Peter:
[0:00] Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Inner Power Podcast. I am Peter Williams, your host, and today I am joined by an absolutely lovely lady by the name of Amy Whiting. Now, this episode is a very special episode and it really comes hot off the topic and if you have not been on social media,
Peter:
[0:26] if you have not been watching the news in some shape or form, then I don't know where you've been. But you know what? You're probably a good person because if you have been catching up with what's
Peter:
[0:37] been happening in our world, you would understand where we're coming from. So for those who are not in the know, last week I have dubbed it Muffin Week, okay? Or I actually have a drive on my Google Drive now called Muffingate, which obviously just in case for anything that pops up and any correspondence and whatever else is kind of going through it. And this is, Amy and I have connected and met over one of the most unusual circumstances I could possibly imagine. And that circumstance is that we were both mentioned in national news.
Peter:
[1:17] We'll mention in national news purely because of we have noticed discrepancies on our receipts. And through that, we have both been absolutely smashed on social media. We have voiced our opinions. And it was through that Amy reached out to me saying, what's kind of going on? I can't believe this, what's happening? So, you know, we're going to have a great in-depth discussion. And of course, I would love to say a huge welcome and a huge, big congrats for not giving up on this and having the bravery to continue to talk about it. So, Amy, welcome to the Inner Power podcast.
Amy:
[1:59] Thank you. Yeah, I'm still spinning a little bit.
Amy:
[2:02] And it's quite funny how, you know, we have connected in all of the ways. Yeah, thanks for having me. I can't wait to dive in and chat about this whirlwind that has been the last couple of weeks.
Peter:
[2:15] Whirlwind hasn't it been like, and the most beautiful thing is at the time of recording guys is I love it because for both Amy and myself, like I have literally just had a weekend away getting back to what I do best, which is connecting with people and live audiences. Amy, you were mentioning you had a weekend away with your family. Yes.
Amy:
[2:33] Yeah, so my husband loves golf and so we went down sort of with a family trip and watched him play golf and compete for our state. So that was lovely just to sort of switch off and, yeah, really focus on what was important and obviously you have to be really quiet and not on your phone while on the golf course.
Peter:
[2:51] It was lovely. It was a beautiful distraction. Yeah, absolutely. I love that. So, now, a lot of people who obviously listen to my podcast would be relatively familiar with me because I was at a cafe and, you know, I got stung by a hidden charge for heating my muffin. And I posted it on social media and it became a bit of a hoo-ha.
Peter:
[3:11] Now, what was interesting here too, guys, is that during that process, after everything kind of happened and got mentioned on national TV, it was only a couple of hours after I actually came across an article with Amy's name in it. and about what she was going through. And I thought this was interesting and I thought I'd ask some bigger questions, which is still up on my social wall. But, Amy, what was your situation and what landed you in this lovely whirlwind of national media attention and obviously the attention of the social media world?
Amy:
[3:41] Yeah. So I was just going about my sort of Saturday grocery shop and I went to the checkout. So normally I do self-checkout, but anyway, I had 30 items. as my receipt tells me. And I asked the cashier if I could do a split payment and I said, can I pay a hundred dollars cash and the rest on FPOS. And so my total originally was $126.98. So I passed her the a hundred dollars cash. And then when I've looked at the FPOS machine, it said $27. And I said, Oh, shouldn't that be 2698? And she sort of said, no rounding. And I was like, Oh, oh, on FPost, really? And she said, yeah. And I was like, Oh, okay. And so, like, I just left it at that. And then I just, as I do, go to TikTok for a lot of answers. I mean, I've found some incredible hacks, you know, whether that's parenting advice, relationship advice, you know, incredible resources for my ADHD, stuff from Coles, you know, Coles and Woolies as well, in terms of saving tips and tricks and how to be savvy. And it really is amazing when used in the right context, which I'm sure we'll get into that. And I just sort of asked the question is this normal like are we rounding on FPOS now I didn't know you know I've just sort of tapped my card and well the comments rolled in.
Amy:
[5:06] And you know they vary between no this isn't normal to yes this has happened all the time to wow I've just wasted three minutes of my life and I won't ever get that back um and it was it was crazy like i i often sort of talk with my hands and people then started coming for you know my appearance and the way i was moving my body and yeah it just erupted and it was i think i mean again compared to other videos out there like it's you know probably not the most viewed one but i mean i wrote down 287 000 people had viewed my video which was just just wild because normally it's like five yeah you know i might get five or ten and this it was just the phone was going off exactly right that's sort of i had the same thing because i noticed.
