List of All Articles with Tag 'tiktok'

A new fitness craze dubbed 'cozy cardio' is taking over TikTok with over a million views under its belt. The term, coined by creator Hope Zuckerbrow, epitomises a more relaxed approach to cardio with toned-down elements such as candles, soft lighting and relaxed outfits such as dressing gowns. Flora Harris, buyer for sportswear at Pour Moi, says: "The ‘hot girl walk’ was a game changer in terms of making walking cool again – but for some people, the thought of having to get changed and go outside is a big turn-off." The wholesome trend focuses on "indoor walking on a walking pad, in the comfort of your favourite loungewear or dressing gown, with a backdrop of candlelight and your favourite comfort TV show." Cozy cardio has since become a phenomenon across the globe, with one saying "This has changed my life." Another fan added: "I just put a walking pad in my room…i get up and do 45 minutes immediately…it’s been working out." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @hope_zuckerbrow take a shot every time I say “cozy cardio” ? #fyp #cardio #cozy #walk #walkingpad #walking #workout Sportswear experts at Pour Moi have pulled together five helpful tips for anyone wanting to give it a go for themselves: Carve out some time in your morning or evening The ideal cozy cardio time is before your day starts, or as your evening is winding down. Zuckerbrow is a fan of a 5 or 6am slot, but other people on TikTok have posted equally cozy examples of them taking on the trend at 8pm. What’s great about those times is that it’s likely a little darker outside so you can make your indoor space extra cosy with drawn curtains and candlelight. You don’t need to have a walking pad Although many of the videos on TikTok show people using a walking pad or treadmill, you can do some cozy cardio with any type of exercise. The key is to make sure it’s not too high intensity so that you can maintain your cosy vibes. A static bike or stepper machine would work well, or you can do it without any equipment and just do steps on the spot. Comfort is king, but remember a sports bra Although one of the main selling points of this trend is the fact you don’t need to be dressed up in the latest athleisure looks (yes you can work out in a dressing gown!), it’s important to pop on a sports bra – even if you are just doing low intensity walking. This doesn’t mean wearing something super tight and uncomfortable, but picking a low intensity bra or crop top that keeps your boobs supported whilst you enjoy your cosy workout. Keep hydrated and set the mood safely Cozy cardio is that relaxed that you might forget you are working out – but a 20 or 30 minute session can burn around 100 calories! It’s important to remember to drink water throughout, so make sure you have a bottle handy or take a break to rehydrate. Although many of the cozy cardio videos feature a yummy iced coffee, it’s water that is key when working out. Candlelight can bring peak cosy elements, but consider using battery-operated candles for safety reasons - they still look super pretty. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

We’re sorry to bring you this news, but humans are becoming less attractive. At least that’s according to a facial expert who posted a comprehensive video explaining his findings on TikTok. Shafee Hassan is the founder of facial aesthetics consultancy firm QOVES. He posted a clip on social media sharing his theory that modern living conditions have affected how people look over recent years. He says in the clip: “The average person's face is becoming increasingly disadvantaged by modern diets, sleeping patterns, pollutants and orofacial habits creating a greater inequality in ‘the attractives’ vs ‘the unattractives’.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The video sees Hassan begin by asking the viewer if they’ve ever considered why teenagers in the 1950s looked so much older in pictures than teenagers do now. Picking out one example, he studies one man’s “gonion”, which is the top of the lower jaw and his cheekbone. Considering how people’s face shapes have changed over the years, he said: “There are multiple theories about why this is the case, but the one that makes the most intuitive sense at least to me is presented in Contemporary Orthodontics by [US orthodontist William] Proffit and colleagues using what's know as the functional matrix hypothesis.” He went on to consider that the “development of the face is dependent on the forces you put on it, for the upper and lower jaw” – which according to Hassan are two of the most important things when it comes to attractiveness. The clip then shows the importance of the jaw developing correctly, stating that certain elements can impact upon it and the tongue can “[push it downwards or outwards” before it has grown properly. It focuses on one case involving a young girl who had a sinus infection which means she was forced to breathe through her mouth, thus stopping the bone from developing. “With 70 per cent of the Western world, having some kind of malocclusion or recession, much like this, it's a very good explanation for why faces are becoming less and less attractive as time goes on,” he added, summing up the clip. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Two mothers have been hailed geniuses for their creative McDonald's dessert hack. Janelle and Kate frequently take to the platform with their divisive food recipes – but one, in particular, has caught the attention of almost 10 million people. The footage shows the pair in the car mashing six McDonald's ice cream cones in a plastic container while disclaiming that things can get messy. They proceed to top the ice cream with chocolate sauce and their own sprinkles for good measure, before using the dessert as a dip for their fries. "It's the sweet and salt mixture," one said, while another called their creation "perfect". The clip was soon inundated with thousands of comments from fellow TikTokers, with one writing: "At first I thought you were crazy but the further you went ... I thought that looks pretty good." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "These are my kind of girls," another added, while another stunned user wrote: "WOAHHH why haven’t more people thought of this." Meanwhile, others weren't so convinced... "You lost me at the French fries," one wrote. @janelleandkate Moms share McDonalds secret! ?? #mcdonalds #mcdonaldshacks #momsoftiktok Attention soon turned to the fact that the McDonald's ice cream machine was actually working, a long-standing joke between fans of the fast food chain. The ice cream machine became an international phenomenon that one McFlurry lover launched McBroken in 2020, a site dedicated to tracking all the broken machines in the US. In a 2021 statement by Taylor Commercial Foodservice LLC, the company that makes the machines for McDonald’s, they explained the issues with broken machines. The company said that, although it tries to send out repairs specialists as quickly as it can, the waiting times became longer due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement said: "A lot of what’s been broadcasted can be attributed to the lack of knowledge about the equipment and how they operate in the restaurants, "The machines are built up with a lot of interconnecting parts that have to operate in a complex environment and manner." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Eagle Pass is the front line in a showdown over migrants between Texas and the federal government.

A woman has gone viral on TikTok after another passenger asked her to move seats on a flight so she could be closer to her child. Sabra, a pharmacist and content creator based in Seattle, posted a short clip from a recent flight she took where she flew from the Pacific Northwest to Paris. In the 6-second video posted to Sabra's TikTok, she films herself in her first class seat with the text overlay reading: "POV: Flight agent asks me if I want to give up my 1A seat so a child sits with their family." In the popular audio used in the TikTok you hear the phrase "girl, f**k them kids and f**k you too". Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The TikTok has been viewed over 9 million times, and has over 800,000 likes. @lifewithdrsabra That’s a no from me dawg ? would you have given up your seat? Also they ended up finding a solution so no, i am not a terrible human being. Also the child was like 13. In the caption of the video, Sabra asked her viewers if they would have given up their seat, but many agreed with Sabra. "Good for you! If they wanted their kid next to them they should've booked adjacent seats," one user commented. Even parents were agreeing with Sabra with one mum commenting "as a parent that's up to me to make sure my family sit together not at the expense of someone else, I would never dare ask someone to move." "Nope, cause, as a mom, it's a parents responsibility to plan ahead. Just travelled to Europe for 1.5 moths with my toddler and no one had to move," added another. One user suggested that passengers do it deliberately: "I wonder if some families actually on purpose buy the cheapest tickets, to plan to ask someone for their seat 'I got kids, pls move'". Sabra also added that the family "ended up finding a solution so no, I am not a terrible human being. Also the child was like 13." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The viral "Chalkboard Mom" from 2012 has come back with an update on her daughter Laikynn, and social media is loving it. McKinli Hatch had the now famous photo to her blog Mommy's Little Sunshine over ten years ago, whilst she was pregnant with her daughter. The photo shows Hatch standing next to a chalkboard that lists the potential names for her daughter: Taylee, McKarty, Nayvie, and Maylee, all crossed out, with the circled "Lakynn" at the bottom. Hatch's unique name choice has ingrained herself, and her daughter, into internet culture, and 11 years later, we've been given an update. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Hatch posted a video of her and Laikynn at the beach with the caption "throw back to my first viral photo". The text overlay in the video reads: "The people realise you are the 'Chalk Board Mom' and Laikynn is now 11 years old." Viewers seemingly loved the throwback as the jokes about Hatch's choice of spelling resurfaced a decade later. @mckinli Throw back to my first viral photo ? "I named my daughter Mcieckaealeighphla (pronounced like Lauren) because of you," one viewer joked. "My daughter is Saighlaur (pronounced Mary of course) so I completely get it!" Many said that Hatch was "iconic" for bringing us back for an update. The TikTok even made its way over to Twitter, with many feeling nostalgic for the original meme: Some also noticed that Laikynn's name is spelled with an extra 'I' than the original name: But one user explained the reason behind the extra 'i': The original blog has seemingly been inactive since 2016, but Hatch has since grown a sizeable following on TikTok, posting fashion content as well as documenting her experience as a single mum. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

