: SNOW WHITE Wakes Up to $43M Debut. Box

Office

Pro:https://www.boxofficepro.com/weekend-box-office-snow-white-wakes-up-to-43m-de

but/

The Social Dilemma is a two time Emmy winning documentary that comments on the way social networks control the world with real life implications. The same networks that have positive, connecting features, also alights a different, more negative, set of consequences. The film, directed by Jeff Orlowski, features interviews with a number of early tech executives and employees who were a part of early teams within the social media conglomerates. Some of the main interviews that were conducted were on people like Tristan Harris, a former Google Design ethicist, and Jaron Lanier, a computer scientist and founding father of Virtual Reality. We also see Tim Kendall, former Director of Monetization at Facebook and former President of Pinterest, Anna Lembke who is a Director of Addiction Medicine at Stanford University, and so many more. Within this documentary we see executives, professors, investors, doctors, founders, scientists, and authors who all have opinions of the positives and strong negatives of social media and its impact on society as a whole.

We know social media as platforms that inspire connection, hope in humanity, and humor. With many stories of love, acceptance, and even inspiration that taps into the most positive sides of humanity. Social media is amazing at the ways that it can change the lives of small business owners, early musicians, people struggling with mental illness, families going through deployment, natural disasters and so many more. The good that can come from social media is endless, but it is also a harbor for an equal amount of negatives. Fake news, isolation, cyberattacks, security, depression, plastic surgery for snapchat dysmorphia, capitalism, white supremacy, lynch mobs, epidemics, political polarization, and hate speech are some of the many studied adverse results that come from social media networks across the world.

Throughout the film, I felt as though the researchers stumbled upon footage of me when they were creating their theories. The same day that I watched this documentary I spent the whole day surfing through various social media apps instead of doing homework on my only day off the entire week. Feeling down on myself for spending so long on something so trivial when I had homework, papers, packing, dishes and a laundry list of other things to do. I created a quick game plan to try and pull myself back on track and added the documentary to this list. While watching the documentary, I was sitting with my dad who wanted to see what it was going to be about. Through the film I would note things that sound like me. The model of the boy that’s suspended in the room with the algorithm personified feels as though that could’ve been me instead. What resonated the most was when the algorithm would plan up the next few videos to try and get the boy to stay attached and hooked to those platforms. Again, when we saw them trying to get the boy to pick his phone up after 3 days of no activity. As I sit and work on anything productive, my eye strays to my phone with various buzzes, lit up screens, and notifications. My dad had even commented that when I was younger I would get angry when my parents would try and take my phone through punishment or proactive restriction.

I think as I get older and understand myself, society, and the world more, I see the changes that social media has done to my generation compared to the social medialess generations before. There is no argument that the generations before us had their own struggles that impacted the way they view and move through the world. Generation Z, however, has the Internet and social media to blame for ours. The changes I have noticed within myself begin at the core of decisions I make, the life I think I should be living, and even the way that I define beauty and worth. I notice myself making decisions that would make me look good on social media versus the decisions that make me feel good. I see it when I go shopping and imagine the outfit and the photos I could post on Instagram instead of whether or not that is actually my style or if it’s something I want to add to my closet. I see it in the way that I compare and look down upon the life I have following undergraduate graduation. Feeling as though I am behind, doing less, and like I didn’t prepare enough for this phase of my life due to my lack of a plan. The most profound way that social media has changed my way of thinking is by defining beauty as this one tight and strict vision. The skinny, voluminous styled blowout hair, phenomenal outfits that are meticulously accessorized, makeup that looks so close to skin, big lips, skinny waist, vacations every other weekend, different friends in each photo. While I am fully aware and literate enough in media, psychology, and social media that that is not at all true or the way that everyone would describe beauty, that is the depiction of beauty to me. It gave me a looking glass to see just how far away I was from my ‘peers’ and the life that I wanted.

This truly is an epidemic, social media is contributing to numerous changes that compile into new and newer problems. The idea that social media can affect self esteem, which can impact loneliness, which can impact the push towards extremist groups, which inflates the amount of hate that is spread on social networking sites. In just one sentence we can note 4 separate problems that can compound into a serious and dangerous issue that needs to be treated with both caution and care. There are 3 ways I believe that this conversation of social media negatives and changes in humans behavior, thoughts, and identity can be positively improved. The first I believe starts with recognition and awareness. Getting the information out into the world and making the audiences understand that it is in fact a problem is the hardest and most important step. We are in an era of time where the truth is not defined (as the documentary interviewees explained) and the world is deeply polarized. Getting the world to recognize that social media is in fact an issue that is creating all these harmful byproducts is a challenge itself. This would require getting this conversation into pop culture, mainstream media, and the education system. The second thing I think could create change for yourself within the system is by practicing willpower to decrease your phone time and social media usage. This would require users to break the codependent relationship that they have with their phones and essentially work through the withdrawal of the addiction of social media. It would also involve behavioral changes as the need for a way to connect and natural spikes dopamine are crucial for a person’s wellbeing. This may include finding new hobbies that can take up time and reward you with that spike of dopamine you are craving instead of your phone. You will also need to create more meaningful attempts at interacting and connecting with those within your community and your groups. The third and final thing, also the least promising and most effective, would be to push for legislation and restrictions on the way that social media can be programmed and written. Social media being addictive was not written as an accident, it was created on purpose to encourage users to spend more time on their platforms and therefore make them more money. At the end of the documentary we see the hopes and solutions to all of the problems discussed throughout the film. We see most often mentioned the need for reform as social media has no restrictions on privacy, coding, marketing, and data. While things like television, radio, and newspapers do. As addictive as social media is, I believe it would take something like government interference (even at a high level of simply creating restrictions and pushing tech companies to act in their customers’ self interest).

