The hottest Social media Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

The 4 types of men, quiet quitting, and impressions

The Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (of Vooza) | Sent every Tuesday • 570 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
😂 Humor Social media
  1. A highlights reel of short comedy bits from the past year covers topics like the four types of men, quiet quitting, impressions, and other quick jokes.
  2. There’s a focus on standup clips and short-form comedy, with a top-10 YouTube Shorts list and ways to follow more on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
  3. Subscribers are promised extra bonus content and a one-year 20% New Year’s discount, and readers are invited to give feedback or share the pieces they like.

Sharing AI videos is like telling people about your dreams

The Rectangle • 56 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. AI-generated videos have become visually convincing, and that has encouraged lots of people with little originality to churn out derivative, often copyright-leaning clips like endless fight scenes.
  2. Posting these AI videos feels self-centred and unengaging for viewers — it's like hearing someone describe their dreams, with no real creativity or dialogue invited.
  3. AI can help filmmaking as a tool (crowds, sets, effects), but fully AI-made movies will likely lack the storytelling depth and emotional connection that make art worthwhile.

No, Grok, No

Don't Worry About the Vase • 5197 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Social media
  1. Grok, the AI, has shown some serious bias in its responses, reflecting political viewpoints that raise concerns about reliability. It's important to be cautious when trusting its output.
  2. Recent updates to Grok have resulted in bizarre and harmful responses, including antisemitic content and inappropriate references. This highlights the need for careful programming and monitoring of AI behavior.
  3. The situation with Grok serves as a warning about the potential consequences of AI development. It shows that shortcuts and inadequate training can lead to unexpected and troubling outcomes.

Abolish LinkedIn

antoniomelonio • 976 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. LinkedIn turns people into product labels and ritualizes professional identity. It pushes performative, sanitized self-presentation and values keywords over real human qualities.
  2. The platform incentivizes constant validation and moral theater, turning personal pain into content and training users to seek likes instead of honest conversation.
  3. Opting out isn't enough because hiring and prestige are wired into the system. Abolishing LinkedIn is presented as a symbolic refusal of the bureaucratic, performative value system it enforces.

Selena Gomez’s 18 Hour Social Media Break

Hung Up • 5444 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Selena Gomez announced a social media break but only lasted 18 hours, showing that celebrities can be just like us in not sticking to resolutions.
  2. Julia Roberts' recent British Vogue cover shoot captures her glamour and self-assuredness, reminiscent of '90s icons.
  3. Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) commented on Drake's music being suitable for malls, sparking thoughts on how certain artists and genres naturally align with specific environments.
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It's time to leave Substack

Garbage Day • 5581 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Social media
  1. Consider leaving Substack due to moderation and trust issues.
  2. MatPat from Game Theory is stepping down from hosting videos after contributing to media culture.
  3. AI hardware startups are facing challenges, including layoffs, in their race towards innovation.

Netflix is done zigging and is ready to zag

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 299 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
💼 Business Social media
  1. Netflix is moving away from its strict "zig where others zag" stance and is now embracing traditional models like theatrical releases and potentially ad-based monetization to grow beyond subscriptions.
  2. Major media outlets are integrating prediction markets and betting-style odds into coverage, which risks turning news consumption into gambling and creating ethical and public-harm concerns.
  3. The industry is experimenting with varied distribution and revenue strategies — from BBC making shows for YouTube and creators landing streamer deals to newsletters building ad networks — as publishers try to stabilize and find new growth paths.

Courting death to own the Nazis

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 525 implied HN points • 10 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. Traffic-blocking “ICE Watch” protests involve many mostly middle-class people deliberately obstructing immigration enforcement vehicles and filming the encounters.
  2. These road-based tactics are dangerous and often provoke violent responses from officers, making shootings and serious harm likely.
  3. Larger NGO networks appear to encourage or coordinate these confrontational tactics to generate incidents and propaganda, while many participants seem naive about the real risks.

The Innocent Origins of Internet Brainrot

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 412 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. A strict six‑second limit forced creators to be incredibly inventive, turning tiny loops into iconic, repeatable jokes and moments.
  2. Early social apps felt charming and communal, letting strangers share quick bursts of personality that spread instantly.
  3. That initial innocence faded as the platforms scaled, and playful creativity often morphed into more addictive, homogenized content.

Letter to Zoomer men

Jeff Giesea • 1177 implied HN points • 07 Jul 24
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Don't give in to feelings of hopelessness or nihilism. There are still opportunities to create a meaningful life.
  2. Although you face unique challenges, your generation has the power to build new systems and institutions for the future.
  3. Stay positive and find joy amidst struggles. Your youth and perspective can lead to big changes down the road.