Peter:
[5:53] At some point i did because obviously and this was a little bit different and this is what i you know i run a very public profile so therefore i'm always.
Amy:
[6:02] Out there and i've kind.
Peter:
[6:03] Of had the you know So, unfortunate part of this path of being a public profile is you throw yourself out there and you know that you're going to get some of the comments back or whatever else. And that's just part and parcel.
Amy:
[6:19] Yeah.
Peter:
[6:19] But, of course, you're not running a public profile. This is just your private TikTok account, yes?
Amy:
[6:28] Yeah. Like, I have it on public and I post, like, updates about my ADHD. PhD. I've done, you know, a couple of the funny little challenges and things like that. And sort of never really sort of thought too much on it. To be honest, it's probably the least app, like the app that I use the least, you know, on my, on my phone. But I just knew from the content that I'd seen on there, you know, regarding supermarkets and inflation, things like that, that would be the place to ask. But yeah, absolutely did not expect any of that. And the thing that sort of got me is like I know that it's two cents like I understand two cents and I explained in the video you know if it was just cash and I was giving them cash a hundred percent I would have to pay 127 dollars absolutely but if they're taking an additional two cents three cents you know off every person then that's phenomenal once it adds up, And, again, sort of with the personal comments that came through.
Amy:
[7:28] I knew that what they were saying wasn't true. Like I grew up,
Amy:
[7:31] I am so fortunate now, I am very blessed and I have things in my life that I never, ever believed or dreamt or had goals, you know, to think that this would be where I am today. And more often than not, as, you know, a young adolescent and a young child from a family in very low socioeconomic, you know, times and parents that have both had lots of trauma and we weren't fortunate in any real way, I would always sort of have to put something back at the supermarket and go around and sort of think oh and you know okay so what do we put back what you know what can we swap in and swap out and I know that if I was two cents short on my transaction that I wouldn't you know be able to I'd have to put something back then I'm going to say oh it's two cents don't worry about it so, it's yeah it stirred up lots of different conversations in the comments but
Amy:
[8:19] also again and like in my personal life with, you know, with my family and things like that. It's been interesting.
Peter:
[8:24] It's been an interesting time. Like the same thing I – the other thing too is I can feel you on that too because it was the first time my kids who are 13 and 11 had the first really experience of like, oh, my God, what's happened here? Like, you know, dad's on the TV like and they're not telling the story of what dad went through.
Amy:
[8:48] Yeah.
Peter:
[8:49] And it was a really interesting experience for them to see it and kind of what was kind of going on. And you make an interesting point, like, you know, you've gone through this. But it's obviously, this is what we're talking about, guys, where, you know, this episode is not necessarily about, you know, we're not going to jump into the principles, like, you know, whether it's going to be the two cents or the dollar. Believe it or not, for both of us, that's irrelevant. It's actually the principle of the matter of, like, you know, there is a charge there that's unhidden or it's been changed. And yes, okay, mistakes happen, which is absolutely fine. But you would not know it's a mistake unless you question it. And yes.
Amy:
[9:25] And I did question it, which is the thing, and I, twice, and I was, no, you know, and I sort of felt a bit silly, really. So, that was then why I went to the TikTok and asked the question because I was like, oh, am I just oblivious to this? Like, that's fine if that's the case. It is what it is. You know, we round in cash, we round in FBOS. But it was, yeah.
Peter:
[9:46] And obviously, even though you've gone to TikTok to literally just question this, after even receiving an answer, which is fine, you're saying that the comments started rolling and like you said you've kind of grown up having to you know deal with some of this but it is a bit of a hard mirror because obviously it's funny i i don't know whether you got slammed as this but i got slammed as the influential keyboard warrior and it's so funny because i when i read that comment i'm like yes i may have 26 000 followers But in the grand scheme of things, that's nothing. Number two, that's taken me 10 years to accumulate. And like we were talking about just off air before we started recording, if you had have looked at either of our posts before that one, there would be five comments.