This documentary was something that I had not seen on my media accounts, seen my peers talking about, or even been interested in watching had I scrolled past it on Netflix. However, I believe that learning social media means learning it in its entirety. Understanding the negatives and positives is imperative in creating a better future going forward for the people of the world. This film created a thought provoking and insightful look at the harmful effects of social media and how far fetched these problems can reach.

References

Orlowski, J. (Director). (2020.) The Social Dilemma. [Film]. Exposure Labs. https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224

(2020) The Dilemma. The Social Dilemma. https://thesocialdilemma.com/

(2020) The Film. The Social Dilemma. https://thesocialdilemma.com/the-film/

From freelance makeup artist, to celebrity makeup artist, to founder of Patrick Ta Beauty. Following his passion for makeup, Patrick Ta created Patrick Ta Beauty with Rima and Avo Minasyan in 2019. Their goal was to empower their fans through innovation, beauty, and expertise.

Brand Voice

The voice of Patrick Ta beauty is classy, intelligent, and soft spoken. Their use of captions, responses, and comments on Instagram follow this same branding, with sophisticated and to-the-point phrasing throughout their channel. The format for their captions is consistent as well. Short and sweet caption, followed by the product/ creator, and some additional piece of information as relevant to the photo. However, when discussing caption length it is important to remember that captions above 125 characters will require users to click the “more” button to view the entire caption (as you can see in the photo on the left). On the right, we can see a caption that is short enough to not require a “more” button. It is not always possible to use under 125 characters, so it is important that your message comes across completely before the “more” button. For example, the photo on the left tells the user that they will help their follower choose the right shade for their new foundation, before the “more” button appears. The caption gets the meaning across and if it is applicable, the user can see the remainder of the caption.

Patrick Ta Beauty’s Instagram feed is consistent with their brand personality. We see shades of nudes, pinks, reds, and browns throughout the photos, highlight covers, and emoji choices. While those colors make up the main color palette for the brand, the feed transforms to match the most recent drop. In the photos below, we can see the metallic feed for their Major Glow Highlight Duo drop, nudes and whites for their Skin Perfecting Foundation drop, and hot pinks for their Barbie collection.

The emoji choices also evolve as the latest and upcoming drops change. Patrick Ta Beauty has a collection of staple emojis that they use throughout their social media. 💋✨💄🌹⭐🤍 . Whenever a product is directly being mentioned, the emoji of choice changes to one that suits the product in the content. Usually from the genre of hearts, food, or nature specific pictures.

Frequency

Patrick Ta Beauty’s social media team focuses on the amount of content posted each week rather than focusing on what days they post. Posting between 6 and 7 times a week for feed posts, once or twice on stories, and a reel or two depending on content they have. They also do not always post once a day, sometimes posting multiple times a day before taking a break for a day or two. Their content schedule does not appear to stick to a calendar day, but rather as they see fit with their launches and content.

While 6 to 7 times a day feels excessive, the content is light, easily digestible, and doesn’t require something from the user in each post. Continuing with this frequency is recommended as it is working for the brand and their followers. When leading up to a new launch the more content that is posted means the more people are talking about the launch, however you don’t want to be overwhelmed with too many posts.

Posting throughout the day 10am to 2pm on Weekdays and 10am — 3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays is a good starting point for when exactly to post. The brand is matured with a large following and consulting the analytics to find out their specific ideal timing would be recommended.

Content

Patrick Ta Beauty’s content focuses on inspiration and education. Using Patrick’s beauty expertise to educate and inspire their followers on makeup techniques, looks, products, and tools.

First and most importantly, the brand is built on Patrick Ta’s makeup career as a celebrity and red carpet artist. Every piece of content that they make needs to convince the audience that he knows what he is talking about. His audience looks to him for his makeover looks, tips and trips, and makeup recommendations. They want him to thoroughly explain how to accomplish the looks he does, how to use his new products, and tools. Focusing some of the Instagram content space to Patrick to educate on what he does best will inspire conversation, respect, and customer loyalty.

In regards to the Instagram bio, the profile fits the brand. The highlight colors are a part of the brand’s colors, the profile picture is the brand’s logo, and the bio is easy to read and only has the most necessary information. Including the founders, the locations to buy their products, and the customer service email. The website is also easily linked right below. The only thing I would change is the spacing in the bio between the shopping locations and customer service email. I would also like to see an emoji or two in the bio, which could be changed out based on the latest drop or could stay as one of their branded emojis.

For the Instagram stories, they are organized in highlights all easily labeled Press, New, Lips, Blush, Face, Body, How-to, Eyes, and Tools. Where they release more swatches, photos, and videos about their products. As you scroll through the highlights you can see the team has started consistently commenting on what shade the product is when it is used in the story. They have yet to constantly link the product on the story to their website, only doing that occasionally. If you tag the link on the story, it makes it infinitely easier for the customer to find and purchase the product being shown.

Engagement

Patrick Ta and Patrick Ta Beauty are not grasping straws for engagement, however to get the engagement to work for you, I have a few suggestions. User generated content (UGC), contests, and events are going to push Patrick Ta Beauty to the next level.

