The Media Diet I Swear By
By Stella Speridon-Violet
Sourced through Pinterest
In an era defined by endless scrolling, sensationalism, and attention economies designed to keep your brain on autopilot, curating what you consume is an act of self-preservation.
The media I swear by isn’t just entertaining: it makes me ask questions, see patterns, learn something new, or rethink how I move through the world.
Here’s the playlist, podcast queue, and brain fuel I consistently come back to:
Courtesy of @girls.disrupted
1) Girls, Disrupted — Raw Culture & Unfiltered Real Talk
Hosted by Georgia Hassarati and Isabel Timerman, Girls, Disrupted isn’t your typical podcast; it’s a candid blend of humor, honesty, and cultural critique. Whether they’re discussing modern relationships or poking at the pitfalls of internet behavior, this show gets the emotional paradoxes of Gen Z life in ways few media platforms do.
Coming from someone who absolutely loathes podcasts, this is one of the few I find myself going back to each week. Two girls actually having honest conversations about dating without sugarcoating, pandering, or pretending men are some impossible mystery.
The podcast speaks directly to its audience, breaking down modern dating dynamics with clarity and humor, especially when it comes to navigating men, emotional power, and self-respect in the age of situationships. The conversations are upfront, sometimes brutal, but always grounded in lived experience, the kind of advice you wish your smart and cool older sister gave you before you got too attached.
Girls, Disrupted doesn’t tell you to play dumb or stay “chill.” It encourages awareness, boundaries, and discernment, without shame. If you’re trying to understand dating without losing yourself in it, this is essential listening. Readers should absolutely check out both the podcast and Isabel Timerman’s writing. Her perspective is sharp, culturally aware, and refreshingly honest.
If you’re looking for somewhere to start, I highly recommend the Kelly Cutrone episode for my fashion lovers, and the ‘How to Stop Fumbling Every Guy You Meet’ episode for my gals who need some relationship guidance.
Courtesy of @ridethepod
2) Ride with Benito Skinner & Mary Beth Barone — Comedy, Culture, & Unpredictable Joy
There is no hiding from Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone this year! And, for good reason. If you loved Overcompensating on Amazon and have already seen it three times and watched Adults, then you’re in for a… ride.
Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone’s Ride is their weekly podcast that feels like sitting in on your funniest friends (who also happen to be painfully perceptive about culture). They riff on everything, from pop culture to absurdities of life, in a way that’s both hilarious and genuinely reflective. And, the best part, you feel like you’re in on all of their jokes, which are often brought up in different variations throughout each episode.
On Ride, nothing is off limits, and no topic is too small to explore. Whether they’re debating trends, sharing obsessions, or turning everyday observations into comedy gold, this is a podcast that feeds your brain while it cracks you up.
Again, as an avid podcast hater, Ride, is one of the few podcasts that combine comedy and cultural awareness this well. You laugh, but you also come away with a sharper sense of what’s actually happening in the world.
And Dear Media, clip that!
Courtesy of @blackbirdspyplane
3) Blackbird Spyplane — Written Wisdom for the Overstimulated Brain
Blackbird Spyplane is a website/newsletter and cultural archive that functions like a mental reset button. The writing mixes style, philosophy, and cultural criticism into essays that feel both intellectual and human. It’s not about quick takes; it’s about deep context and why things matter.
I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews about Jonah’s writing style, with a reddit user calling it “deeply cringey.” However, I find it refreshing, in a world where everyone wants their work to be unflawed and filtered, he keeps it real, which I’ve found to be quite captivating.
I highly recommend checking out some of his interviews, with one of my favorite blog posts being his interview with Father John Misty, ‘Maybe God is a curious God,’ where he asks questions the public wants to hear in a way that speaks to the interviewee.
And, in a time when most commentary is 280 characters or less, Blackbird Spyplane offers the rare luxury of sustained, thoughtful reflection.
Courtesy of @kikiagbor
4) Kiki Agbor — Fashion Commentary With Thought & Intention
Fashion isn’t just clothes; it’s culture, identity, and context. That’s where Kiki Agbor’s YouTube channel and Substack comes in. His analysis goes beyond trends to explore why style matters and how fashion intersects with self-expression, personal history, and social signals.
