02/12/2020Tekst
8 Instagram accounts to help you be more socially conscious
A lot has happened during the nine-month-long lockdown that just keeps on getting longer, including the beginning of countless Black Lives Matter protests around the world. What followed was a conversation around racism, white privilege, and being more aware of social issues. But it is not easy to know where to start (un)learning and start doing better. So here are eight Instagram accounts that’ll help you be more socially conscious.
- blairimani
Blair Imani is a queer African American Muslim woman who has been going pretty viral on Instagram with her Smarter in Seconds series. The title says it all: in short videos, she explains a topic and how we might be looking at it wrongly. She then debunks theories or prejudices in short videos, which is how you get smarter in seconds.Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram - lgbt_history
lgbt_history was made by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown, a gay couple, who found that they knew almost nothing about their history, about queer history. That’s where lgbt_history comes in, detailing the often-forgotten history of the LGBTQ+ community. Each post celebrates queer history and often details, in a short yet informative caption, what is happening in the picture.Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram - muslim
Started by three American Muslims, muslim is an account for Gen Z-ers and millennials. The content they post is primarily about Muslims around the world and the issues that they face. They often shed light on issues that the media disregard while also sharing uplifting words. If you wanna educate yourself more on a religion often overlooked or painted in a negative light, muslim is worth a follow.Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram - Reducewastenow
Reducewastenow is all about finding ways to reduce your waste and reducing your carbon footprint. They share facts and memes about reducing waste or about tree planting in the Philippines. But above all, they share tips and tricks on what to do with scraps or what products you can switch out for a more nature-friendly substitute. For instance, did you know that your emails emit CO2? Crazy, right?Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram - Realdepressionproject
The Depression Project sounds kind of scary but tries to navigate what’s going on in our minds. They take the taboo subject of mental illness and put it out in the open with their posts. Some posts give tips on coping with depression or anxiety, and others will give information to loved ones of people that struggle with depression. It’s not just for people with a mental illness but also for those affected by someone’s mental illness. They even have a handy post on how to tell your parents you might have depression.Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram - farida.d.author
Poetry and feminism, those are the two words that perfectly describe farida.d.author. Farida D. is an Arab woman who published the book ‘The list of things that made me a feminist’ in which she listed 200 reasons for her activism. Her Instagram account is an extension of that. It’s a modern commentary on social issues happening today by molding them into poems. You might have seen them online because they go viral quite often.Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram - soyouwanttotalkabout
Soyouwanttotalkabout is a great way to slowly work yourself up to being more conscious of the social issues surrounding you. The account was created at the beginning of 2020, and it’s a mystery who is behind it. What is known, is that one woman started the account because she wanted to inform people about Bernie Sanders’ policies. Now her goal is to dissect progressive policies and social issues by using easy to understand graphic cards. And honestly, she’s doing a bang-up job, and her two million followers can attest to that.Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram - Np.illustrates
Through art, Nicola illustrates and sheds light on global issues. Np.illustrates doesn’t only illustrate art about relevant global news stories but also delves into lingering issues forgotten by the mainstream media. On top of that, she also posts ‘5 happy news stories’ every couple of weeks to uplift your spirits a bit, which we all need sometimes, right? As German painter Gerard Richter said, ‘Art is the highest form of hope’.Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram
Text and photo: © M VL