Patrick Ta creates trends when he picks up a makeup brush, Tiktok is proof of that. I would encourage their social media team to emphasize to their audience that UGC can be rewarded with a repost. Encouraging artists to create looks and tag the brand can become a huge opportunity for the brand and the artist. To do this, begin actively searching for UGC content that fits the brand and look you are going for on Instagram. Reposting UGC content on the branded account creates a huge positive conversation within your community. It gives consumers a chance to see the quality, reviews, and use of your products before purchasing for themselves. It gives makeup artists, photographers, and makeup influencers the chance to receive praise and recognition for their loyalty to your brand. Also giving your brand more saturation of the makeup media, appearing in GRWM (get ready with me), makeup tutorials, and makeup conversations. Being a brand that creates a community of individuals that feel comfortable talking to the brand about themselves will only give you opportunities in the future.

Contests can work hand and hand with UGC, those selected from the shared UGC content can work with Patrick and his team to suggest colors and names for a new drop specifically for their followers. For example, creating new colors and names for their blush duos or lip glosses. This is also a good opportunity to see which big influencers support your brand, offering them a spot on your PR list.

Events are huge in the influencer and makeup space in recent years. For the most recent Skin Perfecting Foundation drop, Patrick hosted an event with makeup artists and influencers to teach them how to use his new products. He created customized makeup products for the attendees, cute photo opportunities with himself, and gave them a space to communicate in a conversation he started. In order to do another one of these, he could host a masterclass on a popular look that he has done inviting smaller beauty influencers and makeup artists with loyal followings.

Customer Service

In the face of controversy, Patrick Ta keeps the same sophisticated, soft-spoken, and genuine approach. As a result of creating a community comfortable enough to communicate about problems, the Patrick Ta team can make things right upon hearing complaints. Responding in an understanding and apologetic way, taking the conversation to a direct message or email that receives a prompt response. Being genuinely thankful for the success and support will always create goodwill when viewed as genuine, increasing tenfold when receiving a coupon for their loyalty. In the last few months of 2023, Patrick Ta sent out a lengthy email to his email list where he thanked his fans for patience and support while they fix some of the bugs on their website, customer service, and shipping service. He followed that with a $50 gift voucher for everyone receiving the email.

When found at the center of serious controversy, Patrick Ta and his team sat down in a simple video and started a conversation focused on addressing the claims, apologizing, making it right, and how to ensure that it won’t happen again. Controversy followed the initial apology video where Patrick released another video, doubling down on the sincere conversation that was started earlier. Having empathy and sorrow for the mistake that was done is important, adding too much emotion feels like a cheap shot to appeal to the public’s emotions. The second video emphasized the apologetic nature, without adding in extreme emotions that felt manipulated. Following the second video, changes need to be discussed with the team to ensure that what went wrong the first time will not be repeated again.

All in All

Patrick Ta and his team understand the brand voice, personality, and identity that makes up Patrick Ta Beauty. Every decision, post, and response they make upholds the values they built the company with. By listening to their community, showcasing their expertise, and leaning into luxurious products Patrick Ta Beauty leads modern day makeup brands.

References

About Page. (n.d). Patrick Ta Beauty. https://patrickta.com/pages/about

Blitch, K. (n.d). Best Practices on Platforms [Video]. University of Florida. https://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Play/bfa1c539c6dc4342901eb2e52ddde3221d

Duke, D. (2023, March 13). Why User-Generated Content Is Winning. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/13/why-user-generated-content-is-winning/

Robert, Y. (202, May 6th). This is How Patrick Ta Turned His Makeup Artistry Into a Brand. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/yolarobert1/2020/03/06/this-is-how-patrick-ta-turned-his-makeup-artistry-into-a-brand/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricktabeauty/

One of the most popular questions in interviews, elevator speeches, even in casual conversation is “What do you do for fun?”. For some this is an opportunity to share some facts about yourself to create common ground and bond. For others this is a crippling, confusing question that requires pre-planned responses to use on the fly.

Historically, hobbies were popularized during the Industrial Revolution. At this point, labor unions had just begun advocating for the five day work week and the weekly work hours cap. Workers were working long hours in factories every day for work with little free time outside of their jobs. When the unions had succeeded in their demands, there was an increase of free time and subsequently hobbies. We see this happen again during the Great Depression and World War 2 with the increase in leisure activities. Studying history, we can see that anxiety and low employment leads to an increase in hobbies throughout society. We see this spike once again during the COVID 19 pandemic. During this period we saw home improvement, gardening, reading, sourdough starters, cooking, and exercising. Keeping their pastimes to a list of things people were capable of doing from home. During the pandemic, I remember taking up a few activities while we were quarantined. Photography, editing, tanning, reading, and finishing up my senior year of highschool being a few things that I did because they brought me joy and relieved some stress.

Before we get too far into this article, it is important that we are on the same page on what a hobby is. A hobby is any activity that is done leisurely in your spare time. While this definition is changing as time continues and has stirred debate on career hobbies, it is in its purest form the definition. They are known for reducing stress, decreasing depression and anxiety, and improving mental health. They are also known for improving your social circle, well being, and decreasing loneliness. In a survey of 93,000 participants across 16 countries above the age of 65 we see age specific results. A higher score of happiness, less symptoms of depression, and a more satisfied life as compared to those without leisurely pastimes. They rated a higher level of self expression, relaxation, and cognitive stimulation. All of these are phenomenal for the average person, but even more so for adults over the age of 65. In an age of increased anxiety, depression, and attention disorders, having something to partake in can be significant in holistic medicine. There is a classification called serious leisure or long term hobbies. These are activities that take a long time to culminate or achieve. Some examples would be gardening, bonsai, learning to dance, or playing an instrument. These types of hobbies offer a higher sense of achievement and self esteem than those that are short term. Your choice can shape who you are as a person, what you care about, and whose company you keep. Yet they also cater and nourish parts of you that have previously been neglected.

