My Internet: Haley Blais
The singer-songwriter calls her dad instead of tweeting.
Most weeks, we quiz a “very online” person for their essential guide to what’s good on the internet.
Today we welcome Haley Blais, a singer-songwriter who got her start on YouTube making diaristic videos and performing covers on ukulele. She released her latest album, Wisecrack, in September and is currently on tour in England. Haley watches ASMR videos and road-rage dash cams on YouTube, only likes audiobooks if they’re British, and follows the discourse (is fully aware of Bella Hadid’s Lyme disease). —Nick
EMBEDDED: What’s a recent meme or post that made you laugh?
HALEY BLAIS: No I can’t share they’re so stupid it would ruin me.
EMBEDDED: What shows up on your TikTok For You page?
HALEY BLAIS: ASMR, perfume reviews, sometimes at the same time.
EMBEDDED: Do you make TikToks? What format works best for you?
HALEY BLAIS: Yes unfortunately. Probably being super stupid works best for me!!
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EMBEDDED: Do you still tweet? Why?
HALEY BLAIS: Not really but I still lurk a lot.
EMBEDDED: Have you found any good alternatives to Twitter?
HALEY BLAIS: Calling my dad.
EMBEDDED: What do you use Instagram for?
HALEY BLAIS: Being pretty and stupid. What else?
EMBEDDED: What types of videos do you watch on YouTube?
HALEY BLAIS: ASMR videos and road rage dash cams.
EMBEDDED: Where do you tend to get your news?
HALEY BLAIS: My boyfriend.
EMBEDDED: How do you keep up with the online discourse? How important is it to you to do this?
HALEY BLAIS: I guess it depends what the discourse is. For instance, I’m fully aware of Bella Hadid’s Lyme disease.
EMBEDDED: How do you find recommendations for what to watch, read, and listen to?
HALEY BLAIS: I guess it would have to be TikTok because it’s sooooo concentrated. I have an app time limit set so I don’t go into a phone spiral because I could go on that app for so long, there’s a lot to learn about but way more to rot my brain.
EMBEDDED: Are you into any podcasts right now? How and when do you usually listen?
HALEY BLAIS: Not really, but I do like audiobooks. But only if they’re British, I don’t know why.
EMBEDDED: Have you had posts go viral? What is that experience like?
HALEY BLAIS: Actually I forgot I had a video on YouTube go viral in 2015. Right now I hate it because it’s an embarrassing video, but in 2015 I was probably happy.
EMBEDDED: Who’s the coolest person who follows you?
HALEY BLAIS: Oh god, I have no clue. But once Henry Thomas, the actor who plays Elliott in E.T., liked one of my photos on Instagram completely unprompted. He didn’t follow though.
EMBEDDED: Who’s someone more people should follow?
HALEY BLAIS: Me!
EMBEDDED: Which big celebrity has your favorite internet presence, and why?
HALEY BLAIS: Maybe Diane Keaton or someone like that. I really like when celebrities still use the Instagram filters like Valencia. I wanna study that. I also really like Jemima Kirke.
EMBEDDED: Have you ever been heavily into Snapchat? Do you miss it?
HALEY BLAIS: What’s Snapchat?
EMBEDDED: When was the last time you browsed Pinterest? What for?
HALEY BLAIS: Okay I actually love Pinterest and always forget about it. Thank you for the reminder.
EMBEDDED: Do you have a take on Tumblr?
HALEY BLAIS: Is that still around? I was addicted to Tumblr in high school.
EMBEDDED: Are you in any groups on Reddit, Discord, Slack, or Facebook? What’s the most useful or entertaining one?
HALEY BLAIS: r/IdiotsInCars
EMBEDDED: Are you currently playing any console, computer, or phone games?
HALEY BLAIS: Yeah I love this game called Gossip Harbor. I think it’s about cleaning up this woman’s restaurant that got wiped out by a hurricane after it closed because she gave everyone food poisoning but she claims she didn’t do it and thought her ex husband might have done it but as you play you realize that maybe these little goblins poisoned everyone. I love it
EMBEDDED: Do any of your group chats have a name that you’re willing to share? What’s something that recently inspired debate in the chat?
HALEY BLAIS: “We Kill Jocelyn.”
EMBEDDED: What’s your go-to emoji, and what does it mean to you?
HALEY BLAIS: It used to be 🙇 but I think now I’m privy to 😌, it’s very calm.
EMBEDDED: Do you text people voice notes? If not, how do you feel about getting them?
HALEY BLAIS: I love voice notes.
EMBEDDED: What’s a playlist, song, album, or style of music you’ve listened to a lot lately?
HALEY BLAIS: I’m on tour right now and listening a lot to Genesis Owusu’s album STRUGGLER.
EMBEDDED: Do you pay for a music streaming service, and if so, which one? When was the last time you bought a music download or vinyl record, CD, or tape?
HALEY BLAIS: Spotify, copped my friend Kris Ulrich’s vinyl recently.
EMBEDDED: If you could only keep one streaming service for TV and/or movies, which would it be, and why? In general, do you prefer to get ads or pay more for ad-free tiers?
HALEY BLAIS: I’m saying Netflix right now because it’s the only way I can watch Riverdale. I’m a trash person
EMBEDDED: What’s your favorite non-social media app?
HALEY BLAIS: The Weather app.
EMBEDDED: What’s the most basic internet thing that you love?
HALEY BLAIS: I love Hot Ones? Is that basic?
EMBEDDED: Is there any content you want but can’t seem to find anywhere online?
HALEY BLAIS: Are there things you CAN’T find online???
EMBEDDED: Do you regularly use eBay, Depop, or other shopping platforms? What’s a recent thing you’ve bought or sold?
HALEY BLAIS: I almost bought a discontinued Tommy Hilfiger fragrance on eBay, but found it on Facebook Marketplace. I think Marketplace is the only reason I still have a Facebook account.
EMBEDDED: What’s the last thing that brought you joy online?
HALEY BLAIS: The teaser trailer for the new Emma Stone, Benny Safdie and Nathan Fielder show.
