It’s another freaky Friday, money nerds, and I’m flying out to Longmont, Colorado to celebrate the birthday of a certain mustachioed friend. Before I go, though, I’ve collected some more top money stories from this collection of tubes and wires that powers our modern life.
What is the creepiest thing you don’t talk about in your profession? [/r/AskReddit/] — In this 7300-comment thread, people share strange and creepy things that happen in their line of work. There’s some interesting stuff here — things you might not expect — but be warned: many of these are creepy and/or not safe for work.
Should you tithe or build your own wealth? [The Physician Philosopher] — “Even if you are not religious, I think that this concept is still important. Giving money comes in many different forms. It includes giving money to charitable causes outside the church. If you are religious and feel called to tithe, maybe this post will help you revisit the topic or start the conversation if you’ve never tithed regularly.”
How to not feel financially behind your friends. [Casual Money Talk] — “Human beings have this funny psychological tendency to normalize the status quo, and are thus never truly satisfied with the status quo. Comparing ourselves to others is an evolutionary gift that drives us to continually better ourselves and avoid complacency, but it does come with emotional costs and daily stresses we can do without.”
Our next story isn’t about money but it’s important. It’s all about how we use social media.
Social media is designed for emotion, not discourse. [Longreads] — This article is deliberately impossible to capture in a short quote. And that’s the point. The author argues that long, nuanced conversations are valuable. They educate us and, sometimes, change our minds. Social media is the opposite of long and nuanced. As a result, the conversations there aren’t conversations at all. They’re emotional outbursts and they do nothing to improve our society.
I’m not opposed to social media, but I don’t like how many people use it. I don’t think it’s a good tool for deep discussion. Deep discussion requires give and take. It involves subtlety. There’s no room for subtlety in 140 characters. I’m a big user of Facebook, but I don’t use it to dive deep into society’s ills. I use it to share cat videos.
Speaking of which: Our final piece today — which also has nothing to do with money — came to me from a friend on Facebook. Anna Akana has six cats.
Silly stuff, isn’t it? Yes, it is. But I like it. After all, the internet is made of cats.
Found something you think your fellow nerds might like? You should send it in! Help spread the top money stories on the web here at Apex Money.