Have you ever received advice from a TikTok mom, dad, or sister? I’m sure you have already stumbled upon those videos, but do you fully understand their impact?
We can judge the internet all we want, but there’s something that we have to acknowledge: its ability to bring people together and create communities throughout safe places. Those may seem rare, but in the last few years, they were responsible for amplifying black voices, allowing queer free speech, women’s rights and appreciation, and the so-called internet parents.
The target audience
Nowadays, when facing so many problems and loneliness, we try to find refuge and sometimes even parents in social media.
Not everyone has a good relationship with their mom or dad. Therefore, all the advice and emotional support someone should have in their social development simply doesn’t exist, and the lack of a conventional parental presence can lead to social barriers and attachment trauma.
That’s when internet parents come in. They can offer words of encouragement, advice, a safe space, and a much-needed deep breath. How to fix something, deal with your menstruation, tie a tie, bake, do your hair, mend a broken heart, among many caring lessons.
You can always ask Google or Chat GPT, but they won’t hug you with their motherly or fatherly words and soothe you with their voice and sensibility. That’s what these superheroes dedicate themselves to reaching.
Adopt an internet parent
If you need some internet parent figures to comfort your heart, check these profiles out:
1- Trans Handy, Ma’am
Mercury is a trans woman who has 16 years of experience as a maintenance technician and uses that to help tons of people with DIYs and fixing tips. Her focus was primarily on renters, but she ended up helping a lot more than that.
Besides social media content, she presents a podcast named Handy Ma’am Hotline, with long and didactic episodes about contractor conundrums, fixing tips, and personal reports.
Mercury also wrote a renter-friendly guide to home repair called Safe and Sound.
2- Dad, how do I?
Rob Kenney is a sweet father figure who calls his followers “kids”. He’ll teach you how to shave, change a tire, tie a tie, jump your car, cook, and encourage you while telling you how proud he is.It sounds like a dream for every person with a daddy issue problem.
In his book, Dad, How Do I?: Practical “Dadvice” for Everyday Tasks and Successful Living, you can read about his life story, inspiration, and tips for everything
3- Kim Rhodes
If you ever dreamed about sharing Zack and Cody’s mom and being adopted by her, now you can! In her TikTok, Kim Rhodes offers motherly advice, shows her daily routine, and makes you feel cherished with just a few words.
Her account is currently paused but still available to marathon when needed during a rough time. Prepare your tissues for the next video:
These “internet parents” may not erase all of your problems and usurp your therapist chair, but the simulation can ignite a feeling of belonging and fulfill needs that hadn’t been emotionally taken care of.
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The article above was edited by Julia Tortoriello.
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