Say what you will about Elon Musk’s Twitter, but in days past it was at least a decent way to stay up-to-date on happenings in one’s communities of interest. I followed data professionals and hackers, social commentators, journalists, scientists, and activists, plus a few friends and coworkers. My feed was decently curated, and despite some algorithmic froth, I considered it a valuable source of information. And yet…

For many reasons, I joined the great #TwitterMigration’s first wave last fall, and eventually landed over on Mastodon. In retrospect, I realize that the volume of content, variability in its quality and relevance, and chronically toxic undercurrents made for a poor signal-to-noise ratio. It was mentally exhausting to keep up with, let alone participate in, The Discourse. And it felt like more and more posts were being written for – and sometimes by – an algorithm. This experience isn’t new or novel, but it reached a critical point for me personally in 2022. I needed a better way to consume information online.

I decided to focus on a few subjects of particular interest, confine my reading to a more regular schedule, and have the information come to me rather than the other way around. In other words, I went on an information diet. After some experimentation, I found that the easiest approach to accomplishing these goals was to replace social media feeds with subscriptions to a curated set of email newsletters. Well, that plus more self-control about checking my inbox. :)

It’s been great so far, and I strongly recommend it! For reference and posterity, here are my current favorite newsletters, grouped by subject matter:

politics and culture

  • WTFJHT: Consistent, objective summary of current events, focused on U.S. politics. The author is thoughtful and transparent, keeps commentary to a minimum, and seems to genuinely care about his readers. Daily.
  • Big Tent: “Insider” political commentary, firmly grounded in reality, with a strong perspective and zero patience for bullshit. Weekly.
  • Garbage Day: Sharp commentary – and some shit-posting – about internet culture and tech in general. Exists at the edges of a weirder, more interesting web. M/W/F.

climate change

  • Distilled: Well-researched, independent, frequently investigative climate journalism that does a good job of debunking lies and exposing opponents of change. Weekly-ish.
  • The Beacon: News summaries focused on positive developments in the climate space, published by Grist. A much-needed source of hope. Daily.
  • Volts: In-depth, fairly wonky exploration of the political and technical path to decarbonization. Also (primarily?) a podcast, if you prefer that format. Twice weekly.

data and engineering

  • Hacker Newsletter: Curated collection of links to interesting posts, projects, threads, and resources covering all things tech/programming. Split into sections by subject, which helps to filter it down. Weekly.
  • Data Science Weekly: Generic but useful set of links to articles, projects, and learning resources in data science. Always skimmed, seldom clicked. Weekly.
  • PyCoder’s Weekly: Good overview of current developments/discussions in the Python community, plus some tutorials, projects, and events. Skews a bit toward beginners, but I still like it. Weekly.

local happenings

  • Burlington Mayor’s Updates: News, policy, and soapboxing from the mayor of Burlington, even though I rarely agree with him. [Stand-in for any local government official.] Monthly-ish.
  • Burlington City Arts newsletter: News, press releases, and event details dedicated to art and culture in the community. BCA’s studio is where I make pottery! [Stand-in for any local cultural org.] Monthly-ish.
  • Edgewater Environmental Coalition newsletter: News and events for my (former) neighborhood environmental org. [Stand-in for any local advocacy nonprofit.] Twice monthly.

This list changes often. I unsubscribe when a newsletter stops serving my needs; on the flip side, I’m quick to subscribe when something new catches my eye. Maintaining a good balance of content requires some attention and care, unlike, say, casually doomscrolling on Twitter. The most important thing is to be intentional, and to practice moderation.

I’m still trying to find my way post-Twitter with regards to building and participating in an online community. I know I’m not the only one. The situation with Mastodon feels transitional – I like the concept, but am not convinced by the execution. For now, I’m resurrecting this personal/professional blog, so I can at least put my voice back out there. Maybe it’ll make a positive contribution, however small, to someone else’s information diet.