A trend that started on Tiktok and is heavily referred to by therapists and life coaches, the Three Hobby Theory. This theory states that you need one activity from each type classification of hobbies to be well rounded. Arguing that if you do not pull from each you may leave parts of you undernourished. This is a widely discussed theory that doesn’t originate from any particular creator. The Three Hobby classifications are something that keeps you in shape, creative, and sharp.

A hobby that keeps you in shape is anything that gets your body moving and allows you to exercise. Some examples being swimming, walking, dancing, yoga, cycling, or team sports. This classification of activities are credited for preventing mood disorders and reducing stress. A hobby that keeps you creative is anything that allows you to express yourself in an artistic manner. Some examples of this being journaling, knitting, creative writing, or graphic design. These activities lead to higher “life satisfaction”, helps you find beauty in the everyday, and even helps you process difficult emotions. A hobby that keeps you sharp is the last one. This is something that expands your mind and keeps you curious about the world. Some examples of these would be reading, puzzles, strategy games, learning a new language, or even traveling. These activities are adept at boosting problem solving and critical thinking skills, strengthen your long term memories, and improve your mental grit. Which activities you choose in each classification depends on what you are interested in, what is available to you, and what you want to partake in. This theory is a generalized suggestion, but it is backed by mental health professionals and influencers alike.

You might be asking, “Well what do you do for fun?” Fortunately for you, I am in the first group of people, I love telling people my passions in hopes that we can connect. My weakest section is what keeps me in shape, it is one that I prioritize in my life less than the other two. However, to honor my New Year’s resolution I am trying to become consistent in yoga, pilates, cycling, and tennis. Those are the exercises that I enjoy, look forward to, and help me feel refreshed. The hobby that keeps me creative is my favorite section. I would consider myself a creative person so when I find a new craft it is usually from this section. I am already throwing clay on the wheel, journaling, sewing, coloring, drawing, interior design, and creating DIY projects. Some crafts I want to continue to explore in this section are wood working, painting, and graphic design. In the final section, the hobbies that keep me sharp are the activities that I try and partake in every day. I am a huge reader, reading about 50 or so books a year on average. I am also a big traveler, planning trips to all types of places to experience as much as I can. Through this year, it is a goal of mine to include more self help and nonfiction books to my list.

Here is the problem, people have stopped prioritizing hobbies. Particularly Gen Z and Millenials for a handful of reasons. Over 90% of Gen Z has reported feeling stressed out over gun violence, social media, comparison to others, and the job market. Based on what we’ve learned earlier in this article about stress and anxiety, you would think that this culminates in a culture that is rushing towards hobbies. While that is true, we find that they are prioritizing other forms of entertainment. Most notably, watching television, being on social media, watching youtube, updating business accounts, or applying for jobs. We can trace this back to the hustle culture and the need for productivity over leisure. Hustle culture is the prioritization of a career over anything else. This bleeds into your free time and shames anything that is not viewed as productive, having monetary value, or professional benefit. Any other hobby that you could pick up would become innately unproductive and a waste of time in the hierarchy of importance when compared to something that is ‘more productive’. It teaches you to value extrinsic hobbies over intrinsic personal pleasure. This also means that it is teaching you to only pursue things that can pay off for you in the end, not because it is enjoyable or relaxing. It is also raising the barrier of entry, it is not allowing people to be novice at things, only encouraging people to partake in hobbies they are already good at.

We see the biggest reason for the decrease of hobbies associated with the rise of smartphone usage. Gen Z is spending more of their day sleeping and doing homework than their 1990s counterparts. Whatever remaining time is available is going to video games, television, or smartphone usage. Most notably social media, which has become more and more addicting as time goes on. Not just entertaining the users, but pulling them in so they don’t feel the need for other activities. The decrease in hobbies could also be attributed to the state of society. Most people view them as expensive to get into and acquire the supplies for, something that people may not have. It could also speak to finances in a different way. People may not have that extra time if they are students, working multiple jobs, or taking care of children.

However, throughout this we are starting to see a change in the definition of a hobby. At the beginning of the article we noted that a hobby is an activity done leisurely in your spare time. However, we can start to see the shift of leisurely activities to activities that are monetized and seen as valuable and productive. This would contradict the definition, as it is not done for the fun of doing it, but for the value you can gain from it. As time continues, we can track the hobby epidemic, what classifies it, and what the definition is.