There is always a new trend circulating on TikTok, and the most recent one making rounds involves people writing "You're my bird." As part of the trend, users are posting photos of themselves with a friend, partner, family member or loved one along with the writing "you're my bird," as part of a slideshow. Emotional music also plays in the background, as people swipe to the second image that reads: "You're what?" Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter For the third and final image in the slideshow, there is a photo of a male sculpture saying “I can’t do this anymore” while a bird replied: “Yes you can.” The bronze sculpture itself is a small metal bird that is flying and lifting a man off the floor using its two feet to lift him up from his shirt. So when people say a loved one is "their bird," it means when you're feeling down they are someone who helps you to get back up on your feet. @ayeesidh I love this trend❤️ i rmr when i had my baby & was going through some of the darkest days during post partum all i wanted was to just curl up in my moms lap and let out all my emotions. Thankful for her ❤️❤️❤️ | #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #lovingmom #iloveyoumom Oslo-based Norweigan artist Fredrik Raddum is the artist behind the sculpture which is from a 2017 collection called ‘Hacienda Paradise – Utopia Experiment’ displayed at art gallery Galleri Brandstrup. The sculptures are based on a true story from the 1930s where a group of Europeans left their homes to live on the Galápagos Islands, with the move being described as "The Galápagos Affair," according to My Modern Met. During this time there were unsolved disappearances on the Galapagos island of Floreana and a documentary was made on the subject back in 2013 titled: "The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden." Elsewhere, Martin Scorsese acting 'silly' becomes TikTok’s unlikely new obsession, the 'Boy Dinner' TikTok trend explained and PinkyDoll sparks backlash after announcing Hollywood job. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

(Corrects to add source in headline) (Reuters) -TikTok is planning to launch in early August an e-commerce platform to sell

The mystery of what lies in the depths of the seas has fascinated humans since time immemorial. From prehistoric shapeshifters to evidence of alien worlds – it seems we’ve only skimmed the surface of discovery when it comes to the Earth’s vast oceans. And now, conspiracy theorists are convinced they’ve seen “proof” that some of the water’s most celebrated mythical creatures really do exist. This is thanks to a deep-sea fisherman who recorded footage from his boat late at night, purportedly capturing the haunting chants of real-life sirens. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In the clip, the seafarer who goes by the username @.sauce.90 on social media (real name Ryun Coleman) films two mysterious figures swimming by his boat as it travels through the choppy waves. As he records, his voice can be heard saying: “What are those? What the f**k's going on?” Pointing the camera at the sea, he notes: “Something’s swimming fast underneath that water, something's swimming real fast.” A strange wailing sound can then be heard in the background as, apparently awe-stricken, Coleman asks: “What the f**k is that noise, bro? What is that noise?” Then, as he continues to remark that he can “hear” the strange intruders, the shrieking voice announces: “Jump for me”. The video was filmed last year, but was recently shared by the popular TikTok account The Paranormal Chic. @the_paranormal_chic Did these Fishermen ? Sirens? #theparanormalchic #paranormal #mythicalcreatures #siren #mermaid #sirensong #sirens #ocean #deepseafishing #sailors #fisherman #legend #Unidentified #unknown #proof #discovery #fyp #sirena In her introduction to the recording, she points out: “If we believe in the myths and the legends that have been there since the beginning, sailors have gone back hundreds of years stating that they would witness sirens, and the whole goal of a siren was to lure sailors to their death by drowning and eating them, and one way they did it was singing. “It's creepy that they capture the singing out in the middle of the ocean.” It’s not the only encounter Coleman claims to have had with these fishtailed enchantresses, however. A month ago, The Paranormal Chic shared another of his videos showing what she considered to be the “best evidence” of their existence. This time, the footage was taken in daylight and close-up, showing a mysterious, shimmering aquatic creature near the surface of the water. @the_paranormal_chic ?Cred: @.sauce.90 Is this finally ? evidence of the mythical “MERMAID/SIREN” you tell me! #mermaid #mermaids #sauce #siren #sirena #mythicalcreature #unidentified #creature #uncoveringthetruth #theparanormalchic #ocean #mermaidtiktok #mermaidsarereal #oceanlife #fisherman #deepseafishing #fishingtiktoks #sailors #mythsandlegends #fyp And, indeed, Coleman has amassed something of a cult following from people convinced that he is being persecuted for revealing the truth. The TikToker has apparently had his accounts blocked numerous times and has suggested to his fans that the US government is after him. The bizarre conspiracy theory was laid out by a fellow content creator who goes by the username iamdaydreamer28. Beginning a lengthy explainer, he said: “.Sauce.90 has been on the platform for roughly over three years, and this is possibly his third account, but what keeps getting him banned? Why does he keep getting in trouble? “There's two answers: the first being… non-believers. “.Sauce.90 claims all his videos are real, they're legit, especially since he goes live so fabricating them would be a little tougher. So everything you see is as real as it gets.” He continued: “However, .sauce.90 understands that not everyone is going to believe his word. That's why he's decided to consult professionals on his findings.” Iamdaydreamer28 then played an excerpt of another Coleman video in which he presented a strange tail-shaped bone he’d found to an “expert” at a local whaling museum. In the clip, the expert can be heard saying that he doesn’t know what it is. @.sauce.90 Repost of the famous mystery tail bone!!! #fyp #sauce90 #mermaid Iamdaydream went on with his explainer, saying: “The second answer as to why he keeps getting into trouble is the more controversial one. “.Sauce.90 believes that the government might be after him due to his findings, but the government wouldn't waste their time on a talker who could possibly be faking it all, right?” He then played another Coleman video in which the fisherman showed that members of “the government” had visited his boat and were conducting “scientific” tests in a special laboratory that they’d set up. “What the f**k are you guys testing? That's what I want to know,” Coleman tells the camera. “Oh, no. .sauce.90 has heard certain things out in the ocean, and then my TikTok gets banned, and then the government shows up my boat – it's too many f**king coincidences,” he adds. Iamdaydreamer continued: “Now to make things more weird, the day after he posted that video, .sauce.90 got into a serious car accident where he should not have walked out alive. This led many to believe that maybe .sauce was correct and the government is actually after him. “He would then go on a live video call explaining his side of the story and how he believes someone is trying to silence him. So after this live video call, the accident and the government eavesdropping on him, people began to worry about his health and safety.” The commentator then said that Coleman posted a “very controversial video” following his accident saying he was “back” on his boat and back at work. “The comments in that video are flooded with people saying that is not his real voice, and the government may have captured him,” Iamdaydreamer said. “And to make matters worse, ever since that video came out, all his mermaid-related content has stopped.” He ended his monologue: “But what do you guys think? Did .sauce.90 capture actual evidence and pay the price for it? Or is this a giant hoax?” @iamdaydreamer28 Do you believe in Mermaids? Sirens? Or is it all fake? ?♀️ #fyp #foryou #scary #creepy #horror #mermaids #sirens #sauce90 #daydreamer28 Since then, has offered his loyal subscribers more mermaid content, including “drone” footage of one apparently swimming in the open sea, which he posted back in June. However, viewers weren’t so convinced by this one. “I definitely believe in mermaids but this is a human struggling to swim with a suit on,” one wrote. “For a sea creature, she’s not a great swimmer,” pointed out another. @.sauce.90 Drone caught video of what looks like a ??♀️!! LMK your thoughts !! And yet, some were still taken in. “Yes I believe,” wrote one, adding: “The ocean holds so many secrets.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A TikTok user has issued a warning about an alleged dog scam circulating online. Noah (@noahglenncarter) claimed that people are sharing a photo of an injured dog named Danny covered in porcupine needles that need to be removed at the vet for a fee. He alleged that many accounts are cropping up online dedicated to helping Danny the dog – but they're all fake. "I really hope that not many people have fallen for this so far, but I highly doubt that because if you see this on your FYP, I imagine that you're gonna want to try as much as you can," Noah said. "Without knowing they're just trying to get your money from you, you're probably going to want to help this dog because it looks very, very painful." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Noah's clip was soon flooded with comments from fellow users: "THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT THIS!!! It’s gotten so out of hand that it’s honestly tiring now," one person wrote Another added: "I swear I saw that picture in 2022 or so." Meanwhile, a third added: "This is wild, who in their right mind would ever do this." @noahglenncarter People are using this dog Danny to take what you have #foryou #danny #savedanny #foryou #dog The 'Danny photo' used in Noah's video originates from the JMK9 Dog Training Facebook page. In April, the page shared the image of the dog, writing: "This little lady couldn’t help herself and ran down a Porcupine. Any of the 3 most important commands in the world would have saved her from these daggers. Come, Leave It, Place. Don’t wait for your dog to come back to the house looking like a GSP / Porcupine Hybrid to teach these things." According to Know Your Meme, a TikTok account called "@savedannyy" cropped up online, with a slideshow of the dog. It reportedly asked for $900 to get the quills removing and provided a CashApp link to send money. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

