I’d happily put money on The Declaration of Arbroath and TikTok having never appeared next to each other in a sentence – until last week.
The Scottish branch of PEN International, a not-for-profit organisation that champions freedom of expression and literature across borders, alongside organisers of the annual Arbroath Festival announced that they are to give the 701-year-old document, calling for Scotland’s independence, a makeover for the younger generation.
To mark the anniversary of the document, the literacy organisations are calling for those aged between 16 – 25 years old to submit an updated version of the historic Scottish letter for a project called New Declarations.
The final result of the submissions will be performed at the Arbroath Festival and displayed in the writing room at Arbroath Abbey, with the winner being announced on TikTok and Instagram stories.
It is no wonder why this newfound idea to republish and updated the Declaration of Arbroath on TikTok is genius. TikTok’s audience has grown significantly over the last year. Not only is it the second most downloaded app so far in 2021, the app was reported to having almost 689 million users in January with growth expected to reach 1.2 billion by the end of the year.
For many millennials and Gen Z’ers, the idea of not being on your phone for less than two hours a day and checking at least one form of social media, such as TikTok, is out of the question. Much like the Declaration of Arbroath, life without a mobile phone is a distant memory.
With businesses across the world having been impacted by the pandemic and significant losses suffered across the board due to restrictions, it’s no wonder that so many brands are now jumping aboard the TikTok train.
The app has a global presence in over 154 countries, hence, why it could be seen as the perfect marketing tool – raising brand awareness and targeting multiple demographic markets all on one platform.
In an era where young people are encouraged to explore their individuality and be authentic, TikTok has proven to be the outlet which allows for this, with the majority of its users aged between 16 – 29 and 90 per cent of all users accessing the app multiple times a day.
This has prompted discussions as to how Scottish businesses and young people can grow and aid our economic recovery through platforms such as TikTok.
In the last few months multiple Scots have gone viral on TikTok, whether it’s the former postman Nathan Evans with his sea shanties or Glasgow blogger Myles Omar who decided to make Irn Bru chicken pakora – much to the dismay of Gordon Ramsay.
Many in Scotland would be unable to tell you what the Declaration of Arbroath is, therefore, this innovative way of educating more Scots on this historic document via Instagram and TikTok could be a step in the right direction.
However, why is it only now that we are beginning to actively engage in conversations on what can be done to further the Scottish economy and future generations by utilising the social media channels at our fingertips?
Scotland’s rural communities have often seen young people move on to larger cities due to a lack of opportunities. But, as the pandemic has shown us, you can work anywhere, as long as you have the correct technology.
We should encourage the development and use of advancing technologies in the Highlands and islands, allowing our young people to stay on the likes of Skye for example, and grow their local economies, without having to migrate to more populated areas.
A group of young adults from the North of Scotland are tackling the issues head on, having formed ‘The Island Initiative’, in an attempt to raise awareness of the issues faced by those who fall into the Gen Z and millennial generations there.
Problems such as housing, employment and 4G connectivity are at the forefront of discussions that need to be addressed to help with the growth of Northern communities, helping them to be attractive places for young people to succeed.
Online opportunities are there to be seized and we should do all that we can to create and encourage the future generations to embrace this, rather than shake our heads at our young folk who seem to always have their heads in their phones.
As hairdressers, gardens centres and other retail outlets begin to reopen, I feel there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. However the event industry is one sector in particular that hasn’t received much insight into its future.
The Scottish Government haven’t been specific in terms of dates for when larger events can begin to take place, which makes life extremely difficult for organisers planning ahead.
I miss family gatherings and big celebrations, but also music events which have either been cancelled or postponed until at least next year.
One event which has also been rescheduled is the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) which was supposed to happen in 2020.
Understandably it was postponed due to the pandemic and is now set to take place from 1st November 2021 at the SEC in Glasgow.
This event is on an entirely different level as Scotland will welcome climate experts, heads of states and climate campaigners from across the globe and people are excited for it.
Organisers received over 10,000 applications from people all over Scotland and from those further afield, who wanted to volunteer at the international summit.
The interest in this global event is incredible and it’s no wonder that the organisers were completely overwhelmed by the number of applications.
This is incredibly positive news, especially for the events industry, as it highlights that people are keen to represent our country and welcome people back with open arms.
It also shows that people are ready for events like COP26 to restart and they want to participate not only in the event, but more importantly in the conversation of climate change.
I am excited for COP26 coming to Glasgow, it’s an amazing opportunity for local businesses and to shine a light on our great wee nation.
It Made Me Laugh
Everyone is feeling the negative effects of our current lockdown restrictions, but we know if we stick to them, we’ll soon be able to return to some sort of normality that we’re used to.
That wasn’t good enough for one camper though, who decided to travel from England to Loch Lomond for an Easter weekend break.
Stupidly breaking the rules, he ended up stranded on the island of Inchtavannach after losing his paddle for his kayak.
He had to call the police and the Loch Lomond rescue boat was dispatched – talk about being up sh*t creek without a paddle.
The morale of the story is simple – don’t break the rules. We would all have loved to get away for the weekend, but thankfully not everyone did.
It Made Me Weep
I was saddened to read about businesses on the islands who are unlikely to survive the pandemic due to not knowing when curbs on travel to and from the mainland will be scrapped.
We’ll be able to travel across Scotland from 26th April, however this does not include the Scottish islands.
Unlike the hospitality industry in the central belt or across the mainland of Scotland, hotels and guesthouses on the likes of Mull and Skye do not have an official date of when they can open the doors once again and welcome guests from further afield.
Tourism plays a huge part in the economy for these locations so I hope a roadmap out of lockdown will soon be laid out. For many hotels and other businesses, they will simply not be able to survive on local customers alone.