All is not lost though, the first step to combating this is acknowledgement. To acknowledge that you do not prioritize hobbies but you want to, is the easy part. The harder part is making that work realistically. The first step is to close the computer and put the phone down. Look outwards to find hobbies that do not revolve around the media or internet. If you are unsure what activity to even start, look into the some that you are curious about and research those first. Passion will carry you through the hardships and the effort required, but you can’t do that without being curious and interested. Don’t feel pressured to stick to something you do not like, but don’t leave because you aren’t good at it; hard work does pay off in the long run. Lauren Ironmonger, an author for the Sydney Morning Herald, considers finding a hobby like dating. She says the trick is to explore your options and try out everything that interests you. You also might be wondering where you are going to get this extra time to pursue the new pastime you are wanting to pick up. The first step is to review your schedule and discover how you are spending your free time. If you are spending a significant amount of free time scrolling through your phone, you can schedule your new hobby in its place. You can also use breaks to squeeze in time for your activity, much like going to workout during your lunch break. If you are having trouble increasing the amount of hobbies you have to the amount of hobbies you want to do, consider habit stacking. Habit stacking is when you do two activities at the same time, when they make sense to do so. For example, working out to a podcast that you have been trying to listen to or doing redlight therapy while you do a yoga flow.

Hobbies have never been more beneficial than it is now. With the increase of stress within this generation and the last, it is imperative to use your free time to do things that increase happiness, relaxation, and self esteem. While decreasing anxiety, depression,loneliness, mental decline, and stress. Not only that, but it could build communities of like minded individuals around you, decreasing isolation in another way. There are so many options to choose from and you never know what might click.

Reference List

Goodman, H. (2024, January 1). Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/having-a-hobby-tied-to-happiness-and-well-being

Ironmonger, L. (2025, January 2). ‘Hobbies are like Dating’: How to find one and be happier in 2025. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/hobbies-are-like-dating-how-to-find-one-and-be-happier-in-2025-20241227-p5l0vr.html?js-chunk-not-found-refresh=true

Kalo, L. (2021, February 20), Why Don’t We Have Hobbies? National Millennial Community. https://www.nationalmillennialcommunity.com/single-post/why-don-t-we-have-hobbies#:~:text=Looking%20at%20the%20Millennial%20and,millions%20of%20tweets%20and%20viewers.

Kopelman, E. (2022, October 18). The Rise and Fall of Genuine Hobbies. The Michigan Daily. https://www.michigandaily.com/statement/the-rise-and-fall-of-genuine-hobbies/#:~:text=It's%20not%20that%20hobbies%20don't%20exist%20anymore%2C,something%20to%20find%20intrinsic%2C%20personal%20pleasure%20from.&text=Findings%20from%20the%20Pew%20Research%20Center%20corroborate,they%20did%20a%20decade%20or%20two%20ago.

Parkhurst, E. (2021, October 25). How Hobbies Improve Mental Health. Utah State University. https://extension.usu.edu/mentalhealth/articles/how-hobbies-improve-mental-health

Travers, M. (2025, January 22). You Need 1 of Each of These 3 Kinds of Hobbies — Here’s Why. Therapy Tips. https://therapytips.org/articles/you-need-1-of-each-of-these-3-kinds-of-hobbies%E2%80%94heres-why

As a society that frequently averages a little less than two and a half hours a day on social media, nothing makes you log out faster than watching videos that don’t interest you. We have all been there, where some days the algorithms are working overtime to deliver content that is what you are interested in. Other days, leaving the app because the videos and content is not satisfying your interests at that moment. At a moment like this, I would like to introduce niche platforms.

Niche platforms are platforms that focus on a specific interest, audience, or hobby. They are typically smaller platforms that focus on one topic rather than hosting an array of different topics and audiences. An example of a niche platform would be Untapped. This platform focuses on beer enthusiasts as their main audience. The platform works much like Goodreads, but for beer. The user is able to track, rate, review, and receive recommendations from the app based on their inputs and data. The only people who are on Untapped are people who enjoy beer, because that is what their platform is catered around. Tiktok on the other hand, is an example of a platform that does not follow a niche. Every interest, hobby, person, skill, and audience occupy a side of Tiktok.. The platform is not formatted to focus on just Booktok, but rather host all types of people and have them find the side of the platform they want to be on. It is evident in their user counts with Tiktok having 400 million users and Untapped having only 9 million.

As entrepreneurs and marketing specialists, you might be wondering why anyone would niche their platforms and risk losing all the business that would come from a less specialized social network. While specializing in one topic and creating a more specific platform is not a perfect fit for every business plan, it has proven to be successful when it is. Platforms that are created with a particular hobby or interest in mind tend to create websites and apps that are more user friendly, detailed, and specific to the needs of the users. For businesses, it offers the chance to advertise to a hyper specific market of your choosing. A campaign on a larger platform like Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok will require an increased budget to get it in front of your audience. However, on a niche platform, the budget can be smaller or used in a more worthwhile way because of the amount of competition. This encourages small or new businesses to engage and find their footing in social media. The platform acts as an equalizer for all brands, giving everyone an equal opportunity for success.

Similarly, these platforms come with a very connected, involved, and present community that could work wonders for a brand. It can also give brands the opportunity to narrow down a bigger audience into easy to find sectors for their ideal audience. For example, creating a reddit server looking into beauty and fashion, would attract all of the beauty and fashion lovers to that server. It is also the ideal spot for conversations to take place. Your audience is more educated, interested, and involved in the community that you have created. Even more so when the niche topic is something that is complex, difficult, or complex. If there is a place for them to interact and start discussions, you will be able to collect different kinds of data. Your company will receive what they believe is missing from your brand/platform, things they think should be fixed, opinions on competing brands, and new ideas. Creating a special place for your audience and fans becomes a roundtable of ideas and a budding community.

