While we like to joke that we spend too much time on the internet looking at nothing, the fact is that so much of our lives are shared online and it’s allowed us to stay connected with nearly everyone we know.

The internet has also shown us that Toronto is home to an eclectic mix of creators, whose incredible talent in their respective fields has taught us a little something about themselves and the city we call home.

So with that, get ready to log in and share the love, because here are five internet trends featuring Toronto creators that we’re living for right now!

TikTok

It’s not just for Zoomers anymore! That’s right, the popular video social media platform TikTok (Think Vine, but with a much better algorithm and interface), once the primary domain of our planet’s younger generations, has been invaded by older millennials! Our theory on why is partially to embarrass the kids, but mostly to take advantage of the platform’s open ended nature that allows you to post anything from video memes and comedy videos to full on stories and DIYs.

There are plenty of Toronto TikTok users out there including accounts of popular web sites like BlogTO. And, true to Torontonians, we can’t help but laugh a bit at some of the true observations folks have about life in the 6ix.

@blogtoY’all had to ruin this weekend, and for what🙄 @yayabide ##trinitybellwoodspark ##toronto ##blogto ##onlyintoronto ##walkingaway ##summer2020 ##tiktoktoronto♬ Black Mayo Jus Know bryansanon – bryansanon

Health Care Workers Sharing Their Stories

Some of our biggest heroes right now have been the brave people working the frontlines in our hospitals and health care facilities fighting the pandemic with everything they’ve got. And while they’re out there helping us all to flatten the curve, the least we can do is hear their inspiring stories shared by them directly.

The Twitter hashtag #FacesFightingCOVID is probably the best resource in learning about Canada’s frontline heros while following along with updates in real time. If you’d like an account to follow, though, we strongly recommend Dr. Gray Moonen, a first year Family Medicine resident at the University Health Network at UofT, who is telling the stories of frontline workers in between his clinical rotations.

Getting Inspired With Kitchen Creations

As some of us have a bit of time on our hands these days, learning how to cook or even to just cook better is an incredibly worthwhile activity. And while with YouTube you’ll find no shortage of cooking shows (We’re a huge fan of the folks over at the Bon Appétit test kitchen), we’ve been noticing something delicious cooking up over on Instagram.

Enter Karon Liu, food writer, culture reporter for Toronto Star, and home cook. Karon has taken to his Instagram account using the #KaronCooks hashtag to share some inventive recipes with simple steps and easily available ingredients (That FYI, are all available at St. Lawrence Market)!

This Wasabi Pasta Salad recipe, for instance, is getting us hungry.

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Recipe 86: Wasabi Pasta Salad 1) Bring a small pot of water to a roaring boil. Add pasta and salmon filet. Cook until the salmon is flaky and opaque (about 10 minutes) and the pasta is al dente according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. 2) Finely chop carrot and Brussels sprouts (or whatever salad veggies you have), along with 2 minced garlic cloves. Dice tomatoes. Add the veggies to a mixing bowl. Add chopped Japanese pickled ginger (or any kind of pickle) 3) Add cooked pasta to the bowl. Mix in mayonnaise and wasabi to taste and toss until everything is evenly coated. If using powdered wasabi, whisk it with the mayo first before adding it to the salad. Add the cooked salmon, torn into bite-sized pieces and gently toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 4) Transfer to a serving bowl. . . If you don't have wasabi, think of other flavours that would add some spice to mayo such as curry pastes and powders, gochujang, mustard or even a dash of tomato paste. I've used Veganaise before and it's a pretty good plant-based sub. If you don't want to use fish, frozen green peas would be a good substitute (wasabi peas!) . . #KaronCooks

A post shared by Karon Liu (@karonliu) on May 6, 2020 at 11:37am PDT

Looking at Beautiful Photography

Sometimes we just need something really pretty to look at and like a good friend, Instagram is there to show us the amazing beauty of Toronto by some truly remarkable photographic talent. Currently we’re really enjoying the almost poetic beauty of Kael Rebick’s street photography and the vertigo-inducing splendor of one of Toronto’s most known rooftop photographers, brxson.

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Strange days have found us

A post shared by Kael Rebick (@punkodelish) on Apr 13, 2020 at 9:29am PDT

DIY Projects at Home

Let’s face it, as many of us are stuck in our homes we’ve started thinking about things we can do around the house in order to really have it look amazing. But while many of the DIY projects that come to mind can sound challenging or even expensive, there are plenty of things to do, like upcycling old furniture, figuring out a beautiful arrangement for those pictures you’ve been meaning to hang up, or even just doing a slight alteration on a piece of furniture.

Luckily The Sorry Girls on YouTube have been a constant source of DIY inspiration since their channel started ten years ago and have been covering everything from small projects like hacking an Ikea dresser and painting stairs to full-on room makeovers using items you already have.