5 Lessons from Jay Flynn
Jay Flynn is living proof of the power of social media as a tool for good.
He is also living proof of the challenges that come with it.
Here are 5 key takeaways from our conversation:
The origin of Jay’s Virtual Pub Quiz is such an important reminder of this.?
Having just handed back the keys to his pub, and with the country suddenly plunged into lockdown, Jay set out to find some respite from the outside world and spark a little joy amongst his friends.
Avid pub quiz fans, he planned a virtual event and invited his usual team using Facebook events. Or so he thought.
It wasn’t until he received a message from a stranger that he realised he’d made the event public - and hundreds of thousands of people were planning to attend.
An MBE, 2 books and over ￡1 million raised for charity later, Jay’s Virtual Pub Quiz has been going strong for almost 2 years.
2. The pandemic brought us a new kind of celebrity.
As the world started shutting down in 2020, the people we once looked up to became less and less relatable.
At the same time, people began re-evaluating their lives as they were in that moment. They started to re-consider their purpose and values, looking at whether their current habits were feeding them or taking them further away.
That’s where people like Jay Flynn, Joe Wicks and Captain Tom stepped in.
They were people like us. People with ordinary lives trying to make sense of our new normal, and doing their best to spread joy as they did so.
They were people with a clear purpose, showing us that it was possible to fulfil it.
They were exactly what we needed.
3. Something needs to be done about online hate.
For all the amazing opportunities Jay has been afforded through social media, and for all the good he has been able to do - nothing has been able to protect him from the ever-persistent online trolls.
During our conversation, Jay stressed just how much of an impact these people have on those at the receiving end, whilst also emphasising the fact that many do not realise just how much words hurt.
Something NEEDS to be done to curb the spread of online hate, whilst we also work to educate people on the power of their words and the importance of remembering there are humans behind every screen.
It is not enough to simply expect the victim to turn a blind eye.
4. Social media can be an amazing place.
Social media is the reason Jay’s Virtual Pub Quiz was able to happen.
Facebook was the driving force behind that first public invite - accidental or not.
Youtube was the platform that enabled him to host a pub quiz people could access the world over from the comfort of their own home.
Instagram was the platform that enabled him to build a community of fellow quiz-lovers.
There is so much potential for the digital world to be used to good - we just have to be using it with positivity, purpose and our values in mind.
5. We need to work on building a good relationship with social media - whatever that looks like to us.
This is something I could talk about forever.
Social media will serve a different purpose for everyone. It will also have a different effect on every individual user.
We need to be aware of what each of these look like for us personally.
We need to work on what we see our ideal relationship with social media looking like, and then work every day to build the habits that will inform that.
For Jay, that means protecting himself from online trolls by having other people manage the comments on the Virtual Pub Quiz social channels. It’s not easy to switch off from the negativity, but he knows that it is necessary for his own mental health, and is putting the necessary steps in place to protect just that.
You can listen to our full conversation here: https://bit.ly/3qIddB1
Building a global expert network of pioneering positive future ‘Warriors'. Unlock innovation through insights from unheard voices, those creating today what will define business & society tomorrow. Podcast host & advisor
2 年Dr Charlotte Webb
Great post and the quiz, sir tom and joe wicks, mr motivator et al kept everyone going, was the best of British shining through. But the well intentioned issue with online "hate" is that it is used by the professionally offended as an excuse to close down free speech or speech they don't agree with or views they don't agree with, and I'm against that. eg big tech who ridiculed then closed down any mention of the wuhan lab where the man made virus was created by gain of function research being the cause of the pandemic. Now that view whether you believe it or not is mainstream. Galileo was a heretic for 400 years by saying the earth was round not flat. The lack of free speech on student campuses is evident etc You will get jealousy, envy and sheer maliciousness anywhere in day to day life. I have been on the end of it as no doubt everyone reading this will have. For people who believe the best of everyone that it a strange concept but in fact it is entirely logical because we also have wife beaters, murderers, child abusers in this life - how anyone can do that is beyond me but it happens. Making people toughen up to survive the misfortune that life brings is equally important. For that reason I am not in favour of "safe spaces". However all governments continue to fail to treat the mental health of people as seriously as physical health and that needs to change.
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2 年I love this post Katy, thanks for sharing!