The proof is in the pudding, we can study brands throughout history that credit niche platforms for their success. Our first example is Oatly. Oatly is a Swedish food company that makes products from oats. Their business focuses on being planet friendly and prioritizing health. Oatly and Reddit had planned an event where they would invite big milk executives to an ask me anything session. The big milk executives never responded, but a farmer named Farmer Bryce. Their event was informative, highly successful, and community building. They also engage in Reddit pages focused on veganism and health consciousness. Finding their niche audience in a larger platform to create their brand’s community.

Another brand that is large on niche platforms is Lush. Lush is a beauty and cosmetic company that focuses on natural and fresh ingredients. Their products are focused on hair and body care such as bath bombs, shower jellies, solid shampoo bars, body wash, etc. They have built a community with social and political commentary, organic and clean ingredients, and anti-animal cruelty as their guiding principles. Lush is large on reddit, taking part in groups that focus on eco-consciousness and beauty care. They have created their own server on Reddit called Lush Cosmetics that has 82,000 members and is in the top 5% of communities on Reddit. They also host Q&A and product tips exclusive to their reddit community.

Brands are not the only people who depend on their communities in niche platforms, but influencers and celebrities too. A notable one is Colleen Hoover. Colleen Hoover is a New York Times bestselling author with a total of 24 books. She is the second most followed author on Goodreads and credits her success to her “CoHorts” (her fan name) on Goodreads. She is heavily involved on the platform where she shares her book recommendations, new authors she is enjoying, and connects with her followers.

These are just 3 of the many brands and influencers that utilize niche platforms to build and connect with their communities. Niche platforms have a lot to offer businesses and influencers no matter the size.

Reference List

Clifton, Penelope. (2024, August 7). At age 30, Colleen Hoover was living in a trailer. Now she’s sold 20 million books. Mamamia. https://www.mamamia.com.au/colleen-hoover-popular/

Howarth, J. (2024, May 10). Worldwide Daily Social Media Usage (New 2024 Data). Exploding Topics. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/social-media-usage#

Hyder, S. (2021, July 14). Why Niche Communities are the Future of Social Media Marketing. Inc. https://www.inc.com/shama-hyder/why-niche-communities-are-future-of-social-media-marketing.html

Hyder, S. (2021, November 10). How Niche Platforms will Dominate Social Media in 2021 and Beyond. FastCompany. https://www.fastcompany.com/90693507/how-niche-platforms-will-dominate-social-media-in-2021-and-beyond

Kovarik, E. (2024, May 3). Colleen Hoover’s Rising Popularity. Elcid Online. https://elcidonline.com/culture/2024/05/03/21804/

McGrath, K. (2023, July 10). Lush Cosmetics Left Most Social Platforms Two Years Ago. How’s That Going? Allure. https://www.allure.com/story/lush-cosmetics-no-facebook-instagram#

Oatly Who? (n.d) Oatly. https://www.oatly.com/en-us/oatly-who

Oatly x Reddit Case Study. (2024). https://www.business.reddit.com/success-stories/oatly-q324

We Believe- Our Guiding Statement for Over 25 Years. (2017). https://weare.lush.com/lush-life/our-company/what-we-believe/

Men are showing staggering signs of loneliness, but is it really our patriarchal society to blame? This year begins the 34th year of the male loneliness epidemic in which young men are experiencing high levels of insecurity and loneliness.

*Before we start, it is important to disclose that while this is an opinion piece, it is one that will be backed up with official news reports. It is a discussion of ideas using trends and correlations to reach an idea of what is going on in society at this moment.I am by no means a researcher.*

It seems as though the generation of boys being raised under toxic masculinity has reached a new peak on the mountain of life. This peak is labeled as the Male Loneliness Epidemic. Named accordingly, as this epidemic is central to the idea that men are increasingly lonely in this day and age. This idea started gaining traction back in 2017 when Dr. Vivek Murthy wrote a piece for the Harvard Business Review on loneliness being a dangerous and growing problem in America. Before that it was mentioned specifically to men in 2013 by the article “Lethality of Loneliness”. However, Billy Baker wrote an article in the Boston Globe shortly after, “The Biggest Threat Facing Middle Age Men Isn’t Smoking or Obesity. It’s Loneliness” which has become the starting point for the male loneliness epidemic that is being dissected and discussed now. While this idea is nothing new, it is continuing to evolve and spread into other areas of life with new ramifications.

State of American Men (among numerous other organizations) have released shocking statistics that help define the intensity of an epidemic such as this. In 2023, ⅔ of men between 18 and 23 believe that no one knows the real them. In 2012 a study revealed that the amount of men who lack even one close friend has risen to more than 15% (increased five times over) from the first study in 1990. Neuroscientist John Cacioppo has linked loneliness with dwindling cognitive functions like critical thinking, willpower and perseverance.

While I read these statistics, shock isn’t an emotion that consumes me, not even the top 20 emotions. Since I was growing up, in the early 2000s, little boys have been raised differently, many would think they were sending these children to different worlds. While I was frequently encouraged to stop crying (I was the kid with big feelings), I was never advised to never cry. I was taught emotional regulation, how to calm myself down, and how to confide in those around me when I was feeling emotional. Similarly, since I was a little girl I have had a plethora of friends, close friends, and acquaintances. So much so, that I would be fine going to camps with no other kid I knew because I understood how to make close relationships with the women around me. While I was doing this, it appeared that boys were taught the same thing with their inclusion in sports, clubs, and sticking primarily to their respective gender based friend groups. However, they were more importantly learning what it means to grow from a boy into a man with the first lesson being on emotional repression. As boys continued to age and little girls learned to continue fantasizing romantic love, female relationships, and encouraged to dream big, men continued on the same track as they had been. As far back as late elementary school and early middle school men lacked the emotional regulation and management that their female counterparts had. During these years we watched as the men slipped behind and began to stumble. Men were not learning the same interpersonal, friendship maintenance, or vulnerability skills that the women on the other side of the school yard were learning.