From entering the workforce to managing finances, navigating adulthood after leaving education is the life stage many Zoomers have reached. Social media platforms such as TikTok mean that this generation feels more confident to discuss work culture and practices which has led to a number of viral work trends such as job hopping and salary transparency. A familiar face that may have graced your For You page about these important topics is Gen Z finance expert Hannah Williams. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter With over 1.2m followers on TikTok, the 26-year-old is the creator and CEO of the company Salary Transparent Street, with “a mission to create more financial transparency and close income disparities; particularly for women, people of colour and other minorities.” Some of the most viral videos on Williams’s TikTok page are of her approaching members of the public on the street and asking them about their occupation and salary. A question some might consider uncomfortable since 29 per cent of workers report they would only feel comfortable discussing salary at work with close, friendly co-workers, according to Zippia who surveyed 1,438 American workers. This career path wasn’t exactly the plan for Williams who noted there are a “lot of twists and turns on how [she] got here,” it all began when she accepted a new job as a senior data analyst with a $90,000 salary, believing it to be a fair offer for the role. “I didn't even negotiate my salary,” Williams told indy100. “I just accepted the first offer they gave me. I didn't have any fuss about it and I thought I was making really good money.” This in turn, along with feeling “super burnt out” in the role, encouraged the then-23-year-old to do some market research and after going “six pages deep” in Google searching ‘how much should a senior data analyst make in Washington DC’, Williams realised she had been underpaid about $20,000 to $25,000. “I had vastly undervalued myself when I accepted the job offer that they gave me,” she said, and so put her research findings to the company, but they refused to give her the raise she wanted. “So in that moment, I realised not having paid transparency and not knowing what people make had cost me $20,000,” she said and had to go find a new job. Williams is not alone in her experience as a Glassdoor study in 2016 found that 68 per cent of women accept the salary they’re offered and don’t negotiate at all, compared to 52 per cent of men. When Williams found herself at a job interview, she approached the salary expectations question differently, with confidence in her value and skills. “So I flipped it on her and I was like ‘I know what my market rate is, but I just want to make sure that your budget is in line with my expectations. Do you mind sharing the budget with me?’” In response, the recruiter explained that their budget is $115,000 in line with the market rate, and so when Williams was later offered the job with this salary she accepted – though she couldn’t help but think back to her experience of being undervalued in her previous position. “I accepted and that entire experience got me $25,000 more but also cost me $25,000,” Williams noted. “And so I couldn't really shake what had happened to me and I was like more people need to be talking about this because like I fix my situation, but I also could have been stuck there, and how do we fix this?” That is when she created a TikTok account and posted a video sharing how much she made in every single job from the five jobs she job-hopped from and it soon racked up the views. “I know there's a problem here. People are really interested in this [or] it wouldn't have gone viral. If people weren't curious,” Williams added and then asked herself: “How do I take this a step further?” Williams decided “I'm gonna go on the street,” and improve pay transparency from the grassroots. She alongside her fiancé James Daniels posted their first video on April 16 2022 asking people about their job and salary that immediately went viral – at the time of writing the video, has 5.5m views. @salarytransparentstreet Georgetown, Washington D.C. ? #salarytransparency #salarytransparentstreet #georgetown #washingtondc #careertok #moneytok “And the rest is history,” the CEO and TikTok creator quipped with a laugh. Upon going viral, Williams continued to post popular content over the course of a “very insane” three weeks and then proceeded to quit her job to become a full-time creator, calling the decision a “no-brainer.” “This is a huge opportunity… it's my moment and I have to take the risk and I also I didn't have too much to lose,” she said, after all at the time she was 25 with no kids and had savings