Amy:
[10:33] Yeah, like no engagement whatsoever, you know. And I have like on Instagram, oh, like, I don't know, 2,000 followers or something like that, you know, but not, absolutely, I'm not an influencer. I don't, like, none of that. And, you know, it was just wild. I think there were a few people in the saying, oh, the poor influencer and two cents and things like that. And I was like, I'm, I just want to know, hey, guys, are we rounding on FPOS now? Check your receipts. I don't want, you know, it deserves, all the two cents deserve to be in our pockets, not, you know, not theirs. Or, hey, did anyone else know we're rounding on FPOS now? And it was funny because quite a lot of people came back and said, yes, we were. which then makes me think well I've spoken to the store and I've done my research and no we do not round on f-bots so there are still people out there that are, being scammed or, you know, additional cents being taken. And the other thing was, you know, people saying, oh, the poor employee, she might have been training or it might have been a mistake.
Amy:
[11:31] I asked her and, you know, she said no. She was confirming what, you know, we round on FPOS. And then when I spoke to the store, this person had worked for the store for a while and in other stores. So they weren't new and young and in training. So it's sort of like, well, this is then definitely, it's not an isolated incident just to me. You know it might be small in the scheme of everything but this has happened to more than just me so yeah you could sort of really tell with some of the comments coming through who'd actually watched the whole video oh yes and don't don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Amy:
[12:06] Yeah that's it so you could tell sort of who would just just just skim through it or whatever and and commented and oh it's the surcharge and yes it's cash we learned you know i learned that that in grade one and I'm like no hang on it wasn't the surcharge you know so like I could definitely laugh a few of them off but then when I started being sent the news article I was like what is going on and I found that people were a lot more brutal on Facebook than TikTok and I don't know if that's just the demographic that you highlight that's a very good point you highlight this.
Peter:
[12:39] Because I was going to lead into this as well because it's very fascinating I actually took a screenshot before mine went berserk, literally went viral. And just before I took my original post down at the request of the owners. And when I did, I actually had the screenshot between my Facebook reach and my Instagram reach. My Instagram reach, which I've only got three and a half thousand followers there, but it reached 1300 people. Okay. And guys, that's dismal for a reach in social media. Yeah. Then in the very next line, the same post on Facebook had reached 196,565 people. Now, that was before it went berserk. Just as I took it down, every 15 minutes that was rising by 50,000 to 60,000 people reach. Now, reach doesn't mean people have seen it. It just means people, it's reaching their feed.
Amy:
[13:35] It's in there, yeah.
Peter:
[13:36] But it was just like, where's this coming from? So you make a good point, like TikTok wasn't so brutal, all. But then it went to mainstream news. It went to news articles online and whatever else. And so you're saying this is when the social media and people started really coming at you. Is this the case?
Amy:
[13:55] Yeah, I just found those comments a lot more negative and I didn't want to engage with them because then that would be linked to my personal. I don't know. I just find like the stuff I put on TikTok is very, I'm happy for people to see that, whereas my Facebook, I feel, is a lot more personal. And I don't think I was directly named in the articles on Facebook or in the news.
Peter:
[14:19] Your name was used.
Amy:
[14:19] I might have been. I'm not sure.
Peter:
[14:21] Okay.
Amy:
[14:22] Yeah. So I had been tagged and I said to a couple of friends, like, please remove me. I don't want to be. So I just, I just didn't associate with it, but I was obviously reading it. Whereas on TikTok, I went back and I sort of, I had a bit of banter with a few of the comments and sort of like, you know, I can take a joke and I know the things that you're saying and calling me, they're not true. Or, you know, I can brush them off. I've got really thick skin. I've had to have really thick skin, you know?
Peter:
[14:47] So when did this change? Because clearly like there is obviously a moment there like you said at the beginning and that's when you kind of reached out you're like what's going on how do i handle this and and you said i've just made my account profit perfect you've done the right thing let it blow over but when did this happen or what comments were being.
Peter:
[15:09] Like thrown at you because that's me i i can understand a hundred percent where you're coming from because when i first because mine was like i knew i got i got charged i had paid that is the truth of the matter it's on my receipt and the whole thing is i literally made a thing it was yes i was kind of like really well i've been charged a dollar to heat a muffin now that was my emotional that was my experience that was what happened the whole thing is then i said people guys it's really important to check your receipts because you don't know what's going to be on there because i wouldn't have known if i hadn't have asked for it and i had to actually ask for it so the whole point is i would have banter with people i made it into an educational experience, and it's like saying guys and that's what i did like guys hey everything educational if anybody looks at my profile like i said everything's educational everything's about awareness so i'd have banter with some of the comments that would come in and no problem and then all of a sudden even for me it changed it was there was like a moment where comments i'll go i don't know you i don't recognize you this
Peter:
[16:06] is just 100 vile venom rhetoric and i it's yeah you know so when did this happen for you what was the comments what were some of the comments that really, just you said i i have to back out of this i can't deal with this.