We can see this trend continues into early adulthood, with most men adopting the toxic masculinity teachings from the men in their lives. Toxic masculinity has been around since the dawn of time, this era being no different. Its main principles are on the lack of feelings, vulnerability, and reliance on others. These rules write how men, both young and old, interact with those around them, with shame following them should they forget the rules.

It should be no surprise that shame of feelings and upkeep of toxic behaviors leads almost directly into the arms of yet another trending discussion regarding red pill teachings. The “Red Pill” ideology began as a part of a small men’s rights group, only popularizing after several followers began to garner attention on the Internet. This group is a part of the manosphere which promotes misogyny and masculinity. In reality, this is a radical, extremist group who sells acceptance and superiority to young men.The president of American Institute for Boys and Men and the author of “Of Boys and Men”, Richard V. Reeves states that low-income black and latino boys are most at risk for falling into the Red Pill trap. These men are getting fooled by members like Andrew Tate who speak of dominating and resenting women, being rich, and having everything material items young men could ever dream about. Acting much like a master class, Tate teaches and ingrains these ideas to the young men watching. The problem with this is that it is loneliness and lack of acceptance that pushes a man into ideologies as drastic as this one. While this way of living and thinking might feel encouraging, it is equivalent to a bandaid over a bullet hole.

Popularizing a group such as the Red Pill is incredibly dangerous to not only young impressionable men, but also the female and gay community. The lack of intimacy in male friendships works hand and hand with homophobia. Homophobia is used as the shame hanging over young men’s heads. They demonize the gay community and teach men that close male relationships, being overly emotional, and being vulnerable is synonymous with being gay. While this continues their entire lives, they feel it hardest growing up. Men are avoiding complex and sensitive conversations that would benefit them the most, loneliness being the byproduct of that. As for being harmful to women, men like Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan, and SNEAKO condition men into becoming resentful and misogynistic towards women. Misogyny and resentment for why they are lonely, found unattractive, or unhappy.

When men begin to age into the dating segment of their lives, they are bringing these same ideologies into their relationships. Pushing traditional ideas to their relationships with an undercurrent of resentment. While this feeling is not about this particular woman, it is about all women and therefore the person feeling the strain are the women closest to them.

It is once again important to note that not all lonely men are consumers of Red Pill Content, there are many men that don’t fall into the male superiority circle, but are rather victims of a system that does little to support them emotionally. This is a double edged sword for both men and women. For men, they are unable to connect with those within their lives and create deeper and more meaningful relationships/ friendships. For women, they receive an emotional burden of instructing men through and out of toxic masculinity.

When the male loneliness epidemic hit mainstream news, women from around the world began brainstorming research, theories, and think pieces on the very topic. This all stems from the same gender normative society we talked about earlier. With women understanding an elevated sense of emotional regulation, maturity, and empathy at a young age. The result of this is women taking on the emotional burden of the men in their lives romantically and platonically. This is not a new topic for many women in relationships where they often take the emotional burden and fill the shortcomings their partners may bring. Taking over the emotional and mental load of men and their problems.

Reeves speaks of this within his book, about how systemically men have been left behind and that women are the ones that the system intended to fill in the space. In American history, men thrived under a patriarchal system that gave them the economical power and the emotional support of their wife. However, as women are gaining autonomy and leaving the house, they are gaining the economical power men have traditionally held, while continuing to be raised on the emotional lessons of their youth. Men, however, are not raised any differently, continuing to fall behind emotionally. Reeves continues his book talking about how female organizations are succumbing to the emotional labor of male problems because there is no male equivalent. His example was the Office on Women’s Health and how due to the lack of an equivalent system, the Office on Women’s Health often works for men’s mental health issues as well.

Bringing the shame of homophobia back into the conversation, men in positions feel wary of including the problem of men’s mental health in mainstream media news. Doing so would appear to be vulnerably close to other men, believing only women can appear vulnerably close to men. This further pushes women into positions of caretaking and emotional burden.

At this point, you might be feeling as though I created a problem out of a non-problem or you may be catastrophizing about the state of society. In either case, this isn’t the end of the conversation on male loneliness, men’s mental health, and the dangers of Red Pill content. What we can do moving forward will be a team effort of men and women, while also changing the way that we parent. In an ideal world, society would wake up overnight and forget about toxic masculinity. However, in this world we can start smaller by teaching our children the important things. How to thrive in a world that has been taken over by the internet and computers, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and vulnerability to name a few. What we teach our kids and the kids of the future impacts the lives they will live and the world we will make. If you don’t have kids, more compassion and community will never fail a child experiencing loneliness. Similarly advocating for a city and society that values interconnectedness, community, and third party spaces will encourage people to leave their isolation and interact with one another. Early childhood is the prime time for children to interact with new people and build their confidence.

You could take a systemic approach and continue the issues by creating organizations and systems that advocate for men. Similar to the ones Richard V Reeves has dedicated his life to. You could also take a more personal approach and create male support groups like Adam Dorsey and his friends. During COVID 19 they were experiencing loneliness and created a group to workout, discuss their emotions, and work on breathwork. Most men thrive on activities and incorporating that into a support group would benefit every party involved.

