How to Be a Successfully Integrated Social Media Millennial in Montreal
To be a successful Montrealer, you basically need a Facebook account.
Don’t have one? Go back to 1996 rural Nova Scotia then because this ain’t the place for you. Just kidding—I love Nova Scotians and the year 1996—but seriously, Facebook can greatly improve your life here if you know which groups to join. Here’s a list of a few popular ones (spelled out exactly as they appear online):
CASA-JMSB
There’s an old joke that the John Molson School of Business is its own school separate from Concordia. It’s a classic to show the arts and business divide. But request to join the CASA-JMSB group on Facebook and you’ll discover that we all have one thing in common—our dread of doing schoolwork. The group’s feed, especially during midterms and finals, are full of memes and videos depicting the struggle of being a university student. It’s comical relief for when only being halfway done with an essay at 2 a.m. due the next day is not funny at all.
MTL Trade Hole/Trou d’ Échange
Ah, the name change. Yes, this group used to be called Bunz Montreal before Toronto corporate yuppies had to ruin all the fun. Now it’s known as a trade hole, but its charm and appeal has not been lost. Basically it’s a feed to post about unwanted items lying around your house in trade of something better. But it’s just exchanges of goods—no cash. The vibe is mostly friendly—except when people argue about whether buying someone a pack of smokes constitutes a legit trade—and you’ll sometimes see people post selfies of their successful trades with a stranger. Be warned: expect a lot of notifications.
Free Food for Free People Montreal
We’re students. So that means, most of the time, that we don’t have tons of money to blow on our basic necessities, like food. But fear not! This group will let you know places all over the city where you can pick food up for free, with multiple updates daily. The food is free because, most of the time, it’s being thrown away by grocery stores even though it’s still edible—so you’ll have to get your hands dirty to get to it. Not only will you be saving tons of money, but you’ll be contributing to ending food waste!
People Who Travel Between New York and Montreal
New York and Montreal are by far my two favourite cities. I’ve only been to like ten in the world, but that’s beside the point. We are only six—yes, six—hours away from the BIG APPLE. And if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, right? Right, Frank? Frank? I once took a rideshare through this group and lived to write this piece. All at the cost of $50 to help pay for the car rental. Still cheaper than Greyhound.
APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN MONTREAL/APPARTEMENTS À LOUER À MONTRÉAL
Welcome to Montreal where you’ll most likely move 37 times in two years. That’s not a joke—I have moved 37 times in two years. And when you’re faced with such dilemmas, you check this unnecessarily capitalized Facebook group to find the next person you’ll hate living with.
Chez Queer Montreal
This is like that capitalized apartment group but it is meant to be a safe space for marginalized identities, like people of colour, trans people, indigenous people, people with disabilities, as well as people generally of lower socioeconomic status. It’s a beautiful initiative sometimes infiltrated by dumb jerks, but luckily the admins monitor the page to keep it inclusive and friendly. You can totally join it if you’re a cishetero white male, but just don’t be an asshole.
With files from Jon Milton
