September 2025 Monthly Digest
- Nia and Katie Chiaramonte
- Oct 12
- 3 min read
Well school is well underway (for those in it or who have kids or family in it) and life has hit routine again, away from the adventures of summer. Sickness has entered back into households, including everyone already getting strep in mine, and my daily routines with the kids and with my work have got me thinking about how I want to show up in the virtual world.
The last few months online have been pretty chaotic to say the least. No matter who you are or what your ideologies or identities, it seems our discourse online has gotten more and more polarized. This has left me wondering, is social media worth it? Is entering into a state of fight or flight each day based on my social medial consumption worth compromising my mental health? My answer is unequivocally no! But, I do believe that social media also has the power to bring people together and uplift each other.
So I have decided to make sure I enter the virtual world as myself. For me this means sharing my thoughts in a way that doesn't divide us but brings us together. It also means using humor to distill hard situations, and bringing practical resources to the table to use in these difficult times.
I've started to post the majority of my social media on Mondays (Funday Mondays), Wednesdays (Resource Drop Wednesdays), and Fridays (Reflections/articles). I will post other times about my life and family, and will respond to people if they reach out in between these times, but this structured entry into the virtual world has helped me put more focus into the real world and protect my mental health.
For those wanting to see everything I post as it comes out, you can subscribe to any of my social media accounts below. For those who enjoy some of my content but also may be backing away from social media slowly, you can stay subscribed right here.
Going forward, this newsletter will be used primarily to send out a monthly digest of links to all my content. (It will come out at the end of the month given my household is healthy:)
I'll also use it to make you aware first of special events, announcements, or giveaways. You all have been my best supporters and I want this group to know first when something fun is happening.
So without further ado, below are links and descriptions of my september postings, categorized into Reflections, Resources, and Riffs. Again, if you want this in real time, feel free to subscribe to any of my socials at the very bottom of this digest, where I post these in different places. You can also subscibe to my substack to get it all in real time in one spot at https://niachiaramonte.substack.com/.
REFLECTIONS
This article discusses my thoughts on the social media algorithms that may be subtly manipulating our emotions, reinforcing fear and division, and fracturing community by showing us curated content that confirms our biases rather than truth.
This article discusses how a new proposed Alabama rule would ban “positive depictions” of trans people from general library shelves, meaning even my nonexplicit books would be classed as “adult material” simply for affirming queer identity.
RESOURCES
This resource guides the reader through all parts of a potentially difficult conversation, including self care afterwards. Anyone can probably use these same tips when disclosing identity to friends or family, but I found them specifically helpful when having conversations around my trans identity. It can be used in the work setting as well.
From defining what an Accomplice is to practical tips on how to be a good one, this guide can be used to support any person in your life with a marginalized identity.
RIFFS
For this first edition of Monday Funday, I asked my son to make a stop motion video with our Lego Swedish Chef... specifically for the purpose of me practicing my voices 🤣 He definitely nailed it.
Until next month!
Nia
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