In January of 2020, I made my first trending TikTok video, which garnered over 100k views in less than 24 hours. While I had only spent one month creating videos on the site, I had years of experience researching and studying video sharing platforms, algorithms, and recommendation systems from YouTube…

Few media narratives are as memorable as Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple.” Reading the book as a middle school kid, I was somewhat scandalized but also enchanted by this tale centered on Black women’s trauma and their triumph in the face of patriarchal oppression. Much of this triumph is found…

The work of filmmaker Jordan Peele has ushered in a renaissance of horror and psychological thrillers which address identity politics and the legacy of racism within American society. However, unlike historical dramas, which depict more explicit forms of racial ideology and violence that were endemic to the past, these new…

Recently, I came across a video from a content creator who is making waves on the TikTok app because of her unique and straightforward approach to Black Feminist activism and the politics of desirability. Known as Lip Gloss on TikTok and YouTube, many of this creator’s videos focus on the…

Like most internet users, I have a love/hate relationship with online comments. When I love comments, I believe that the comment section of online content has the power to build community ties through shared experience and engagement. But when I hate comments, I view comment sections as hot-beds of all…

Growing up, I constantly head the phrase “put an H in your back and Handle it”. In many ways, this ethos was a generational mantra, passed down from Black woman to Black woman as the methods and the means to success and accomplishing your goals. However, there was no discussion…

I love Black History Month, but living in the era of social media means that this month signals a rise in performative activism and solidarity with the Black community that usually disappears the moment we make it to March. Especially as we enter the era of How to be Anti-Racist…

Last week I had the opportunity to work on an article about the case of Lauren Smith Fields, focusing on the responses to her mysterious death by news and social media outlets. For those who don’t know, Lauren Smith-Fields was a 23 year old Black woman who was found dead…

How “men with microphones” have become menaces to society — According to Wrapped on Spotify, I exist amongst a niche group of listeners who consume over a thousand hours of podcasts a year. And, while I listen to many genres of podcasts from creators all around the world, very few of the podcasts I listen to are created by men…