behind her. “So really everything aligned for me to take that risk. And for me, the thing that I've always wanted is to have an impact in my job and to feel like I actually am making a change and that's exactly what that was.” Since starting Salary Transparent Street, Williams has travelled all over the country from Washington D.C., New York, Oregon, Chicago, Indiana and more as well as to Canada to find out what people are earning in their jobs. When speaking to Williams, she had just arrived back from filming in Eugene, Oregon and also visited Corvallis, Salem and Portland in what has been her “favourite trip,” so far. “I guess like the reason why it was the best is just because people were very open and friendly and willing to share,” she said. Out of the 35 interviews they filmed in Oregon, Williams believes just five to six people declined to talk to her. Something that isn’t always the case, particularly when visiting New York as the CEO described how despite the city being “a dream for us because of foot traffic.” “It's our least successful trip, every single time we go to New York because people do not want to stop and talk to you. They see you, you know with a camera and a mic and they're like, ‘Absolutely not. Don't talk to me.’" @salarytransparentstreet #PolicyAnalyst in New York City, NY?#salarytransparentstreet #salarytransparency #paytransparency #howmuchdoyoumake #talkaboutyourpay #policyanalystjob #federaljob #federaljobsalary #veteransalary As a result, New York has the lowest success rate with just one in 10 people accepting to be interviewed. Given the number of people she has spoken to, Williams also detailed some patterns she has noticed in terms of demographics. People below the age of 40 are more likely to share information about their salary than anyone above this age. This reflects a Bankrate.com survey where 42 per cent of Gen Z workers, ages 18-25, and 40 per cent of millennial employees, ages 26-41, have shared their salary information with a coworker or other professional contact. Meanwhile, women are more likely to share than men, according to Williams. White people are more likely to share than any other ethnicity. “It’s really interesting how those demographics play out in terms of like, what people culturally believe what they've been brought up to believe all of that plays out,” Williams commented. When looking at earnings in different job sectors, healthcare, tech trades and entrepreneurs are among the highest earners in comparison to social services, like teachers, Metro workers, and bus workers who are some of the lowest earners. “We're not seeing people getting compensated based on how important they are to our society,” Williams said noting this as being one of “the effects of capitalism,” and part of a “ tough conversation about whether or not it should be that way” and what we can do to change it. While some remain hesitant to share their salary publicly, others who do appear in videos sign a form beforehand to get permission to post the video. However, occasionally participants reach out to Williams after-the-fact to request to get the video taken down as their work has discovered the clip. “I try to remind them it's your legal right to talk about your salary, especially if you are a private employee,” she said. Williams added that she tries to “help them out as much as [she] can so they don't get in trouble with their companies,” who use “intimidation because of greed.” Responses to Williams’s videos clearly show more people are open to having these conversations – and that’s exactly the feedback she has received in her direct messages too. “It's been so overwhelmingly positive basically every single day I get a DM on one of our platforms saying ‘thank you for talking about this, you gave me the courage to have to ask for what I'm here to negotiate my salary.’” “We've definitely helped people make millions of dollars more than they were making previously,” the creator added. Being able to reach millions of people online is something Williams credits TikTok for, and recently wrote a Teen Vogue op-ed in defence of the app, amid talk of it being banned. The app’s ability to push Salary Transparent Street, videos onto people’s For You pages – even those who don’t follow the account – means more people have access to this key financial information. “What's beautiful has been the ability that our videos have had with reach and how many people have seen them,” Williams said, as it has given viewers the confidence to start talking about pay with their friends, their family and at work. “TikTok has been fundamental with that effect.” Such is the impact, that Williams was invited to testify in a public hearing in support of the Pay Range Act. “I represent Gen Z and workers you know, who aren't experts in this field. But we have something to say because we're the most impacted by pay transparency,” she said. “So I think me going and speaking and having a spot in the legislation process says a lot about the power that you can have on social media, but also responsibility and making sure I fulfil my end of that.” True to her word about salary transparency, Williams broke down her earnings as the CEO and creator of Salary Transparent Street and the structure of the company which has seen a “slow, steady and safe,” growth. “I made $200,000 that's my annual