Amy:
[16:21] I don't want to get emotional, but I think there were a couple where it was sort of like, this is not news. You know, there are real things going on in the world and I don't want to get upset because I am so passionate about those real things going on in the world. Like I have been to the rallies.
Amy:
[16:37] I donate where I can. I have had stuff, you know, happen within my own Aboriginal community. Like I know that there is real news and I know that this is not news. And I think then the fact that seeing that this was news and the amount of attention it was getting was yeah that really sort of triggered me and I thought I don't want to be a part of this I don't want to respond to this I don't want to you know keep this going and jump on the influencer train and gain followers from this I would rather gain a following from something that I'm really passionate about something that I you know know is going to do some good in the world and and this You know, I mean, check your receipts, you know, be frugal with your spending and your saving, absolutely. Like that is important, I get that. But I think it was seeing the comments pile up and like this is not news, this is not important, there are people dying. And I think that really hit home. Again, I'm trying not to get emotional because I know all too well all of those things and that this did not deserve the airtime that it got. And so that was why I just didn't engage with the news article that was sort of on Facebook and just, yeah, shut my profile down. I reached out to you and I was like, hang on a minute, like I'm all for raising awareness and being savvy and I can take it when it's, you know, about me and they're saying, oh, look, you get your nails done and you can bite your chocolate and look at your house and things like that. But when it was then being compared to the grand scheme of, you know, the world that we're living in and the tragedies that are going on.
Amy:
[18:07] I was like, this is, yeah, you're right. You know what I mean? Like, and I was agreeing with these people that this should not be. But then it was sort of made me frustrated. I'm like, well, stop commenting then because the more trolls comment, the more engagement, the further it goes. So it's like I get that. I get this is silly. It's two cents. So don't comment and then it won't get reached.
Peter:
[18:26] I'm so happy we agree on that point because once my story got to national news, which, again, I'm like, why did it even get there, number one? Like, I said no to all media. Like, I literally – because, you know, owners messaged me saying, we're copying backlash from this. I'm thinking, really? Like –, Obviously, trolls had hammered them. I'm not in control of them.
Amy:
[18:51] Yeah, and that's not what you're attempting to do.
Peter:
[18:53] No, and the whole point is, okay, pull it down, but it's made news. But then it's amazing the comments that started coming in going, you're a sook, you're this, and then it's phased. All of a sudden, I'm a fake. I'm like, it's interesting. I'm like, you don't even know what I originally did it for. But then it's like you're saying, but you're commenting now about the thing.
Amy:
[19:13] Very thing that.
Peter:
[19:14] It was about and you're contributing to the problem you're not actually helping.
Amy:
[19:20] Solve this problem no and then personally attacking you know us as people and it's like you don't know me and my story and then part of me wanted to jump on and go back to the people and say i have gone through this as a child i you know i've had so much trauma and i've grown up you know in women's shelters and being moved from home to home. And, like, again, I'm always in the minority. I was always in, you know, these types of groups growing up and I've worked incredibly hard to be where I am now and I've not ever been given a handout for anything. But I just thought, again, then that would be giving this topic more than I needed to because I think once seeing a couple of those comments and being like this is not news, I needed to take this.
Peter:
[20:04] Did you feel like with some of those comments that you might have like, was this a bit of a pushback for you and feel like you almost, they were trying to silence you in some way or did you feel as if you're being silenced? Because it's interesting like you when when you reached out messaging like i could i could really i really felt for you when you messaged me because i'm happy i could help because i'm like i've been doing it for 10 years people people hear my job title they judge me they don't see me as peter they don't see me as the person they don't ever look at me who i have what educational level i've come from what my experiences are in life they don't care they have a preconceived idea and notion about the job that I do and therefore, oh, you're a fake, you're a fraud, you're a scam artist. I don't know how many times I've copped that over 10 years. So, like I said to you in the chat, I've got a little bit of like, I've got my Teflon as where you're like, we've got the Teflon on, it's a slide straight off. But for you, you could feel like people were calling you out and you were saying to me like, this is just, they don't know me.
