In this episode of Trial & Error & Error, Ale and LJ continue on Ale’s quest to become rich with a beginner-friendly introduction to investing in the stock market.

You’ll learn:

• 💸 What to do before you invest (emergency fund, debt, budgeting)
• 📈 What a stock is, and why investing always involves risk
• 🧺 Why diversification matters, and how it reduces the chance of losing everything
• 🧩 What ETFs are, and why many beginners use them to spread risk
• 🔢 How long-term compounding can turn small, consistent contributions into big outcomes
• 🧘 Why staying calm during market dips can matter more than picking “the perfect” investment

🎧 Audio note: Sound quality is a bit rough in parts of this episode. Thanks for bearing with us.

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)”.
• FINRA. “Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)”.
• Vanguard. “What is an ETF?”
• Investopedia. “Diversification”.
• Investopedia. “Compound Interest”.
• S&P Dow Jones Indices. S&P 500 historical annual returns (long-run averages).
• Federal Reserve. Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (emergency savings / ability to cover a $400–$1,000 expense).
• S&P Dow Jones Indices. S&P 500 drawdown during the 2007–2009 financial crisis (peak-to-trough decline and recovery timeline).
• Nischa Shah. Personal finance guidance on emergency funds (3–6 months of expenses).

This week on Trial & Error & Error, we’re diving into cancel culture: what it actually means, where it came from, and why “accountability” online can sometimes turn into a full-blown pile-on.

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode includes mention/discussion of rape/sexual violence. Please take care while listening.

🔊 Quick audio note: The sound quality in this episode isn’t the best in parts (sorry!) — thank you for bearing with us.

📅 New episode out Wednesday — listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️

💬 Question of the week: Have you ever deleted an old post out of fear? 😬

• We talk about digital footprints, screenshots being forever, and the very real anxiety of feeling like one old post could resurface and define you.
• We explore the gray areas: Does time passed matter? Does intent matter? Are apologies ever “enough”? And should different public figures (politicians vs. reality TV stars vs. comedians) be judged by different standards?
• Plus, we get into the psychology behind ostracism, outrage algorithms, group polarization, and what all of this does to creativity, growth, and the way Gen Z shows up online.

Research Articles & Studies:

• • Ng, E. (2020). No grand pronouncements here…: Reflections on cancel culture and digital media participation. Television & New Media, 21(6), 621–627.
  • Clark, M. D. (2020). DRAG THEM: A brief etymology of “cancel culture.” Communication and the Public, 5(3–4), 88–92.
  • Ronson, J. (2015). So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. Riverhead Books.
  • Williams, K. D. (2007). Ostracism. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 425–452.
  • Williams, K. D., & Nida, S. A. (2011). Ostracism: Consequences and coping. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(2), 71–75.
  • Brady, W. J., Wills, J. A., Jost, J. T., Tucker, J. A., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2017). Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 114(28), 7313–7318.
  • Crockett, M. J. (2017). Moral outrage in the digital age. Nature Human Behaviour, 1, 769–771.
  • Sunstein, C. R. (2002). The law of group polarization. Journal of Political Philosophy, 10(2), 175–195.
  • Myers, D. G., & Lamm, H. (1976). The group polarization phenomenon. Psychological Bulletin, 83(4), 602–627.
  • Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
  • Haimovitz, K., & Dweck, C. S. (2016). What predicts children’s fixed and growth intelligence mind-sets? Not their parents’ views of intelligence but their parents’ views of failure. Psychological Science, 27(6), 859–869.
  • boyd, d. (2011). Social network sites as networked publics: Affordances, dynamics, and implications. In A Networked Self (pp. 39–58). Routledge.
  • Marwick, A. E., & boyd, d. (2011). I tweet honestly, I tweet passionately: Twitter users, context collapse, and the imagined audience. New Media & Society, 13(1), 114–133.
  • American Psychological Association (2022–2023). Stress in America Reports.
  • Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17.
  • Nesi, J. (2020). The impact of social media on youth mental health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 31, 125–129.
  • Massanari, A. (2017). #Gamergate and The Fappening: How Reddit’s algorithm, governance, and culture support toxic technocultures. New Media & Society, 19(3), 329–346.
  • Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet. Yale University Press.
  • CareerBuilder (2018, 2021). Social Media Screening Studies.
  • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Reports on social media screening in hiring.

Ever wondered if you should start getting Botox? 💉 In this episode, we dive deep into the world of cosmetic procedures, beauty standards, and the impact of social media on our perception of attractiveness. We explore the science behind "pretty privilege," discuss whether plastic surgery and body positivity can coexist, and share our honest thoughts on cosmetic enhancements.

From evolutionary psychology to Instagram filters, we're unpacking why we're all so obsessed with looking good – and whether it's worth going under the knife for. 🦋

Join us for a candid conversation about beauty, self-acceptance, and making choices that are right for YOU (not the algorithm). ✨

• The Science of Attraction – Why do we find certain features attractive? Evolutionary psychology explains our hardwired preferences
• Pretty Privilege is Real – Research shows attractive people earn more, get better jobs, and are perceived as more competent
• Social Media's Impact – How Instagram and TikTok have normalised cosmetic surgery and created unattainable beauty standards
• Types of Procedures – Understanding the difference between plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, and choosing the right doctor
• The Risks – Why we've lost reverence for what is actually a potentially life-threatening operation
• Personal Reflections – Honest conversation about our own relationship with appearance and cosmetic procedures
• Making the Right Choice – How to approach cosmetic surgery for the right reasons (hint: not for the 'gram)

Research Articles & Studies:

• Facial attractiveness: evolutionary based research
• New Study Unveils Career Impact of Attractiveness: Higher Salaries and Prestigious Roles Over Time – 2025 study tracking 43,000 MBA graduates
• Why Do Good-looking People Get the Job? | SPSP – Research on the self-fulfilling prophecy of attractiveness

Podcasts:

• "Plastic Surgery Uncensored" by Dr. Randy Rahban

Important Note:

Always verify your surgeon is board-certified, not just "board certified" in another speciality. Do your research Babes 💄