Favourite local social media presence

1. wpg_affirmations
2. Winnipeg Wildin
3. Faceplam / mbpolidragrace (tie)

On Sept. 16, one creative Winnipegger decided to start an Instagram account: @wpg_affirmations. It’s based on the extremely popular @afffirmations account that currently has 861,000 followers from all around the globe.

The person behind @wpg_affirmations, who asked to remain anonymous, started the account with the intention of entertaining a few close friends, but in only three months, the account now has more than 1,800 followers.

“Many more people started to like (the content) than I was expecting,” the account owner says. “When we got 200 followers, I was like ‘oh, this is actually getting traction,’ which I wasn’t really expecting it to, because, at first, I was just just making it as a joke for friends.”

In each post, there is an affirmation paired with a graphic. The affirmations are rooted in satirical humour and speak to common experiences of living in Winnipeg.

When creating each piece of content, the account owner asks themself questions, such as, “Is (the affirmation) relevant? Is it something that people will see and, at least on some level, think it is relatable?”

The account welcomes the public’s suggestions via Instagram direct messages but is selective about what suggestions they accept to ensure they are being kind and respectful to all people.

“I try to make (each post) kind of strange, but not alienatingly so,” they say.

The account owner plans to continue to challenge themself to create high quality content for their followers to enjoy. “I would not have kept doing it so long if people weren’t responding to (it), so I am really glad that they are.”

The account offers followers a sense of community through comedy, and in this time of isolation, relatability goes a long way.

Published in Volume 76, Number 12 of The Uniter (December 2, 2021)

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