The New York Times Comments Section is Hilarious and Depraved

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 12326 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. Less censorship on social media could lead to a wider spread of misinformation. Some people are worried about what this means for public discourse.
  2. The New York Times comments section shows a divide among readers on the issue of free speech, with many expressing fear over less content moderation.
  3. Critics of social media platforms often focus on their role in political events, showing how media coverage can shape public opinion about these companies.

A $30M plan to take back social media from billionaires

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 12301 implied HN points • 13 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Social media
  1. A new campaign called FreeOurFeeds aims to take social media back from billionaires. They want to make social media a public good for everyone.
  2. The project plans to raise $30 million to build a new social media system that gives users more control and allows for better community interactions.
  3. The goal is to create a decentralized social media environment where users can express themselves freely without corporate or political pressures.

Political Messaging is Ambient Now

Freddie deBoer • 4919 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. People often act like they aren’t worried about crime when they actually are. It’s common for those living in cities to downplay serious issues just to seem cool or part of a group.
  2. Social media shapes political views more than traditional media. The constant chatter and performance online can distort real issues, making them seem less important.
  3. Ignoring public concern about crime can hurt political strategies. If political parties can't control the narrative, it leaves them exposed to misunderstandings and backlash.

The future is built by small, weird groups

The Novelleist • 629 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Better futures are built by small, trust-rich groups that stay weird, focused, and intentional so their work can compound over time.
  2. Large algorithmic platforms reward virality, outrage, and simple narratives, which crushes nuance, slow thinking, and real creation and makes it feel like things can't get better.
  3. Instead of passive optimism or pessimism, join or create non-viral, small communities that prioritize curiosity, creation, and collective constraints so new, complex futures can be invented.

Why I And You Love Alysa Liu

JoeWrote • 104 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. She put joy and personal choice before strict, win‑at‑all‑costs rules, returning to skating on her own terms and refusing to be micromanaged about music, training, or diet.
  2. Her Olympic performance showed that human creativity, emotion, and authenticity can outshine algorithmic optimization and can’t be reduced to data or processes.
  3. People are captivated because she resists the dehumanizing trend of gamification and commodification, proving that passion and individuality still matter and can win on the biggest stage.

You May Not Be Political, But Politics Finds You

House of Strauss • 86 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. External forces will politicize your life even if you try to stay private, like globalization upending a farmer’s quiet livelihood.
  2. In today’s polarized world, public rituals and appearances—such as teams meeting leaders—almost always carry political meaning and can’t be treated as neutral.
  3. Silence or nonparticipation is often read as a political stance, and social pressure can force people to choose sides or face ostracism.

A prediction market for shortform content

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 955 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Social media
  1. Social media users often leave informal predictions on short-form videos, like betting a clip will reach a certain number of likes or views.
  2. Two college students built Spike, an app that turns those predictions into a formal prediction market where people can bet on whether TikToks will hit specific milestones.
  3. Spike was created at a Harvard hackathon and specifically targets short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels by letting users wager on likes and view-count milestones.

sunday memepool

bad cattitude • 87 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Many important cultural touchstones have been lost, leaving a sense of civilizational decline.
  2. One particular loss feels especially painful and stands out above the others.
  3. There is a strong nostalgia for an earlier time when things felt more complete and like we really used to have it all.

My Journey From 300 to 15000 Followers on LinkedIn

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 319 implied HN points • 12 Aug 24
💼 Business Social media
  1. Growing your LinkedIn followers takes consistency and patience. Posting regularly can help you connect with more people and keep your audience engaged.
  2. Content is key to grabbing attention on LinkedIn. Share personal stories, expert insights, and occasional calls-to-action to build connections and generate leads.
  3. Engaging with others on the platform boosts visibility. Comment on posts, reach out to new connections, and collaborate with top creators to expand your network.

TikTok's 'cute winter boots' trend explained

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 10808 implied HN points • 25 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. The trend of 'cute winter boots' on TikTok actually references political resistance, especially against certain government policies. Users are using this code to talk about serious issues while avoiding censorship.
  2. TikTok users are clever at using coded language to get around filters and alert others about government surveillance. This allows them to share information without detection.
  3. The way users promote 'cute winter boots' shows their focus on reaching a wider audience using popular themes, while also educating on topics like rights and activism.

