Anyone can go into hock and buy a Gucci logo belt, but only you can demonstrate the sophistication and self-governance that good manners announce.

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Sure, I know how algorithms work.

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We all get pandered to these days. Without truly realizing it, we’ve been backed into an echo chamber. The thing about algorithms is that they tend to reinforce our biases, and I have plenty of ‘em. Judging by the stuff that I get fed online it would appear that the world is full of cantankerous gardeners with dry elbows who have it in for skateboarders as well as Vladimir Putin. Now, I’m not saying that all isn’t true, but I don’t think it qualifies as an accurate representation of the larger world. Except for, maybe, that part about Putin …

What I’ve noticed of late, however, is an emerging conversation around where values are heading. There seems to be a groundswell against the effects of social media, personal branding and the like. People are saying, “Enough”. And this revolution is showing up in a variety of ways.

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For starters, the “luxury” supercycle seems to be collapsing. Retail analysts note that there has been a five per cent drop in luxury brands in 2025. Questioning the inflated prices of, say a Prada purse, millennials have turned away from these aspirational acquisitions. Their reasons are manifold. There seems to be a recognition that luxury goods are poor facsimiles of what they used to be — where they used to signify quality, they now only signify status. For many millennials, experiences have replaced commodities as the luxury of choice, and often those experiences include digital detox. As social media engagement hoovers up virtually all free time — it’s said that, in 2024, the average Canadian spent six to seven hours online daily across all devices — people are wanting their lives back. The influence of influencers is eroding as young people return to churches, citing a desire for community that feels authentic.

I’ve noted a few people online — yes, influencers — magnanimously shooting themselves in the foot by advocating for a return to reading books … actual books and actual newspapers. Apparently, knowing the synopsis of War And Peace is not the same as having read the masterpiece in its entirety. They’re telling people to get outside. To meet up with actual friends and do actual activities. There was someone — I wish I could find it again — noting that critical........

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