This is a list of people who I follow because I think they do good work or have interesting perspectives. This is not an exhaustive list of people I follow, but rather a curated selection of those I would recommend others follow, selected for broad appeal or applicability and at least semi-regularly putting out new stuff. There are a few couple organizations on this list, but I'm going to mostly focus on people because I think paying attention to individuals, rather than brands, is incredibly important.
This is in no particular order, just as they came to me. I will probably expand this one way or another soon - one page is getting a bit unwieldy already and I'd also like to be a little less strict in my curation.
404 Media
404 Media is another independent news outlet focused on technology and the free internet.
ProPublica
ProPublica is an independent investigative journalism outlet that has universally impressed me with its quality, and it is free (though I donate monthly). They even provide a full-text RSS feed, so you can subscribe and read the whole thing in the news app of your choice.
Ars Technica
Ars Technica provides well-reasoned and appropriately skeptical analysis of technology and science news. I subscribe to them.
EFF
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an organization which fights for privacy and liberty in regards to technology. Roughly analogous to "the ACLU of the web", but don't take that analogy too far - they're pretty different organizations. Still, they put out a lot of good info on how to stay safe online.
Erin Reed
If you want to keep up to date on trans issues in the USA, follow Erin Reed. She's absolutely the number one voice talking about trans legislation and her work is invaluable.
Margaret Killjoy
Margaret Killjoy does a bunch of stuff, but I am most familiar with her writing and podcast work. I've greatly enjoyed all of her fiction that I've read thus far, and her nonfiction writing (text and in podcast form) is on-point, engaging, and well-sourced.
Robert Evans
Journalist and host of the excellent podcasts Behind the Bastards and It Could Happen Here.
Abigail Thorn / Philosophy Tube
Philosophy Tube makes a lot of philosophy much more accessible; in particular her video about Judith Butler's work is great because Butler is... not the easiest to digest and I would recommend this as an onramp to give you something of a framework for understanding how things fit together.
Julia Serrano
Julia Serrano is a biologist (PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics) and author who has written some very excellent work on biology in relation to transgender people and on social phenomena around gender in general.
Dan McClellan
Dan McClellan is a doctor of theology & religion, particularly focusing on diety and divine images in the Hebrew Bible. He makes excellent, punchy but respectful videos on social media responding to misunderstandings of the history of the Bible.
Doc Impossible (Zoe)
Zoe is an awesome writer doing excellent work creating resources for newly-hatched trans folks and the people in their life, as well as more in-depth thought on trans life. Check out her writing at Stained Glass Woman
Tom Bloom / Abbadon
Kill Six Billion Demons is a great webcomic that is incredibly metal and has, at times, genuinely given me some things to think about. Note: While reading from the beginning is important, the first few pages are a considerably more grotesque art style than is typical for the comic; it quickly settles in to a more traditional look that's less uncomfortable to read.
Phil & Kaja Foglio
The Foglios primarily make Girl Genius these days, which is a delightful ongoing steampunky pulp adventure comic. I've been a fan of this for longer than I can remember and it holds up.
Tamsyn Muir
The author of The Locked Tomb trilogy, to which I had the following reactions after my first read:
- Gideon the Ninth: That was pretty good, I want to read the sequel!
- Harrow the Ninth: That was... really confusing but excellent, this has definitely joined the list of my top sci-fi series.
- Nona the Ninth: These are my favorite books.
I have gone on to read several other works because Muir cited them as influences, including but not limited to: Homestuck, Dream of the Rood, and The Last Unicorn.
I could go on for a very long time about these books and probably will soon, but to try to make a series of short pitches: A study of different kinds of love and devotion, by way of Warhammer 40,000. Casual references to the epic poetry of Homer, Anne of Green Gables, and none pizza with left beef, among others. The most Catholic fiction I have ever read. An existence proof that books do not need to contain any actual content that is remotely sexual to be wildly horny. The phrase I now use to express why I hold my religious beliefs, in a scene that still makes me sob. A "cool S".
Charlie Jane Anders
Charlie Jane Anders is a first-rate sci-fi author who also has an excellent newsletter about society and media, as well as a podcast.
Jonathan Sims (& the Rusty Quill crew)
The Magnus Archives (complete) and in-progress The Magnus Protocol are some top-tier horror audio. The format keeps things away from most of the worst excesses of the genre - there are very, very few jump scares and although there are audio distortions they are mostly not too unpleasant - and it mixes in humor and human connection enough to keep things grounded. And unlike so many podcasts, it ends when it's done.
He also voiced Slay the Princess, a truly wonderful game I genuinely credit with helping me come to better terms with death.
qntm
qntm writes excellent fiction and commentary on technology, consciousness, and society. I especially recommend Lena and There Is No Antimemetics Division.
Helvetica Blanc
Helvetica is a really cool, pretty abstract/symbolic artist I happened across. I've ben meaning to pick up some prints of their work.
Jessica McCabe/How to ADHD
How to ADHD is a YouTube channel that helped me start working with my ADHD brain even before I had an official diagnosis. Highly recommended.
Sylvia Ritter
Sylvia Ritter is a digital artist I've followed for quite a while. I especially appreciate her use of geometric shapes and contrast - the landscapes are my favorites of her work. I have a number of prints of her work hanging in my house.
Julia Evans
Julia Evans makes zines which simplify highly technical tools and protocols into digestible, understandable pieces. And has an excellent programming blog, to boot.
Honorable Mentions
- Zeynep Tufeki, who has an extraordinarily good sense for the interaction between technology and politics, but who now works for awful rag The New York Times, so I can't effectively follow her work nor recommend it in good conscience.
- Fred Herbert is a significant influence on me technology-wise, but just wasn't quite broad enough in scope to include above.\