Amy:
[21:07] Me no yeah i think again i've done a lot of sort of work in the last 12 18 months about finding myself and my authenticity and speaking my truth and not giving time to things that don't serve me or staying in rooms where i know i'm not valued you know in terms of friendships and things like that as i said it was really interesting to listen to your last couple of podcasts because it was like this is you know exactly the work that I have been doing so then for me even to be confident enough to speak on social media you know is a massive thing because that's not something that I would have ever done yep you know a few years ago absolutely not I wanted to look the part and I didn't want anyone to know who I was in terms of my upbringing I was always ashamed of that, and would never really speak on it and I wanted to look like I had the perfect life and all of the things and didn't want anyone to know you know my story but more and more as I've healed and learned, you know, I do speak more openly, more fluently, more, you know, I'm proud of who, you know, who I am and where I've come from. And so then, yeah, I did sort of feel like, oh, I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't, yeah, to be silenced. And then I'm like, oh, hang on, people speak on this sort of stuff all the time.
Peter:
[22:19] Like, this is not.
Amy:
[22:19] So yeah, it was that real doubt. Like, as I said, I think I mentioned that to you, you know, now I'm having this whole doubt being like, oh, I shouldn't have said anything. It was two cents. How silly, like, oh, you know, this is not news. But then I was like, well, hang on a minute, other people have made it news, not me. It could have, obviously this is what's happening. Like all my other videos on the topics that I talk about get, you know, no engagement. Do you know what I mean? And that doesn't worry me either because I now don't, that doesn't make me feel valuable. Do you know what I mean? Like I don't need that affirmation.
Peter:
[22:51] Yeah, the confirmation and you don't need validation.
Amy:
[22:54] Yeah, the confirmation from anyone else. So I can post something silly online and be fine with it if it doesn't get and engagement doesn't worry me. Like, but then this was just like, whoa. So then I, yeah, absolutely was then questioning myself and thinking, oh, my God, maybe I've, Yeah, absolutely.
Peter:
[23:09] And so, obviously, you shut down, oh, sorry, you didn't shut down. You made your profile private. So, that made it a little bit easier because obviously people couldn't engage on it or whatever else, which is nice.
Amy:
[23:21] Yeah.
Peter:
[23:22] But did you, let's mean like, I also noticed like, I took it pretty full on. Like, I personally had a couple of intense days and it was a bit of like managing, answering questions. Questions i i get pretty strict with myself as if i'm open to answer any questions because i have nothing to hide but that's because i like to be transparent that's part of my values and like okay i'm happy to share this yeah um but then i also make a line of like as long as it's constructive or it's actually asking a genuine question i'll engage in it if it stoops to any level of name calling or it's like you know i don't know how many times the c word got mentioned which is like Like, oh, sweet, you really know me. But it's like, you know, obviously those comments get immediately deleted because there's no point in working with that. But did you – I also noticed, though, it then took me, like, the weekend and a couple of days to decompress a little bit. Did you find that it started to affect that emotional state of you?
Amy:
[24:22] Absolutely. And I found that I was on my phone a lot and I was looking at the comments and I'm reading them. And, like, a lot of the time I was having a bit of a giggle and I'm saying to my husband, oh, my God, look at this, look at this, look at this. But then, and that's something I've tried to be really conscious of, you know, not being on my phone and I've got limits and restrictions and time is set up because I want to be present with my children and with my family. And so then they were going out the window because I was, you know, so it absolutely was consuming me and my time. And then. I didn't really, like, I didn't really tell anyone about it. Like, I didn't, once I was sort of like, oh, hang on a minute, this is probably far more negative than it is positive. Like, this is actually not having the outcome that I originally, I don't even know what I thought the outcome would be. But as soon as it sort of just turned to that negative space, I was like, oh, I don't want to be a part of this anymore. And so then I wasn't even telling, I wasn't talking about it. I just sort of stopped other than speaking to you directly about it because I thought, well, I'm getting, you know, some solid advice and reassurance and support here. so I didn't need to go any further than that. So thank you so much for offering that space.
Peter:
[25:22] No, I just really felt for you because, like I said, I had like it's almost like my good old spirit team in the universe had put me in training for a moment like this because I'm used to dealing with publicity. I'm used to understanding a little bit how the media works and whatever else.
Peter:
[25:37] But, again, I had no intention for it to go to the level that it wanted to, especially I wouldn't want it to. And it's interesting too. Like you said, with all the videos you would have done beforehand, There's like little to no engagement and then this one takes off and this is what people know you for. And it's the same thing. I'm like, I've done 10 years of this work. If you go and have a look at any of my posts, you'll see that this is not the person that I am. I'm not a whinger.
