i recommend

Editor’s note

Sonia is a writer and digital content creator. She started out writing and making memes, went on to conceptualising and writing for digital video content and now, has extended to crafting social media campaigns. We asked her to recommend her favourite things in your favourite categories: podcasts, newsletters and videos.

Over to Sonia...

Hello! My name is Sonia Mariam Thomas, frequent reader and WhatsApp buddy of splainer. I spend a lot of time on the internet so, like most people online, I have my favourites on each platform. Since my biggest areas of interest are pop culture, mental health, and politics, that's literally all I consume. 

Here's some of my favourites of each:

Podcasts

• Switched On Pop: I love breakdowns of pop music because I genuinely believe there is more to a bop than just being catchy. Vox has this super insightful podcast that does just that–and also explains the impact of certain artists on the past, present, and future of music. 
• Super Soul Conversations: This is my early morning ‘I need to chill-and reflect’ vibe. Oprah has been the soundtrack of my living room growing up and her voice and words find their way straight to my heart even today. 
• Obsessed: Instagram star Benito Skinner aka Benny Drama and his comedian bestie, Mary-Beth Barone sit down for short 20 minute episodes talking about pop culture phenomenons they're obsessed with. They’re honest, hilarious, and chaotic. What's not to love? 

Newsletters

• Sanity by Tanmoy: Tanmoy Goswami has some of the most insightful thoughts on mental health and the state of it in the Indian context, especially. It feels like conversations I have with friends but with greater eloquence, of course. 
• Culture Study: Anne Helen Petersen is one of my favourite culture writers on the internet. She speaks of pop culture in ways that very few have approached it and understands the millennial generation and burning out very well. Her reporting is a gift to the world and we're lucky we get to read ANY of it for free. 
• Food Psych Weekly: Christy Harrison is an "anti-diet" dietitian who answers audience questions weekly in her newsletter surrounding diet culture and eating disorders. While my recommendation comes with a trigger warning, I want everyone to be able to understand what the world is like when you're living in an "undesirable" body and how the dismissal of fat people is a global health issue.

YouTube Channels

• Girl With The Dogs: This Canadian pet groomer has the most calming videos with hilarious commentary about her clients’ behaviour. I am obsessed with watching the most feral pets crumble to the pressure of a blower machine.
• Daily Dose Of Internet: Some extremely kind person collects the funniest, most wholesome videos on the internet and compiles them into short videos. Watching them in succession will become your daily dose of serotonin. 
• Eric Wen: Eric breaks down personalities of massive celebrities and explains where they fall on the MBTI scale. It's so much fun for a person like me who absolutely LOVES dissecting people's personalities in my head–before I even get to know them.

Bonus

• AJayII who gives the best reactions to pop music albums. An icon. 
• Nino's Home for the best subtitles any cooking video can have.

Note: This is NOT sponsored content. We use this section to spotlight the recommendations of people we trust and admire.