Touch Grass

Words by Goose (she/they)

Touch Grass is an internet slogan aimed at people who seem like they spend too much time alone on their computer. It means ‘turn off your device for a moment and reconnect with the real world’.  

I wholeheartedly support this message.

Obviously there are big health benefits to being outside: getting fresh air, exercise, and that good vitamin D. There’s something so healing about warm sunlight on your skin. But I want to talk about the social side of it. 

This isn’t some ‘rah rah social media bad’ sort of thing. UniQ has an online presence, including a busy Discord server, but there’s no denying social media’s pervasive influence. 

Within queer communities especially, the online world can often be a safe haven from hardships in the real world: an easy distraction to plug in to and find yourself a micro-community full of people from all across the world who cater to the same little niche.

It’s a wonderful technology, granting us connection and community where it was previously so hard to find. But it was never supposed to replace real life. Despite what the folks at Meta may want you to believe, there is no substitute for human interaction.

Those beloved, welcoming micro-communities are just that: micro. They’re self-contained echo chambers where we form tribes and reinforce each other’s opinions. I’ve seen it even in our UniQ channels. There’s a lot of shouting into the void, only speaking to people you agree with. Of course, good friendships can be made, but you don’t get real diversity or new ideas from these places where you’re all just avatars and walls of text.

Sunlight is great and all, but nothing is more important for our development than actual human interaction. So much of queer existence has historically relied on our ability to gather together. Meeting in bars and community halls, organising parades, concerts, rallies, riots—these are what our community was born from. Being in a real space with real people you can see and hear and can’t just scroll past if you want to ignore them. People different to you, people that may disagree with you, people that might have something to teach you. Queer people, our people.

UniQ has plenty of social spaces and in-person events throughout the year that fellow students are welcome to attend. If nightlife is what you’re after, Ivy Bar on Cuba Street is an easy one. They also host plenty of meet-ups and drag events. If you want to be part of something big, groups like InsideOut and Gender Minorities Aotearoa are great avenues to get involved in the community. 

If quiet time with something to read is more your style, check out the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand (LAGANZ) for an incredible wealth of local queer history, or even the LGBTQ+ section of your local library (it exists). Get out there! For the love of god, touch some grass.