Debbie Invited to Speak About Take That’s Gary Barlow on BBC Radio Nottingham

A couple of weeks ago Debbie was invited to speak live on air for BBC Radio Nottingham about Gary Barlow’s viral TikTok, the “Millennial Pause” and whether you can be too old for social media.

It was just a regular Tuesday for the rest of the team at Destination Digital, but our Managing Director, Debbie Porter, found herself being invited to speak live on air to give her expert opinion on how not to make a fool of yourself online, and whether you can be “too old” for social media.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have seen Gary Barlow’s viral TikTok video where he filmed his vineyard (who knew?!), and commented on how “this is my idea of a very nice day out”. This in itself doesn’t sound very awkward, but trust us, when you see the video…you’ll understand what we mean.

@dailymailshowbiz

Facebook moms like: … Gary Barlow posts bizzare TikTok of his ‘very nice day’ at a vineyard 😳 #garybarlow #vineyard #winery #wine #takethat #bizzare #hilarious #facebookmom

♬ original sound – Daily Mail Celeb

His slightly awkward pause at the beginning is known as the “Millennial Pause”. However, since his TikTok went viral and did the rounds as a meme, it has now been labelled as the “Gary Barlow pause”.

(@samcornforth / @garybarlowwines)

What on Earth is the Millennial Pause? 

The Millennial Pause is a pause in speech that happens at the start of some recorded videos on social media, and usually done by “people of a certain age” online. This pause has taken social media by storm, as it is a great example of the difference in digital literacy between the older and younger generation.

After Take That’s Gary Barlow went viral, Debbie was invited on air to speak to BBC Radio Nottingham’s Dino and Verity Cowley about how you can “do social media properly at a certain age”. Debbie had some great tips, which might have helped many people avoid inadvertently embarrassing themselves online. So, if you are of that “certain age”, carry on reading and maybe make some notes, just in case!

Despite many people across various social media platforms believing that it was an embarrassing moment for poor Gary; Debbie thought differently. Gary’s TikTok video is currently on 2.2 million views and counting, and has been replicated by many massive companies, such as Ikea and Aldi. In fact, there is now a CapCut template of it, so anyone can make a video using Gary’s face and now iconic catchphrase.

The exposure from this video has done shed loads for his personal brand. Who can honestly say that they knew Gary had a wine brand? We know we didn’t! Debbie thinks that this has been predominantly positive for him, and probably hasn’t caused him much personal embarrassment as he is already used to being “self-deprecating”. In fact, he was seen on stage not long after making fun of himself! So, as Oscar Wilde said, “there is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about”.

To wrap up the interview, Dino asked Debbie what tips she had for people to avoid embarrassment when posting on social media, and here’s two of our favourites:

Tip 1: Despite being cliché, Debbie’s first tip is to be authentic. People can see right through you if you attempt to put on a fake personality, so just be yourself.

Tip 2: One of the most important tips is to be self-aware. If you are going to throw yourself into the deep end on social media, you need to be realistic with yourself. Can you speak well in front of a camera? Do you do certain tiny movements that just look unnatural and not good on camera? If yes then maybe be honest with yourself, and realise that the “influencer life”, just is not for you.

For more tips, and if you would like to listen to the full interview, click here.

Contact us

If you’d like to talk to us about this news piece, or you’d like help with digital marketing strategy, content marketing, SEO or anything else digital, please email us on info@destination-digital.co.uk or give us a call on 01629 810199.