You know that nightmare where you host a party and no one turns up?

Often when I scroll down my friends’ Instagram feeds, I get this sudden gut-wrenching regret. But not because of them, but because of me.

The internet has completely changed the way we meet people. Even as recently as 15 years ago, single folks that had an online dating profile were embarrassed to even admit it. Today, everyone is meeting people online! The one big downside of online dating in the past was that in order to meet someone, you had to spend hours at home searching through your computer by yourself.

Back in the earlier days of social media and YouTube, we used to see posts and videos with friends and colleagues doing charitable work. Over the years, these videos have dwindled and I'm not exactly sure why. I think it may have been in part because of the social backlash a lot of these people received. I know that there are a ton of people that don't approve of people displaying their own benevolent acts on social media these days. It's okay to post about others doing good things but it's distasteful if you post about yourself.

I don't even know how to start this. I thought I would be okay, but now that I finally decided to bite the damn bullet and write about literally everyone that I care about forgetting my birthday, I just can't seem to start this thing.

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Social media, the platform that in our society today we spend the majority of our lives on. We waste hours upon hours mindlessly scrolling through feeds, not even allowing our brains enough time to comprehend, understand and process what we are reading. I suppose it's contradictory for me to sit and write about this topic when I am just as much responsible for the growth of it over the years. The hours that have I have put into it, and gained what?

Control over one’s surroundings and the people in our surroundings is something we oftentimes connotate with negative thoughts, while control over one’s self is something many value as a positive character trait. This is especially prevalent in Western culture, in part due to the recent rise in social media platforms, but also due to our inherent lust for dominance over others, has altered our perception of control.

We live in such a social media consumed society. We value our worth based on followers, comments, and inbox messages that seem full of color, but have no depth. I think people forgot that their worth isn’t measured by Instagram’s algorithm. People trade authenticity for approval from complete strangers. Comments about your outfit from a random stranger in the street means more than someone sitting behind a screen saying the same comments to all the girls they follow.

Facing the reality of being separated from your friends can be challenging, but luckily for us, group chats are a thing. The quirky name inspired by an inside joke, followed by several ridiculous emojis soon becomes how you refer to yourselves as a collective.

I don't deny that men have pressure on them to conform to a certain look and body type, but wow oh wow are women constantly subjected to this "perfect" ideal. I mean society made the "dad bod" okay, and even consider it "hot," but what about "mom bodies?" I never completely realized these pressures and standards until I was out and on my own at 18.

Though this trip to Toronto was unexpected, it has proven to be a source of inspiration for me, many times over. For instance, writing about the bright lights and showing how places like the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto are an immense source of world unity is something which is empowering. This article is not meant as a "travel promotional advertorial" by any stretch, as I am receiving no official sponsorship for this story (I certainly invite my readers to leave tip$ once they have finished reading it, as that would be the extent of any kind of "sponsorship"!). Seeing as many of the displays as possible and really trying to take in whatever knowledge I could from them is why it has proven to be an invaluable experience for me. Writing about what I saw— along with showing a few photos and/or videos—in a series of articles is to be the best course of literary reaction to take. Some of the other displays showed a few strokes towards an understanding of equality, a decent step towards reconciliation on North American soils.