The Links guide to newsletters
The Links guide to newsletters
My faves for internet drama, AI analysis, art-school snobbery and SO MUCH MORE
Friends — I took this week off for Thanksgiving, and I hope that you did, too. Nothing salves a tired spirit quite like carbs and domestic labor.
But while I didn’t check my RSS or social feeds much this week, I did want to share some links with you. So!: for the first time ever, I’ve compiled a list of my personal favorite newsletters. These are the Substacks (… and Beehiivs and Mailchimps, etc etc) that I most often read and recommend to friends. I’m grateful for all of them, especially on busy weeks like this one, when I need my news wrapped up in bespoke emailed packages. 🙃
Incidentally, and on the subject of newsletters, I do have one quick ask regarding this one: I’m kicking off my second-ever reader survey this week, and I would very, very much value your opinion. Please click here to fill it out — it takes less than five minutes. Your feedback will help me draft my content calendar for the next year and guide future projects and experiments.
As an aside, I sent this out to a subset of readers on Monday and am already *floored* by how many people chose to respond. Based on their feedback, I can already tell you that I might try some different formats for the Postscripts and I plan to make some changes to how I handle paywalled articles.
Thank you again to everyone who has filled out the survey so far. Jason and I are poring over EVERY last quip and qualm. Now, without further ado: Here’s that promised evergreen content!
The Links Guide to Newsletters
… in no particular order, and with apologies to the many good titles I’m surely missing. (Comments are ON, so please tell me about your newsletters & others we should be reading!)
Web Curios
A consistent and exhaustive trove of internet treasures, and quite possibly the only newsletter that I never, ever miss. I could rhapsodize about this one further, but honestly … that’s kinda the highest praise there is.
Today In Tabs
A stand-up routine masquerading as a daily news digest. Or maybe a daily news digest masquerading as a stand-up routine. Either way:
is about as comprehensive as, say, The Morning … and at least 100 times as witty.Culture Study
Sweeping, big-picture deep dives that explain The Way We Live Now, often filtered through pop culture frivolities like Taylor Swift or #RushTok. Substack informs me that roughly one in 10 of you read
already, so … I’m preaching to the choir on this one!Naive Weekly
Lovely counterprogramming to the cynicism of contemporary internet culture (and maybe life, in general?).
begins each week’s email with a personal reflection before sharing a round-up of offbeat, little-known projects that reflect “the quiet, odd and poetic web.” I always x-out feeling better than when I clicked in.Escape the Algorithm
Beautiful, if occasional, essays and projects by the designer and writer
, who previously brought you gems like Youtune (for surfacing unwatched YouTube songs) and Scrubstack (for bouncing around random Substacks — like Wikipedia’s random article button).My Sweet Dumb Brain
The virtual equivalent of a warm cup of tea. Or maybe a hug.
’s writing on grief, joy and meaning is wise, hard-earned, and beautiful.Techno Sapiens
Refreshingly readable, relatable analysis on how technology impacts the hearts and minds of kids, by the clinical psychologist and Brown professor
. I don’t have kids, but still rely on Techno Sapiens for context on/debunks of big mental health stories.Garbage Day
*The* internet culture newsletter for extremely online people. I have not been that online since roughly 2014, so I rely entirely on
to keep me up on, like ... weird memes and furries and the outer fringes of Tumblr.Internal Exile
Smart, idiosyncratic takes by
on technology, social media and consumerism that often leave me doubting both conventional wisdom and — sometimes, uncomfortably! — my own taste/assumptions.Untangled
Always-edifying tech analysis, by the writer and researcher
, that doesn't just *tell* you what to think about AI … but teaches you how to think about it.After School
The source of many of the best youth culture links in this newsletter, and my primary (only?) window into the quirks and preferences of Gen Z. Eternally grateful to
for introducing me to all the -cores and TikTok novelties.Dirt
Essays and criticism about internet culture and popular culture writ large. Sometimes makes me feel bad I never went to art school, lived in Brooklyn, etc.
Weird Machine
Reflections, cut scenes and other backstage tidbits from the reporting of long-time Links fave
, the Washington Post reporter who recently brought you a memorable dispatch from an OnlyFans content farm in Florida.The Wreck List
Weekly round-ups of drama, online and off. Sometimes alarming, sometimes banal — but
is always ridiculous.That’s it for this week! Until the next one. Warmest virtual regards.
— Caitlin
P.S. Here’s that survey link again. It’s a huge help and only takes three minutes!
Love Culture Study, and now I have some more to check out, thanks!
Oh Naive Weekly sounds right up my alley -- thanks for sharing!