At the end of the day, what is here will stay unless there are people willing to work for the change they want to see. Whether that is through educating, advocating, or accountability. This is a group effort that requires men and women to unify towards a common goal. Uplift and support the men in your life by being an open and vulnerable place to confide. Educate on resources and groups within your cities and communities. Hold the men around you accountable for perpetuating toxic masculinity and homophobia. For the men, pledge to work on deconstructing your toxic traits and holding the men in your life accountable for perpetuating abusive ideologie. Learn to get comfortable talking about emotions, being vulnerable and open within your male friendships, and friendship maintenance.

The world really is what you make it. If that means a less isolating world, this is a good place to start.

References:

Allabaugh, S. (2022, October 12). The Red PIll is detrimental to young men. The Wilkens Beacon. https://www.thewilkesbeacon.com/opinion/2022/10/12/the-red-pill-is-detrimental-to-young-men/

Guerrero, J. (2024, January 15). Column: Why are men so lonely? Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-01-15/men-friendship-gen-z-loneliness

Liu, A. (2024, May 2). Male Lonliness: The Silent Epidemic. Three Penny Press. https://threepennypress.org/opinions/2024/05/02/male-loneliness-the-silent-epidemic/

Youngblood Gregory, S. (2023, September 11). Men are in a Loneliness Epidemic. Should Women Care? Yes Magazine. https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2023/09/11/men-loneliness-epidemic-women

Friendster was Jonathan Abrams’ brain child, born in 2002. Jonathan Abrams moved to Silicon Valley in 1996 to program for Netscape as a software engineer. As of this point in time, the Internet had three main purposes: information, pornography, and anonymity. Abrams wanted people to be able to connect with each other using their personalities in forms of photos, profiles, and hobbies. Touching upon human’s natural urges to be social, encouraging users to befriend mutual friends. Initially, Abrams limited friend invites in a six degree circle (meaning the connection between 6 or less mutual friends). Friendster officially launched in the spring of 2003 with invites to twenty of his friends and family. The new platform quickly amassed thousands of users. As of June, the numbers rose to 835,000 and by the next Fall the numbers rose all the way to 3 million users. The early app had testimonials from friends on their page in an attempt to encourage users to meet offline. Abrams’ life story was rumored as a freshly single man who wanted to create a platform that made meeting and dating easier, although that is the product of humanizing him for the sake of marketing. It is believed that he took inspiration for Match.com who launched in 1995. He went on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show as early marketing for the new platform, passing out condoms to the crowd as a nod to the early dating platform. Abrams received an offer from Google to purchase Friendster for a total of $30 million, an offer that he declined. Instead, he negotiated for $13 million to improve and build the platform as a member of Friendster’s board of directors. In 2004, Mark Zuckerburg and Jonathan Abrams met to discuss Friendster buying out Facebook, however Zukerburg’s price point was higher than Abrams’ offer. With the increase of users on the platform, the website struggled to personalize content for each user. Abrams pushed for a reconfiguration of the platform to address concerns and bugs, but was removed from the board. He was removed from his demoted position officially in 2005. In 2006 Friendster was losing loyalty with their users to MySpace, however investors continued to invest. By 2009 they sold Friendster to MOL Global for $40 million and converted the platform to a social gaming platform. MOL Global sold Abrams’ patents to Facebook in 2010 for an additional $40 million. In 2015 Friendster unofficially shut down and officially shut down in 2018.

I chose Friendster to discuss the history and impact on social media history because it was right before my time on the Internet. I feel informed on the modern day and even early social media platforms due to my own personal experiences on each. I am also focusing on Friendster because the aspect of social media I love the most is the ability to connect with those in your circle and outside of it. Friendster was the trailblazer in creating a platform that focuses on the social and interactive aspects of what social media currently is. It is the beginning of what current day social media is known to be.

Friendster has a large impact on the future of social media and inspired aspects of the media platforms we consume today. Friendster is being studied at the Harvard Business School as a case study to the lessons of how fickle technology and media is. It also highlights the importance of leaning into the feedback of the users at the sake of success. It speaks against businesses taking drastic turns against the market audience and the value of new/ innovative ideas. It is also believed that the patents that were sold to Facebook could have contributed to the Facebook we know today. My research didn’t clarify exactly what the patents were, but news sources were able to estimate what they believed the patents alleged to be. The features from the patents were the landing page on the platform, news feed being fed through partner websites/platforms, and the universal login tool. MySpace had kept a few things from the former Friendster. Some of which allow users to be under the age of 18, allowing fake names and photos to appear on individuals accounts, and encouraging musicians to post their music to gain impressions and views. It also learned from Friendsters mistake and created the site to adjust size and scale to accommodate users.

K.V. (N.D). Exploring the Rise and Fall of Friendster: A Social Media Pioneer. Hulk Apps. https://www.hulkapps.com/blogs/ecommerce-hub/exploring-the-rise-and-fall-of-friendster-a-social-media-pioneer

Lee, A. (2024, March 24). How Friendster Died (The Untold Story). The Runway Ventures. https://www.therunway.ventures/p/friendster

McCarthy, C. (2010, August 5). Patent Filings Reveal Facebook Shopping Spree. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/culture/patent-filings-reveal-facebook-shopping-spree/

Rossen, J. (2018, September 13). Antisocial Media: The Rise and Fall of Friendster. Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/556413/friendster-rise-and-fall-jonathan-abrams