Ones to Watch: News for the extremely online

Curated by Megan Collins, GenZ expert, Cultural Insights Analyst and regular contributor to the MTD blog.

In today’s world, being relevant on social media - whether you work in news, are a public individual or are a vacuum company - is more important than ever. As we say at M.T. Deco, if you’re not relevant, you’re irrelevant, which is arguably worse than, say being involved in a Scandoval. 

While we’re not saying you need to be online 24/7, at least being aware of the latest memes and social media controversies, to YOUTUBE drama and viral Reddit threads, is crucial to being relevant and - more importantly - avoiding unexpected iykyk minefields. In fact, it’s even a beat at major news organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post and VOX, among others.

On top of that, there is also a proliferation of commentary creators covering internet culture via short form video on TikTok, YOUTUBE Shorts and Reels. In fact, we’ve found many of them to be reliable and even faster sources of info than the major orgs. 

To that end, here’s a look at three creators we recommend following who have made full-time jobs of being “extremely online,” so you don’t have to be:

Rachelle Hampton (ICYMI Podcast)

Rachelle Hampton is a journalist & the illustrious host of the ICYMI (in case you missed it) podcast. On this twice weekly podcast, she dives into a recent buzzy topic online and its implications (if any) for technology and culture. Whether it’s big topics like exploring if the Internet Made Parenting Easier? Or ridiculous ones like North West’s TikTok stardom, she’s covering the internet culture you may have missed. 

Miriam Tinberg (TikTok)

Full disclosure, I have had the pleasure of being TikTok mutuals with Miriam for a while now. Her content highlights, summarizes, and builds upon thought leadership from across the internet. She surfaces books, podcasts, articles, and think pieces about culture, work, productivity to discuss with care and nuance. If you want or need a little more “thought provoking” in your day, check her out! 

Kelsey Weekman (Twitter)

Kelsey is another (former*) mutual and someone I recommend you follow. As her bio reads she’s an “Internet Culture Reporter at Buzzfeed | [&] reads a lot of books.” A woman after my own heart. Covering both lighthearted (YouTuber Jake Paul’s budding boxing career) and heavier topics (How Michigan State Students Are Using TikTok To Heal After A Tragedy), she’s a great follow to stay on top of what matters most to Gen Z-specifically. 

*there’s no beef i’m just no longer on Twitter for… reasons.