salary that I've set. My fiancé [Daniels] who's also our cameraman, he makes $65,000. “Then I have an executive assistant and she makes $80,000 a year and it's just the three of us full time and then I work with a lot of people part-time on like a freelance basis,” she explained. Running a company and being in charge of the social media means for Williams the biggest challenges are “burnout and self-care.” “I read every single comment that we get and I blog people I report comments, you know, I engage I, I comment and so it's a lot of constantly being online.” She also noted how it’s “very difficult to deal with internet trolls,” and “hard to be exposed to it 24/7,” therefore self-care is essential and something she has had to navigate. One of the main focuses for Salary Transparent Street is the creation of a new revolutionary database which will allow users to share and receive unparalleled access to real-time salary information from over 5,000 users across the country. “It's live right now, but it's in this really ugly Google Spreadsheet, so we're turning it into this really beautiful product that is searchable and filterable.” From personal experience, Williams struggled with her research to find the market rate for her job at the time. “If you ‘search data analyst in Washington DC’, it spits back like one number, which is an average of all the data they have and then a minimum and a maximum. So it's the aggregation is not helpful there.” She added: “The whole point of it is you can find the salary that you relate to most closely based on your own experience. “To see how you can compare and also you can see what other people are making in different companies if you want to work there specifically to make sure that you're not going to get undervalued when it comes down to getting the offer.” The CEO hopes this data will be “really valuable” to the community for them to use it as another source of market research and a source of data for them to use “to make sure they know what they're worth.” With this project well underway, and continuing to reach people with her videos, Williams is enthusiastic about what the future holds for Salary Transparent Street and has an ambition to film her on-the-street videos in different countries in Europe and Asia. Salary transparency is a global issue, for example in the UK a majority (61 per cent) of Brits feel they are not paid fairly at work, but just a quarter (24 per cent) will ask their employer for a raise in 2023, research by 1st Formations found when 2,100 UK adults were polled. “We're just going to continue creating even better content growing on what we have now and really delivering to what our community needs are, which is more education, more information and more resources to help them advocate for themselves,” Williams concluded. Williams’s words of wisdom On job hopping: “Have a strategic plan, figure out what you're looking for. And don't just hop for money because it’s clear [to employers] when you do that.” On negotiating your salary: “The best way to get yourself into the most successful mindset is to do your market research.” “Make sure you're checking all these different sources of data to make sure you understand how much you're making based on your location, company size, years of experience, educational background.” “It is also fundamental to make sure you know what your market rate is.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A highly dangerous new TikTok trend is taking over the platform, and experts are urging people to not follow it. The 'borax train' sees people consuming the cleaning product, with users erroneously claiming that it helps alleviate some health issues. Borax is a white powder often found in laundry detergents and used to get rid of stains and insects. The trend has seen people delve into another chemical element, boron, which borax is a compound of. Despite the TikTokers reportedly citing the work of Rex Newnham, who allegedly advocated that boron (not borax) was an essential vitamin, the National Institution of Health says it is not "classified as an essential nutrient for humans because research has not yet identified a clear biological function for boron". Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter If consumed, it can cause "headache, hypothermia, restlessness, weariness, renal injury, dermatitis, alopecia, anorexia and indigestion. In infants, high boron intakes have caused anaemia, seizures, erythema, and thin hair". Dr Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a medical toxicology doctor and co-director at the National Capital Poison Center reportedly told Yahoo In The Know that "borax is actually a poisonous compound and should never be eaten". She continued: "Borax consumption has been recently popularised on TikTok as a way to treat inflammation, but… there is no evidence that swallowing borax has any human health benefits." One chemist on TikTok reiterated the dangers, telling followers it can cause much more damage. "Don’t eat sh** out of the f***ing laundry box, people," @chem.thug told followers. "This is patently dangerous." "Borax is actually really not good for you. According to the literature, it can cause kidney failure. It can cause reproductive harm. It also can cause developmental issues," he added. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.