Even though I should be focusing on work and studying for midterms right about now, I often find myself browsing my favorite social media apps. Because I spend quite a bit of time on the internet, I try to view and watch informative and creative content instead of just mind numbingly scrolling through my feed for hours without gaining anything substantive. Especially in the last six months, I have been working to diversify my feed to include more women of color. The algorithm is very difficult to change, but now I am constantly being recommended amazing content from women of all backgrounds, and I would like to share a few of my favorites from every platform.
Tee Noir does amazing social and pop culture commentary videos that are always entertaining and often very informative and educational. She does a lot of fun, light hearted videos reviewing popular shows and movies like Euphoria, Insecure, Little Fires Everywhere, and Black Is King, where she analyzes each episode or the entire movie, and gives her own interpretations and predictions for future seasons or sequels. She has also critically reviewed shows and movies like The Real, Cuties, and Grown-Ish, where she discusses what she likes about the content, but also about what could have been done differently to convey a message more clearly, or how the delivery of the message was completely wrong. My favorite videos from Tee are the ones about how to be a good ally without overstepping your bounds, why blaccents are harmful, and the actual definition of cultural appropriation.
I do not care if TikTok is banned, it is still the most entertaining app and has probably the most diverse content across any social media platform. One of my absolute favorite creators on this app is Taylor Cassidy. She has one of the most positive pages on TikTok. One of my favorite segments she does on her page is called “Black Girl Magic Minute,” where she highlights black TikTok creators, business owners, music artists, makeup artists, and more. She uses her platform with 2 million followers to shout out other creators and I just think that’s amazing. Aside from this segment, she also does comedy videos, reactions, dance videos, and more. She genuinely brings a smile to my face everytime she pops up on my For You Page.
Currently, my favorite way to use Instagram is to find artists of all mediums, whether they be painters, fashion designers, graphic designers, rug makers, and so on. But my favorite artist on the platform is Ashley Adams. She is a Colombian-African American artist, and she celebrates her ethnicity and race in every piece of art she creates. Most recently, she has been using her artwork to channel her experiences as a biracial woman living in America. Some of my favorite pieces by her are ones that use a myriad of brown tones and geometric shapes to create portraits.