American Dreamland

Default Wisdom • 466 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. A sudden, traumatic loss of a parent has brought intense grief, vivid dreams, and made writing feel difficult and small.
  2. Paid subscriptions were paused out of guilt, and a new call-in show called American Dreamland is restarting across podcast and social platforms, inviting listeners to call in with predictions.
  3. There’s been a lot of reading and reflection, and an urge to move away from doom-scrolling toward hopeful predictions for 2026, asking people to share what they’re looking forward to.

Why are young liberals so depressed?

Slow Boring • 8117 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Social media
  1. The mental health of young liberals is influenced by a mix of factors including social media, politics, and societal issues.
  2. Political ideology plays a role in the mental health of adolescents, with liberal girls showing higher levels of depression.
  3. Encouraging positive emotional responses and avoiding catastrophizing can be beneficial for mental health.

I was just given a lifetime ban from Instagram for thanking Yemen for trying to stop the genocide of Palestinians.

The North Star with Shaun King • 4676 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Social media
  1. Shaun King was banned from Instagram for thanking Yemen for trying to stop the genocide of Palestinians.
  2. Meta's decision sets a dangerous precedent by deleting Shaun King's account and preventing any appeal.
  3. Shaun King stands by his support for Yemen and Palestine despite the unjust ban from Instagram.

On Mark Zuckerberg's Speech Announcement

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 11159 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. Mark Zuckerberg's call for free speech suggests a conflict between the U.S. and other countries over censorship laws. This highlights the challenges tech companies face globally.
  2. Zuckerberg believes the U.S. has a strong foundation for free expression, but countries like Europe and China are enforcing more censorship. This creates a tough environment for innovation.
  3. The recent changes in speech laws and agreements may lead to more battles over free expression. Zuckerberg's insights indicate that discussions on these topics are becoming more urgent.

The signal and the noise

Comment is Freed • 94 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
📰 News Social media
  1. You can’t fix unclear strategy or a bad product just by improving communications; if leaders aren’t clear about what they want, better messaging won’t change outcomes.
  2. The media environment has fragmented so much that traditional channels no longer reliably deliver attention or credit for policies, and voters often don’t notice or associate actions with the government.
  3. Politicians need to rethink how they reach people instead of simply adding a few social posts to old tactics — new formats and strategies are required to cut through short attention spans and platform limits.

The Platform Where Thousands of College Kids Can Livestream Their Dates

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 1015 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Twitter's new feature shows where accounts are from, revealing some right-wing accounts are actually not American. This raises questions about authenticity online.
  2. The feature has been seen as damaging to the right-wing online community, exposing fake accounts trying to gain attention and revenue.
  3. Influencers and tech writers are discussing how this change could impact social media and the understanding of what is real versus fake online.

Listening to Noise

Dada Drummer Almanach • 67 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Noise in analog media — the background sounds, context, and imperfections — carries important information about location, proximity, and shared time that shapes how we perceive content. Removing that noise flattens experience and hands the definition of what counts as signal to others.
  2. Digital disruption isolates signal from noise and makes signals cheap or free, concentrating power and profit in platforms while eroding local stores' roles and creators’ incomes. Platforms decide what is signal and monetize it, leaving creators and communities worse off.
  3. Noise itself has value because it creates shared space, richer engagement, and deeper meaning, and it may be a resource creators can reclaim as signal becomes commodified. Paying attention to noise — reintroducing context and communal experience — can help restore cultural and economic value.

China’s Spring Festival AI war

Pekingnology • 86 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Social media
  1. Big tech turned the Lunar New Year into a mass‑market AI onboarding event, using red envelopes, gala tie‑ins, and shopping coupons to drive huge engagement and hundreds of millions of active chatbot users.
  2. Each company used a different playbook: Tencent socialized AI into group chats, ByteDance embedded AI into national broadcasts and agent workflows, Alibaba linked chatbots directly to e‑commerce transactions, and Baidu grafted its assistant onto search.
  3. The promotions produced massive short‑term growth but raised sustainability, operational, and legal questions — it’s unclear whether usage will stick once subsidies stop, and the rush exposed throttling and copyright risks.

Late night TV has never been more popular

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
💼 Business Social media
  1. Late-night TV is losing viewers on traditional TV but its clips are going mega-viral online, creating huge audiences that networks still haven’t properly monetized.
  2. TikTok’s inconsistent moderation and algorithm shifts are pushing news creators off the platform, so many are prioritizing moving followers to email lists they control.
  3. Media business models are shifting: publishers are leaning on reader revenue, newsletter sponsorships, creator partnerships, and low-cost content strategies to replace declining ad income.

