For most of the internet’s history, signing up for social media has been simple: type in a name, an email address, and a birthday — and you’re in. Whether that birthday was real or not was largely left to the user’s honesty. That era is ending. Across the United States, lawmakers are pushing new age verification and parental consent laws aimed at protecting children and teens online. Supporters say these rules are long overdue in a world where social media shapes...

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day wrapped in warmth—full grocery carts, full bellies, full tables, full hearts. But this year, something shattered that picture for me in a way I’m still struggling to process. I work for a major grocery chain in a small rural community. Most days are predictable—routine shifts, familiar faces, the usual holiday bustle. But on Thanksgiving morning 2025, something happened that left me with a heavy, lingering ache I can’t shake, no...

Dear Beautiful Community, On this upcoming Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to speak directly to you — the dreamers, the fighters, the creators, the chosen family members, the quiet healers, the loud advocates, and every soul who makes this community vibrant, powerful, and endlessly inspiring. Before anything else, it’s important to acknowledge the Indigenous peoples whose land we stand on, and the deep injustices, displacement, and harm they have faced for...

So here we are again — another government shutdown. Congress couldn’t agree on a budget, and now millions of people across the country are stuck waiting to see what happens to their benefits. For Oregon, this hits especially hard because so many families rely on SNAP (aka food stamps) to get by each month. When the government stops, so does a lot of the help people count on just to eat. What’s Going On The federal government officially shut down on October 1, 2025. The...

It’s no secret that finding a truly inclusive, affirming online space can be tough. Between algorithms that bury queer content and moderation rules that don’t always understand our culture, mainstream platforms can feel like they weren’t built with us in mind. That’s exactly where Queerlinq comes in — a social platform created for the LGBTQ+ community, by the community. Queerlinq isn’t another app trying to slap a rainbow on an existing product....

As a queer creator, I started sharing my life online to tell my truth, celebrate identity, and build a community where authenticity matters. At first, it felt liberating—a space to connect, to inspire, to be unapologetically myself. But over time, I’ve watched these platforms, especially Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, quietly push out queer voices. The very spaces that promised visibility are making it harder for us to exist. When “Community Guidelines” Don’t...

We talk a lot about homophobia, transphobia, and the fight for equality from the outside world. But there’s something we don’t talk about nearly enough — the hurt that happens within the LGBTQ community itself. Yep, LGBTQ-on-LGBTQ hate is real. And it can sting just as much, if not more, than what we face from outside. Whether it’s gatekeeping, judgment, racism, transphobia, body shaming, or just straight-up exclusion, many LGBTQ folks have experienced harm from...

Okay, let’s be real: Pride today is full of rainbows, drag, glitter, and corporate logos slapped on everything from coffee cups to sneakers. And sure, that’s fun—but the real story behind Pride? It’s gritty. It’s brave. And honestly, it’s kind of wild. As a proud bisexual human who’s been asked “but which do you really like?” way too many times, let me take you on a tour of how the LGBTQIA+ community got here—and all the stuff...

You Deserve Better Than This. Hey there, We know why you joined Facebook. It felt like a revolution at first, didn’t it?A new frontier.A place where you could stay connected with family across the country, reconnect with old friends from school, share milestones, laugh at memes, maybe even spark a movement. But slowly, almost without noticing, that place changed. The platform that once promised to "connect the world" started feeling less like a community and more like a trap. More...

You don’t wake up one day and decide to become an extremist. It happens gradually, often without someone realizing they’re going down that road. But in today’s digital world, it’s never been easier to fall into radical thinking — and it’s becoming a real danger. What Is Extremism, Really? At its core, extremism means holding beliefs that are way outside the norm — often hateful, often violent, and usually rooted in the idea that one group is better...

Today, we’re diving into the real-world impact of misinformation on social media, particularly Facebook. How did a made-up story lead someone to bring a gun into a pizza shop? What really fueled the Capitol riot? We explore the thin line between lies online and violence offline. It’s tempting to scroll past a conspiracy theory or laugh off a wild comment section. But misinformation isn’t always harmless — sometimes, it gets people hurt. And when enough people...

Welcome to our blog series: “Misinformation & Extremism in America.” We’re living in an age where truth is harder to find than ever. One minute you’re watching a video your friend sent, and the next thing you know, you're neck-deep in a wild theory about lizard people controlling the government. Sound familiar? But this isn't just about quirky internet rumors. Misinformation — false info that spreads like wildfire — is shaping our reality in...