Our society and social engagement with celebrities and corporations are changing. So much has happened in the beginning of 2026 alone, and it doesn’t seem like the time of unprecedented news is slowing down. You are just one person, and you might feel overwhelmed right now, not knowing what to do or where to start to help stop the world from burning. There is a lot of active trauma our bodies are going through, and as a response, many people, myself included, have begun isolating and turning to old shows, movies, and music to find comfort in the familiar.
But I know that some of these old pieces of media have recently been tainted by a celebrity involved who did horrendous things, or aligned outside of your personal morals and stances. Same thing with shopping at your favorite comfort stores (RIP Target, my used-to-be-favorite store 😭): so many boycotts are happening, and policies within companies are changing. You’re left trying to balance shopping for necessities and fun without crossing these picket lines, or giving more money to corporations that don’t align with your morals and are actually feeding the fire.
But let's all take a deep breath and take a step back.
These celebrities and corporations are not your only options for consuming content and buying things. You can turn to your friends, family, and local community instead. People who actually care about you and align with your values, morals, and political stances. This is a great step in practicing mutual aid, becoming more grounded in your community, feeding into your local economy to thrive, and being an active participant in changing the state of our world.
Now that you’ve decided to turn away from popular media and companies, this is an exciting step to do some exploring. If you know of friends or family who are in a band, make art, film, write, have a small business, or do theater, follow their social media accounts. It’s free, helps them with engagement, and they can see that you care about them and their work.
Next, you can check in to see if they have an event coming up, if they sell or commission their work, if they have a digital or in-person store, or are working on something new. Engaging more with an artist friend or family member shows that you are interested and want to support them. More and more folks have digital tip jars and Patreon accounts, making supporting real, local artists convenient and fun. But if money is tight, getting the word out about their work and recommending people to the artists you know is one of the best free things you can do for them.
If you don’t have any artist friends or family, go to your local coffee shop, community center, and library. 9 times out of 10, there will be a bulletin board or local newspaper filled with community events to check out and sign up for their newsletters! Some of these local events are free, so you don’t have to worry about spending money to do something fun, especially if you are stretched thin. Local art and farmer’s markets are also amazing places to find local farmers, artists, and stores to support.
One amazing side effect of doing this is making new friends. I was born and raised in San Francisco, have always worked in the arts nonprofit sector, doing theater, writing, participating in activism, and had a large community behind me in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, after years of trying to make it work, I was priced out. So I moved with my partner to Portland, Oregon. Other than my partner’s family, I knew no one here. Everyone said the hardest thing to do was to make friends in your thirties. I was extremely nervous and fiercely homesick. I didn’t know how to get anywhere. The public transit was much less accessible than what I was used to, so I turned to the internet. I scrolled through Instagram and started engaging with Portland-related content. Eventually, I found local travel and food blogs that would highlight local free events in town and provide helpful instructions on how to get there via public transit or rideshares. Engaging with these blogs and pages resulted in the algorithm showing me local bookstores, theaters, and artists that excited me. I ended up going to many free events and learned a lot about how to get places in my community, engaging with more people.
I know many people have a lot of conflicting feelings with social media right now, but it’s great to use it as a starting point to find events, like I did. And the great thing is, you don’t have to stay on it. You can find these pages, go to their personal websites, and usually you will be able to find a newsletter to sign up for, so you don’t have to be tied to social media to stay connected!
I eventually was able to connect with new friends who were artists and non-artists. I even helped build more community by starting my own writing club/workshop at a local bookstore (Grand Gesture Books) whose owner welcomed me with open arms and became one of my first friends in Portland. This writing club is growing, and I continue to make new friends monthly. I was even invited to a coworking session recently by a few members who attended my writing club, since we all work virtually for our day jobs. This little club has a goal of exploring different coffee shops around Portland, which has also helped me get to know the city more and find out which places I’d like to frequent more regularly.
Exploring and discovering more local businesses and artists can be really fun, but I know it can make you stop and wince when seeing prices for ticketed events, or local handmade items that seem “expensive” compared to the “same things” you can find on Amazon. But low costs are often a sign of exploitation somewhere in the supply chain. Knowing your money is actually helping people and going directly to their livelihood and communities makes the price worth it. Just compare the feeling of spending money on helping people who share your morals and values, versus buying things to help fund another billionaire trying to colonize space while actively funding fascist organizations that aid in kidnapping people off the streets. How we spend money is one way we show up for what we believe in.
Investing in your community doesn’t happen overnight. I still shop at major corporations to find cheaper options from time to time because I have a tight budget. As long as you keep working at it and taking steps towards this change, eventually you subconsciously start to move away from old and convenient habits. That’s what matters. Small changes eventually lead to long-lasting changes, and your community thrives because of them.