I first found Kiki via YouTube, and fell in love with the video ‘The 4 Stages of Chic’, where at first I thought it’d just be a video about how the word ‘chic’ has been overused by Gen Z when describing literally anything in the past three years. However, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him talk in-depth about classism, politics, and all of the pieces that make up an individual’s sense of style, and what it truly means to be ‘chic.’
If you want to understand style beyond surface level, as a language and cultural dialogue, his videos are indispensable. And, if you want to dive deeper, I highly suggest checking out his Substack.
Some articles I highly recommend are:
Courtesy of @wildgeesepod
5) Anna Corinne (Wild Geese Podcast) — Personal, Bold, & Relatable Content
Anna Corinne’s content blends fashion, lifestyle, and self-reflection with a voice that feels real. She navigates topics from confidence to social life in a way that feels relatable but also inspiring, you don’t just watch; you understand.
I’ve found her YouTube channel to be very inspiring for when I’m in a creative rut, or feeling down. Videos like, ‘How to Add Joy & Whimsy Back Into Your Life’ and ‘Watch This If You're Ready to Rethink Romantic Relationships’ offer just the right balance of insight and comfort, holding my attention for a full half hour while still leaving me with ideas I actually want to carry into my own life.
Another reason I keep coming back to her videos is the way she weaves the media she’s consuming into her own essays. She’ll reference TikToks that feel oddly specific or deeply relatable, pull in lines from authors that sharpen the point she’s making, and build a larger conversation out of the culture she’s absorbing. It makes her videos feel layered and current, like you’re watching someone think in real time, not just talk at you.
Her Substack also explores a lot of topics she talks about on YouTube, but relates them to her own personal life. I’d highly recommend checking it out! Her work is a reminder that personal voice matters, and that media can feel intimate without being shallow.
Courtesy of @mickeygalvin
5) Mickey Galvin (Mickeyyyy4) — Creative Video Essays About Growing Up & Thinking Deeply
Mickey Galvin (a.k.a. Mickeyyyy4) brings an authentic creative voice to YouTube. From reflections on navigating your 20s to commentary on doomscrolling and the anxieties of modern life, the channel bridges personal experience with cultural insight.
Her work isn’t polished for virality; it’s crafted for reflection. Each video feels like a conversation you wish you had with someone who actually gets what it’s like to be lost in the noise of today’s culture.
One thing I admire about her videos, similar to Anna’s work, is the way she incorporates media analysis throughout. She pulls in TikToks, Substack essays, and quotes that directly speak to the topic at hand, building her arguments through the culture she’s actively engaging with rather than talking in isolation.
Some of my favorite videos of hers are ‘stop trying to be cool girl’ and ‘bitterness as a crutch.’ When you want media that feels close to real life, not algorithm-optimized, Mickey delivers.
Courtesy of @contrapoints
6) Contrapoints – Philosophy, Identity, and the Internet at Its Most Self-Aware
ContraPoints (Natalie Wynn) creates long-form video essays that feel less like YouTube content and more like intellectual events. Her videos sit at the intersection of philosophy, internet culture, gender, politics, and identity, delivered with theatrical flair, biting humor, and an unmistakable sense of sincerity beneath the spectacle.
What makes ContraPoints essential to my media diet is her ability to take topics that feel overwhelmingly abstract or emotionally charged and break them down with clarity, nuance, and empathy. She doesn’t just explain ideas, she interrogates them, often through characters, aesthetics, and narratives that mirror the contradictions of online life itself.
Videos like “Cringe,” “Envy,” and “The Hunger” articulate feelings many people experience but struggle to name, especially in a digital culture obsessed with performance, morality, and self-branding. Watching ContraPoints feels like being given language for thoughts you didn’t realize you were already having.
This is not passive viewing. Her work demands attention, patience, and reflection, and rewards it tenfold. In a media landscape that prioritizes speed and certainty, ContraPoints embraces complexity and discomfort, reminding us that thinking deeply is still worth the effort.
If you’re looking for media that challenges you, unsettles you, and ultimately sharpens how you understand both yourself and the internet you live inside, ContraPoints is non-negotiable.
Sourced through Pinterest
This mix isn’t about influencers for the sake of fame; it’s about voices that think. I’ve been really trying to work on learning about myself and the world around me, and I found these people to be a great addition to my journey.
Hopefully, this collection of individuals can make you smarter, more aware, and more grounded, because that’s exactly the point of a media diet worth swearing by.
