If there’s some small victory to be gleaned from surviving the 2016 presidential election, it’s that your unfollow game is strong on social media. One swift click and suddenly your mom’s friend Barb is no longer polluting your social media feed with “Lock Her Up” memes couched between time-lapsed taco casserole tutorials. It’s fucking magic. But it’s one thing to just trim the fat on your newsfeed—this is the year for taking a quality over quantity approach to social media follows. The following are absolute must-follows for political commentary from creatives in the world of art, television, comedy, music, food, and activism.
Negin Farsad is an Iranian-American writer and performer based in New York City. Her Twitter feed is a vehicle for relevant stories nestled in pitch-perfect jokes. Follow her to find out the real meaning of “social justice comedy”—you won’t be disappointed.
NEGIN FARSAD
Twitter: @NeginFarsad
JESSICA LUTHERJessica Luther is an Austin-based sports and culture writer. She and fellow writer Dan Solomon broke the then-underreported story about sexual assault within the Baylor football program in 2015. Sports and politics collide in her Twitter feed, and you’ll want to be on board.
Twitter: @scATX
MATT OSWALTMatt Oswalt is a writer, director, and overall hilarious human you’ll want to follow immediately for a deeply satisfying blend of social commentary, self-deprecation, and good old fashioned Trump jokes. And yes, he’s Patton Oswalt’s brother.
Twitter: @MattOswaltVA
RHEA BUTCHERRhea Butcher is a stand-up comedian based in Los Angeles. Follow her for razor sharp commentary on the current state of affairs, often through the lens of her experience as an LGBT woman. Also be sure to follow her wife Cameron Esposito (@cameronesposito).
Twitter: @RheaButcher
IGOR VOLSKYIgor Volsky is an activist and deputy director of the Center for American Progress. Follow him if you care even a little about holding elected officials accountable. Dude is relentless.
Twitter: @IgorVolsky
PIERA GELARDIPiera Gelardi is the executive creative director and co-founder of Refinery29 (@refinery29). Her Instagram feed delivers inspiring, provocative thoughts on gender, race, intersectionality, and trans rights through her personal artistic lens—a deeply satisfying blend of femininity and psychedelic color. Swoon.
Instagram: @pieraluisa
ED DROSTEEd Droste is a songwriter and member of Brooklyn-based indie rock band Grizzly Bear. Follow him for a healthy dose of jealousy-inducing travel snapshots peppered with unapologetic outrage over our current, you know, situation.
Instagram: @EDroste
RYAN SUTTON
Twitter: @qualityrye
Ryan Sutton has a pretty cool day job as chief food critic for Eater (@EaterNY), but he’s also worth a follow on Twitter for his timely takes on labor politics, workers’ rights, and other issues orbiting the restaurant industry and beyond—dubbed the “Labor Beat.” Stop in for a quick story and, conveniently, a yay or nay on that new ramen joint your coworker told you about.
ZOE BUCKMANZoe Buckman is a multi-disciplinary artist and an outspoken human rights activist—her Instagram bio glosses over her career and is instead a call to action to help the hunger crisis in Malawi. Fall into the wormhole of her Instagram account and emerge ready to fight a misogynist in the street with a pair of white lace boxer gloves.
Instagram: @ZoeBuckman
ANA MARIE COXAna Marie Cox is a writer, culture critic, and the senior political correspondent for MTV News. Go to her Twitter account for her sharp topical commentary—she has 1.34 million followers for a reason.
Twitter: @AnaMarieCox
ILANA GLAZERIlana Glazer is half of the duo of comedic kweens in Broad City, and uses her platform on social media, particularly Instagram, to advocate for myriad social causes like Black Lives Matter, trans rights, and women’s rights. Obviously her feed is sprinkled with laugh-out-loud photos, but her primary aim is politics post-election. Yas.
Instagram: @IlanusGlazer
JERRY SALTZJerry Saltz is the senior art critic for New York Magazine. His Twitter and Instagram feeds are a constantly updated and powerfully curated collection of fine art meets modern politics. He attracts an alarming amount of backlash on Instagram from Trump supporters, which makes you wonder why the hell a Trump supporter is following a New York art critic on Instagram.
Twitter: @JerrySaltz
Instagram: @JerrySaltz
