Can we talk about the state of the world right now?

A practical guide to social media when everything feels… not normal

Jaden Smith once said, sometimes he gets around his friends and they're clowning around being goofy, concerned about taking selfies and sometimes he feels defeated by the lack of consciousness that his friends display and he says 'dude, can we talk about the political and economic state of the world right now?" It's been a few years since that clip went viral, but with the state of the world right now, fascism inching into the mainstream, wars across the world, Ai eating attention, cyber attacks happening often, platform policies changing by the week. Calls for justice framed as “cancel culture.” A firehose of propaganda... its hard to gloss over, its hard to act like everything is normal and fine. It's hard to post GRWM videos and fast fashion shopping hauls, promoting overconsumption and consumerism in a world that is suffering.

Maybe Jaden Smith was right, we need to have that conversation.  Pretending it’s fine isn’t an option. How do we approach social media now? As mission-led organisations and businesses? How do we connect with people in a way that reaches them where they are and how do we tailor our offerings to the actual needs of our community?

The question is: how do we show up online now, usefully, humanly, and in ways that actually reach people?

Below is a simple, pragmatic approach I use with clients. No doom. Just choices.

1) Treat social as the shop window, not the whole shop

Social media is brilliant for discovery, proof and invitations. It’s fragile for delivery. Algorithms shift, outages happen, accounts get locked. If something must land, don’t rely on a feed.

Shift: use social to point people towards direct lines you control, email, WhatsApp/Telegram, SMS where appropriate, and into real-world spaces (events, clinics, circles). Make the window beautiful; keep the stockroom somewhere stable.

What this looks like

• Links in bio lead to one action: Join our Direct Line (email form + WhatsApp link).

• Posts end with a clear route: “Reply ‘DIRECT’ and we’ll send the signup.”

• Home page has a plain page (timestamped, linkable, no fluff).

  
  

2) Build direct lines before you build campaigns

In uncertain times, reliability beats virality.

Minimum viable stack

• Email list: double opt-in, a 5-email welcome series in plain English.

• WhatsApp/Telegram: one purpose per space, house rules pinned, mod rota.

• SMS (optional): for time-sensitive updates only.

• Status/Updates page: “what’s happening → what to do → next update time”.

Why this matters: you own the lists, the consent records, the ability to reach people without begging a timeline for visibility.

3) Communicate like people are tired (because they are)

Folks are overwhelmed, anxious, and busy. Your tone can lower the cognitive load.

Calm-tech principles, in practice

• Plain language: short sentences, verbs up front, no jargon.

• Predictable cadence: tell people when you’ll write next.

• Accessibility by default: alt text, captions, readable contrast, translation if needed.

• Not a crisis service: include signposting and escalation routes in every space.

4) Design for safety, dignity and truth

Polarisation + misinformation demand real guardrails.

Community standards that actually work

• What’s welcome, what isn’t, and what happens next.

• No clinical/personal details in public channels; protect privacy.

• Moderation SOP: first response macro, risk flags, escalation matrix.

• Corrections policy: if you get something wrong, fix it publicly and promptly.

  
  

5) Make content that reduces anxiety and increases agency

If your posts leave people more overwhelmed than before, they’ll mute you (fair). Aim for useful, doable and humane.

Five formats that land now

1. How-to in 5 steps (one screen, one action).

2. Resource drops (save-able, not performative).

3. Office hours / Q&A in your group space, summarised by email.

4. Stories from the work (consented, anonymised if sensitive).

5. Decision explainers (why we’re doing X, what changes for you, when the next update is).

6) Listen before you speak; co-create before you scale

Your community already knows what they need. Ask them.

Lightweight listening loop

• Monthly 2-minute survey (three questions, max).

• Tag common questions; turn them into resources.

• Invite 6–8 people to a quarterly community circle; test an idea; change course fast.

  
  

7) Rethink success

Vanity metrics don’t keep people safe, informed or connected.

Healthier KPIs

• Reachable off-platform (%): how much of your audience can you contact directly?

• Time-to-first-update: when something changes, how quickly can you tell people?

• Saves / replies / click-through to resources: signs of use, not just views.

• Attendance / participation in real-world spaces.

• Member wellbeing signals: “Was this helpful?” 1–5; qualitative notes.

  
  

If we must talk about the state of the world…

Then let’s honour it with communications that respect attention, protect dignity, and actually reach people. Social media is getting weird. That’s fine. Your community can still be steady if you build the right lines.

If you want ongoing notes like this, join my Direct Line.

If you lead a mission-led org and need help setting this up, start with a quick audit and we’ll map your next 30 days.