3 Alternatives to Twitter: Three Ways to Get News and Information That Aren't Twitter
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Elon Musk finished his acquisition of Twitter this week. I’m not currently optimistic that he’ll make it a better place to spend time online, so I’m re-evaluating my relationship with the platform.
Of course I could be wrong about the outcome, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
If you’re like me and you’re wondering if you could be spending your time and attention in better ways, allow me to suggest three alternatives ways to get news and information that I’ll be using instead of Twitter.
(1) Podcasts
Podcasts are my favorite way to keep up with the latest news and learn from people.
If you are new to podcasting or looking for new podcasters to follow, try a Google search for “topic + podcast” and you’ll probably find at least a few options worth checking out.
You might also check out the top charts for categories you’re interested in.
My top three podcast recommendations:
1. Pivot (free)
Every Tuesday and Friday, Recode’s Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no other. After all, with great power comes great scrutiny.
2. Stratechery Plus ($12/month, Stratechery.com)
Stratechery provides analysis of the strategy and business side of technology and media, and the impact of technology on society. Weekly Articles are free, while three Daily Updates a week are for subscribers only.
Recommended by The New York Times as “one of the most interesting sources of analysis on any subject”, Stratechery has subscribers from over 85 different countries, including executives in both technology and industries impacted by technology, venture capitalists and investors, and thousands of other people interested in understanding how and why the Internet is changing everything.
With Stratechery Plus you get access to the subscriber-only Stratechery Update and Stratechery Interviews, and the Sharp Tech, Sharp China and Dithering podcasts.
3. Deep Questions with Cal Newport (free)
In my role as a computer scientist and New York Times bestselling author, I write about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, I answer questions and share case studies from my readers, and offer advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives. - Cal Newport
(2) Substack
Substack is a platform for hosting free and paid email newsletters and podcasts, and it appears they’re beta testing support for video content as well.
Chances are you’ll find people writing about topics you’re interested in on Substack.
My top three Substack recommendations:
1. Lenny’s Newsletter (paid)
A weekly advice column about building product, driving growth, and working with humans.
2. Platformer
News at the intersection of Silicon Valley and democracy.
3. Big Technology
A newsletter about Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft from independent journalist Alex Kantrowitz.
(3) RSS Feed Readers / Blogs
If you want to really follow a publication, writer, or something else online and see everything they publish—not just what some social media algorithm throws your way—the best way to do it is with an RSS reader. - Zapier.com
The good old fashioned RSS feed reader. A little more work to set up (you’ll need to find blogs and websites with RSS feeds and then enter the feed URLs into your feed reader app to subscribe), but once you’ve built up a good list of subscriptions, you’ll never run out of interesting content to read.
My recommendation for a good RSS Feed reader app: Reeder for Mac/iOS. There are also great feed reader apps for iOS/Android.
My top three recommendations for blogs to subscribe to:
1. Daring Fireball
A blog (mostly about Apple, but not always) from John Gruber.
2. The Verge
The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts.
Our original editorial insight was that technology had migrated from the far fringes of the culture to the absolute center as mobile technology created a new generation of digital consumers. Now, we live in a dazzling world of screens that has ushered in revolutions in media, transportation, and science. The future is arriving faster than ever.
3. Kottke.org
Founded in 1998, kottke.org is one of the oldest blogs on the web. It’s written and produced by Jason Kottke and covers the essential people, inventions, performances, and ideas that increase the collective adjacent possible of humanity. Frequent topics of interest among the 26,000+ posts include art, technology, science, visual culture, design, music, cities, food, architecture, sports, endless nonsense, and carefully curated current events, all of it lightly contextualized. Basically, it’s the world’s complete knowledge, relentlessly filtered through my particular worldview, with all the advantages and disadvantages that entails.
If you have any recommendations you’d like to share, feel free leave them in the comments.
You could also download the Libby app and get access to thousands of books and audiobooks for free (as long as you have a library card). You know I love a good audiobook.