media recommendatons
one of my favourite things to browse on Neocities and the indie web is people’s media recommendations. i’m always on the lookout for something new to sink my teeth into, and i’ve found some wonderful and fascinating things that i never would have stumbled upon if it weren’t for Neocities!
so, here’s my contribution — recommendations for (primarily online) media that i’ve enjoyed or have made me think. i hope you find something here to interest you!
page will be updated as and when I discover new things.
last updated: October 04 2024
video essays
video essays my beloved .... back when i did digital art, my favourite part of the process was watching hours-long video essays on niche topics. to this day, i still love putting a good video essay on in the background while doing mundane tasks.
what follows is a collection of my favourite essayists and videos that i return to on a frequent basis.
Jacob Geller
Talking about video games, history, politics, empathy, and more — typically at the same time, always unpredictably.
there's no one doing video essays like Jacob Geller tbh!! nominally creates video essays about video games ; in truth, they're more about the intersection of art, politics, and morality as viewed through the lense of video games.
Jacob Geller's videos never fail to make me think, and almost always leave me feeling these incredibly visceral and often-indescribable emotions. he has a way of examining topics that just ... sticks with you.
additonally, he's great for game recs! if you're wanting to move away from the Big Media Franchises and AAA games in favour of those that are indie and / or a bit more esoteric, this channel is the place to look. i've discovered a number of games through Jacob Geller that i never would have heard of otherwise!
recommended videos
recommended videos
Strange Aeons
for all the terminally-online tumblr girlies out there. Strange Aeons is out here doing the lord's work as an internet historian specialising in niche 00s - 10s internet, most notably fandom and tumblr culture.
one of the things i love the most about her channel is that she makes no secret of the fact that she was in the trenches of 2014 tumblr, and so her deep-dives on tumblr culture never feel malicious. instead, they're like reminiscing with an old friend about the dumb shit you used to get up to together: there's a fondness there, and a respect for who you used to be whilst also remaining self-aware about how ridiculous it all was at times :')
she is the only person i'd trust to talk about My Immortal tbh.
individual videos
Pathologic is Genius, and Here's Why - hbomberguy
you know that friend you have who'll talk soooo passionately about something that -- despite being unfamiliar with the source material yourself -- you can't help but begin to love it too?
that's how this video makes me feel about Pathologic.
i've watched it several times at this point because it's My sleepover and i get to choose the movie lmao :')
Disney Channel's theme: A History Mystery - Defunctland
the Disney Channel theme: a sound you're likely familiar with, especially if you either were a kid or had a kid in the mid-2000s. but... who created it?
a thoroughly well-researched and well-presented answer to a question you probably never thought to ask -- but also a love letter to ephemera, and to the labour that goes into often-invisible artforms that we tend to take for granted.
the Importance of Real things - ted Kutina
a nuanced examination of the importance of owning physical media in a world of increasing accessibility and '"convenience"' by way of streaming services. god damn does it solidify so many of my feelings about the importance of physical media.
Everything is Sludge: Art in the Post-Human Era - Lily Alexandre
who is responsible for the art we see online? and, perhaps more importantly: who is it for?
speedruns
the sheer depth of knowledge and technical skill demonstrated by speedrunners — not to mention the considerable dedication required to develop that knowledge and skill — is something that you can’t help but admire. it’s a big part of why I love watching speedruns so much!!
the other reason is that … gaming is often a solitary hobby. but the communities that grow around speedrunning, even as an appreciator and audience member, are a reminder that it doesn’t have to be that way. GamesDoneQuick is one of my favourite times of the year for that very reason! during SGDQ 2024, my friends and i would all gather in someone’s lounge to watch the marathon together, alternately discussing the runs we saw, or the games we ourselves were playing. as friends we don’t need a reason to spend time with one another — but as adults with busy lives and often-conflicting schedules, it can sometimes be difficult to find that time. for us, GDQ was just one of many events that justified making ‘spending time with friends’ our utmost priority, if even for a short time.
below are some of my favourite speedruns. my personal favourites are those that blend information with entertainment — i love knowing how things work, regardless of how likely i am to do anything with that knowledge, just as much as i love seeing people enthuse about and meme on something they love.
this is only the absolute tip of the iceberg as far as speenruns go, but if you enjoy any of these then i'd wholeheartedly recommend diving further into that runner or speedrun!
click the images to go to the associated run!
podcasts
i'm gonna be real with y'all: i am not a major podcast girlie. having ADHD means i must be debuffed by hand activity in order to be able to focus on wtf a podcast is actually talking about.
that said, there are a few that i love! a couple summers back my friends and i ran away to work in an apple orchard in the middle of nowhere, and it turns out that podcasts are a fantastic way to while away the time when you're doing menial labour alone in the middle of a field for 8 hours a day lmao
originally hosted by journalist Mike Hobbes and author Sarah Marshall (2018 - 2021), You’re Wrong About aims to debunk common sociocultural myths and misconceptions. the whole premise is founded on the idea that, sure, you’ve heard of XYZ — but do you really know what happened? many of the topics they tackle are those that are so ingrained in the cultural consciousness that you often don’t think to stop and research them further — a phenomenon that contributes to the spread and subsequent sticking power of these misconceptions.
though the focus of the podcast is debunking / correcting these sociocultural myths and misconceptions, the broader discussions surrounding these events often touch upon the role that institutions of power play in upholding structural biases. You’re Wrong About has challenged me to think about the narratives that I encounter on a day-to-day basis in the media: who is telling the story, and what motive might they have for telling it in the way they are? and possibly more importantly: who is missing from these stories, and what stories are not being told?
with the overwhelming deluge of information we’re barraged with on a daily basis, it’s often not possible to research fully every news story that comes our way — but You’re Wrong About has encouraged me to think far more critically about the news i do encounter, instead of just taking everything at face value.
recommended episodes:
the McDonald's Hot Coffee Case
Kitty Genovese & "Bystander Apathy"
Fight 571: Survival in the Andes with Blair Braverman
the Donner Party with Chelsey Weber-Smith
true Crime with Emma Berquist