SOCIAL SNACKING
Have you ever been walking down the street, crossed paths with someone, and that person gave you a smile and said “hello,” or “beautiful day for a walk isn’t it?” It felt good didn’t it?
A random connection between two people that is positive and kind, like the above situation, can make a meaningful difference to our day, our sense of community, personal well-being, and general sense of good. We call these interactions “social snacking”.
Social snacking describes brief and informal positive interactions in daily events, which contribute to happiness, sense of belonging and identity, and help to build naturally supportive communities.
We’ve put together a handy infographic that describes social snacking, what it is, how to do it, and why it’s important. We’ve also put together some examples of social snacking to help get you started. We hope you can use it for yourself but also share with others you know!
The Toolkit
Looking to promote social snacking in your own community? Look no further than our social snackinceg toolkit! This free resource includes the following:
Social Assets: Social media graphics optimized for Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Social Snacking Sample: Ready-to-use social media captions/posts.
Wordmark: A graphic that can be used as a banner or printed as a bookmark.
Social Snacking Poster: A printable poster outlining the basics of social snacking.
These resources can be downloaded and shared freely at the link below:
This toolkit was developed in collaboration with Antyx Community Arts and the Calgary Public Library.
Click for full resolution image.
This is the first iteration of the toolkit- we are open to collaborating with organizations to make this resource more accessible and available in multiple languages. Please contact us if you are interested in collaborating on this work.
Social snacking tik tok
As part of this campaign, Burns Memorial Fund and Antyx Community Arts have created a Tik Tok page, with short videos about what social snacking is and how it can be incorporated into your daily life! These videos are free to view, download, and share.
FAQ
Q: Why was this campaign created?
A: The creation of this campaign stems from the need to unite the community in conveying the value of social snacking through collaborative, consistent, and engaging information and resources. We felt this campaign was even more needed in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had an undeniable impact on the mental and emotional well-being of Calgarians.
Q: Is there a hashtag we can use to share stories about Social Snacking online?
A: Yes! We would love to see your stories. Tag #SocialSnacking.
Q: How was the name Social Snacking created?
A: Social Snacking is a term coined by psychologists to refer to interactions that provide little ways of connecting with other human beings, including strangers.
Q: With most of us online, is there a way you can do Social Snacking online as well?
A: Absolutely! Here are a couple of examples:
Leave your cameras on during Zoom meetings or lectures. Connect with the host of the meeting afterwards and tell them you enjoyed the lecture or topic they were presenting.
Even though social snacking focuses on face-to-face interactions, if you’re online, take the extra step to comment something positive on someone’s social post.
Q: What’s the difference between Social Snacking and Random Acts of Kindness?
A: Random Acts of Kindness and Social Snacking are similar because they both give the person who initiates the act a boost of a feel-good hormone, such as oxytocin. Social Snacking has an element of reciprocity and connection that happens when you speak or interact with someone- for example, exchanging comments about gardens. Social Snacking does not imply any exchange of resources, such as money. Random Acts of Kindness are wonderful actions that uplift the giver and receiver- both can feel better through the exchange. Some random acts of kindness are undertaken anonymously, and include activities, such as snow shoveling. So, as the saying goes ‘same, same but different’. Both are good for people, good for neighborhoods and boost our sense of well-being and belonging. Challenge yourself to try both and see what happens!