Amy:
[25:59] I'm not a sook.
Peter:
[26:00] I'm just saying, hey, I turned everything into a teaching experience and it's one of those things. And I felt for you when you messaged and saying, like, what is going on? And I thought that's why I was – Yeah.
Amy:
[26:11] How do I do this?
Peter:
[26:13] Yeah, and I was like – and let's look at it this way and kind of like look at where it's coming from. Question for you, now having been through this experience, would you go out of your way to question something like that again online?
Amy:
[26:30] Hmm. Probably. Yeah. Like if I feel like it was an injustice or if it was like, oh, I didn't know that. Yeah. I don't think it's going to deter me. I think obviously having this happen and yeah. And that was my point sort of of it. And I think I put that in my final video. Like we're allowed to question it as a customer to a business. If there's something that we're not sure about or any experience, is that not our human right to question? So hang on, I'm not, I'm not too sure about this. Or can you just, you know, give me some clarification on that? Like i think we all deserve that again i probably would ask in a different way obviously as i did in the beginning anyway like i asked the actual company the worker and stuff like that but then if
Amy:
[27:15] again as i did she was like yeah this is what happens i would sort of be like oh really like and i mean i live in tasmania so we're often a little bit behind you know we we help that a lot you know what i mean so it's sort of like oh maybe this is maybe this has been happening or i'm just now are catching up and this is the first time it's happened to me do you know what i mean so we often you know are a little bit behind in the times and that's a joke that you know we always sort of hear so yeah i probably just wouldn't yeah it might do it in a slightly different way i think but if there was something like and just just in in that.
Peter:
[27:47] Spirit of things too and talking about that but if we had someone now you know questioning us going hey look you know this is what i've gone through and i'm really thinking about putting that out there What would your advice be to someone who is, you know, getting out there or getting out there on social media now having been through this experience? What kind of advice would you have for that person?
Amy:
[28:14] Just be like, just be yourself. Do you want to be like, if you are genuinely, wanting to know, like, don't do it for the likes of the follows or, you know, the, you know, the, the engagement going viral, like, and that's, I think something I definitely see as a younger person, like there's,
Amy:
[28:32] I think authenticity is less and less and less these days. So yeah, like if there's something that you're not sure about, like ask, ask the question definitely but also take care of your mental health and you know it's not it's not to be all in the end all I think I think I always I'll go viral you know like everyone wants to go viral on social media and then it happens and it's like whoa nope so yeah just be genuine about and again don't attack you know a business or a worker or yeah I think just stay true to yourself if if if you're going to put yourself out on a social media platform.
Peter:
[29:08] I think the other thing too is there is, and the biggest takeaway is like, and I really felt for you throughout the whole cycle, because that's really good advice because it is, you're staying in integrity. Integrity is a big thing for me. That's why I'm like, no, like that's why even for me, like I did take the post down because when they said they're getting net of backlash, that wasn't the whole purpose of or intention behind my post. It was raising awareness around it.
Amy:
[29:28] Yeah.
Peter:
[29:28] But the whole point is like I think out of what we're going through as well is it's don't contribute to the problem like you know really think about where you're commenting really think about where your energy is and the other thing too is i think like it's really showing me like after this and i don't know about yourself but i now know why i stay in my own lane now i know why i literally don't comment on things especially on facebook because there's really Really nothing to gain because there's always somebody out to knock you down, cut you off at the knees, call you a name or whatever else.
Amy:
[30:10] Yeah. Yeah. And I think, yeah, as long as sort of, again, what you're posting is being authentic, then if those trolls do come in and they start to comment on what you look like, the work that you do, the things that you have, if your initial post sort of isn't like authentically just asking a question, I feel like that would take an even bigger toll because it's sort of like, oh, I was putting on a bit of a persona when I did this. And then all of a sudden now that persona is being trolled online. That would have an even bigger effect, I think. so yeah but I don't comment I don't think I've ever put a negative comment on anyone's post like if absolutely like I've participated in previous years in gossip and things like that but never online and especially people that I don't know like you don't know that person's story and where they've come from and that they've grown up you know having to literally watch every single cent all the work that they do all the week that they've had so yeah or if you are going to comment I mean, watch the whole video and look at the whole context, and then put your comment in, you know what I mean? So rather than, because you could just see the people that hadn't even watched.