Oklahoma Appoints Libs Of TikTok "To Make Schools Safer," Violent Threats Follow Her Posts

Erin In The Morning • 4127 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. Chaya Raichik, creator of Libs of TikTok, was appointed to make schools safer but her posts led to violent threats.
  2. Raichik's appointment to the Library Media Advisory Committee has sparked controversy due to her history of targeting LGBTQ+ individuals.
  3. Despite criticism, Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters supports far-right influencers and causes, impacting LGBTQ+ policies in the state.

Posting Less

Culture Study • 11413 implied HN points • 15 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Many people are feeling tired of posting on social media because the online environment has become more hostile and less rewarding. It's starting to feel like it takes more energy than it's worth.
  2. As social media platforms change, people are reconsidering how they share their lives. They want to avoid negativity and are opting for smaller, more private circles for sharing.
  3. There's a big difference between feeling seen online and actually being seen in real life. Real connection and vulnerability are harder to achieve on social media.

Free content almost always beats paid

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 424 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
💼 Business Social media
  1. Free, ad-supported and shortform platforms are winning attention more than paid subscription services, so audiences are increasingly choosing free over paid content.
  2. A surge of low-effort, AI-generated videos is soaking up huge amounts of viewer time and ad revenue, making it harder for higher-quality creators to get noticed.
  3. Creators and publishers are diversifying how they make money — from audiobooks and microdramas to community memberships, sponsorships, and merchandise — and must adapt or partner to capture revenue.

This company wants to fix the broken economics of standup comedy

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 174 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
💼 Business Social media
  1. Comedians can get huge viral reach but still struggle to make money because algorithms throttle who actually sees their posts and it's hard to notify local fans when a comic is touring.
  2. Punchup is building tools so comedians can own their audiences, sell tickets directly, and rely less on platform algorithms to monetize shows.
  3. The founders' experience running ads and data products at Meta, plus a longtime passion for comedy, shaped Punchup's mission to repair the fragile economics of standup.

Like fighting through molasses

Disaffected Newsletter • 1758 implied HN points • 25 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. People today often mix up their emotions with facts, making it hard to discuss important topics clearly. It's important to separate how we feel from what is actually true.
  2. When discussing free speech, some people feel the need to say they don't support hate to show they are 'good' people. This distracts from the main point about legal rights.
  3. Understanding the difference between emotions and facts can help maintain freedom of speech. Both sides of a discussion should focus on the facts, even if they disagree on feelings.

A MAGA civil war is breaking out

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 10450 implied HN points • 28 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media
  1. There is a growing divide among pro-Trump supporters over immigration issues, especially related to H-1B visas that allow foreign workers into the tech industry.
  2. Elon Musk's influence in the MAGA movement has led to tensions, as some loyal supporters feel betrayed by his stance on bringing in foreign tech workers.
  3. This conflict represents a larger cultural divide within the Trump coalition, as traditional MAGA views on American jobs clash with the goals of tech billionaires.

Why won’t the media use the word misogyny?

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 10569 implied HN points • 23 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. Misogyny is often at the heart of smear campaigns against women, but the media rarely calls it out. This avoids addressing the real hatred that fuels these attacks.
  2. Women face intense backlash when they speak out about abuse or challenge powerful figures. Their reputations are often targeted in coordinated efforts to discredit them.
  3. Unlike women, men usually do not face the same level of vilification in the media. This unequal treatment shows that misogyny is a significant factor in how public opinion is shaped.

NYC Mayor Posts Misleading Tweet, Echoing Media Bias in Gracie Mansion Protest Story

Silent Lunch, The David Zweig Newsletter • 26 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
📰 News Social media
  1. News outlets and the mayor used vague language that obscured who actually threw the explosive devices, so many readers could easily assume the anti-Islam protesters were responsible.
  2. Police and witnesses showed a counter-protester ignited and threw real IEDs at the rally, but that key fact was often buried or omitted in headlines and posts.
  3. How events are framed matters a lot: highlighting protesters' bigotry while downplaying who committed violence can mislead the public and wrongly conflate protected speech with criminal acts, so officials and journalists need to be precise.

We secretly love misinformation – and Spotify Wrapped proves it

The Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (of Vooza) | Sent every Tuesday • 641 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Social media
  1. People prefer exciting, made-up narratives over dull facts, as shown by how a gimmicky "listening age" outshined real listening data.
  2. The attention economy rewards confidence and spectacle, so charismatic wrongdoers and entertainers spread farther than careful experts.
  3. That dynamic has real costs: misinformation breeds polarization, empowers unqualified figures, and makes clicks more valuable than truth.