Peter:
[31:18] The whole thing. Yeah, you could see people who were literally stacks on who just want to jump on it for the sake of doing it and contribute, you know, to the problem.
Amy:
[31:28] Yeah, making someone else seem smaller, like, you don't, you have nothing to gain. Like, I mean, you might feed your ego for a little bit, but other than that, it's, yeah, it's just not where it's at.
Peter:
[31:40] Oh, and it's, you know, all in all, though, like, it has been an experience, I do feel for you, because here you are genuinely asking the question, which is a genuine question, and, like, you know, you did it all in the right channels, but it's just the fact of, like, highlighting here that there is a like a darker side to the social media.
Amy:
[32:03] And there.
Peter:
[32:04] Is also a like we've got to also take mainstream clickbait media literally with a pinch of salt because the story's just literally.
Amy:
[32:15] I didn't know that yeah sorry i didn't know that they could do that like i said i was like how can they just take my my work i was gonna say do you know but take my video and my fake like and obviously you just sort of explained that to me i'm like okay well obviously i suppose again another word of advice to anyone if you post something on social which i mean we all know but again it's one of those things like you don't think it'll happen to you until it happens to you you have summed it up you have signed.
Peter:
[32:41] Up beautifully and this is the darker side of social media and i'm gonna leave everyone on this note because it's just like you said most people aren't aware
Peter:
[32:49] any form or any social media platform is a public platform if If you post it or comment at all, show a photo or anything on social media, believe it or not, that is no longer your property and that is no longer your privacy. And so the whole thing is it becomes free reign. And the other thing too is, as you've also found out the hard way, Amy, is that, you know, it's all of a sudden you're like, oh, I saw one news article. What? Hang on. There's four more. There's another four. There's another five. Where are they coming from? You know, and it's just like, because once gets a hold of it, they're all, most of them are owned by one particular company, so it all kind of gets spread across their channels. All in all, like, you know, I just love the fact, and I just want to say thank you again for coming on and sharing your experience because it was unexpected for you and you copped the backlash as well, and it was just from genuinely asking a question.
Amy:
[33:43] Yeah, and just for the record, you don't round up on Xbox.
Peter:
[33:47] So just make that absolutely clear. It's true.
Amy:
[33:50] If you are paying, you do not round up on Xbox.
Peter:
[33:53] And that's me. There you go.
Amy:
[33:54] Um but thank you so much for all of your support i yeah probably i'm not really sure how i would have got through it like so i do really appreciate you and and this whole connection has just been absolutely wild and everything happens for a reason here we are but thank you no that's right and it's.
Peter:
[34:09] Just it's important and the message that i want to leave you with is the same message i left with amy i left amy with going through this whole process is guys just remember you know your story and you have the voice. Don't feel like anybody can silence you, even though you might end up in situations very similar to what Amy and I have ended up with. And it may or may not happen. If it does, just be prepared because the doubt will kick in. When you've got enough people coming at you with negative comments, you will go into that self-doubt. You will start to kind of go, did I do, did I, did I, or didn't I, I'm not sure anymore, whatever else. But you know your background. You know your story.
Peter:
[34:46] Amy's had hers. She's had to work very hard for everything that she's done. She knows what it's like to put things back. I've been in that position of I know when we couldn't afford to buy bread and milk and the staples at one point. So this is the whole thing. We all have these experiences, and all of you listeners out there, you have your experience. And just remember, no one can change that. No one can take that away from you. They are your experiences. You know them. them you've lived them and you've felt them no one can tell you otherwise and don't ever if you know it to be true in yourself like i know amy you were talking about there it's like you just knew it like you know you was the honest like this was just a genuine question mine was like hey i got charged this this was a genuine charge at the time like it's just there's nothing wrong with that and the whole thing is it's like if you work it out great but if not you've just Just know in yourself, you know where you're standing. You've got to trust yourself and your feelings with that. So, you know, there is a darker side to it, but you know what, Amy, you and I will keep shining our lights out there. You can do the TikTok. I'll take care of good old grubby Facebook and whatever else. Yeah, you can have that. No, but again, thank you so much for coming on and taking the time to talk about
Peter:
[35:59] it because I just thought it was really worth hearing your voice and your experience about, you know, what had happened over the past week. So, thank you again.
Amy:
[36:06] Thank you.
Peter:
[36:07] You're very welcome so stay tuned and i will get ready for the next episode of the inner power podcast.
