Great IG Follows for 2024

We all find fascinating, funny, or wise people at different times. Social media brings you more of what you’ve already watched or read, so finding someone new or different might be a matter of chance.

I try to widen my scope, and I have so many favourites on Instagram. It’s one reason why my upcoming Social Media Detox will be a challenge. How will my day proceed without the sensible wisdom of Mark Manson, the outrage of Michael Rappaport, the absurdity of Patton Oswalt’s humour, or the deep insighst of The Holistic Psychologist?

I’m being dramatic, of course. My day will proceed just fine. But in addition to those and others, I thought I’d share five fun Instagram follows that have never let me down. What they have in common is authenticity. They’re unabashadly themselves, flaws and all, and that’s awfully endearing. And despite my best intentions, they’ve heavy on cats and light on humans. But it’s the humans behind the cats that give them personality, right?

1. Dr. Matt McGlasson. He’s a veterinarian in Kentucky who rates his patients. Yes, he will hold up a kitten and rate their attributes out of ten! (His ratings are generous and often over the top – 50/10 for a recent kitten that fit in his shirt pocket!) He also fosters sick dogs and cats until they can find a home. He’s married with a family, and they all share in his love of animals. He will occasionally mention a product – with 356,000 followers on Instagram, he’s an influencer, after all. But mostly he shares his patient ratings and tips for animal feeding and care.
2. I follow about a billion stand-up comedians, give or take. Gary Gulman is having a renaissance. Like most comics, he’ll post some of his legendary bits so a newcomer can catch up on what he’s all about. Gary dropped out of sight a few years ago after falling into a deep depression. But he has come out the other side and we are all better for it. He has a unique point of view and style. Last year, he released his autobiography titled Misfit. How can you not love an American comic who titled his book after a line in Rush’s song Subdivisions?
3. Nathan the Cat Lady. (Nathan Kehn) I know what you’re wondering. He is a straight guy who lives in Hollywood, and loves cats. He’s trying to take the cliche about being a single guy with cats! Nathan is primarily an actor whose friends nicknamed him the Cat Lady. So he took that to Instagram where he creates videos that usually, but not always, involve his cats. He’s attractive, watchable, funny, and serious about cat health.
4. Oh Canaduh. Like Brittlestar, this account has Canadians pegged! One thing we’re very good at is laughing at ourselves. Oh Canaduh reveals Canadianisms that are so ingrained, we don’t even realize we have them until we see them. Like, how we’re more afraid of geese than bears or moose. And the fact that you CAN zipper merge on a highway because you can do it in a Tim Hortons drive-thru!
5. Ever since the untimely death of Grumpy Cat in 2019, the world has been waiting for her successor. GC still has a very popular IG account, but it’s just not the same. I’ve grown fond of Grumpy Kitzia, a six-year-old tabby in Florida. Just like Tartar Sauce – Grumpy Cat’s real name – Kitzia is a friendly puss that happens to have resting witch face. She’s actually quite cuddly with her owner, but her sour expression never changes. Long live Kitzia!

I run three accounts on IG: my own, the Gracefully and Frankly podcast page, and Cuddles the Senior Cat. I tried to close the Cuddles account but Meta wouldn’t let me, so he’s still got his own page. He’s getting more comfortable with the camera but he’s impatient! Cuddles is an introvert.

Please share any fun follows you’ve found in the comments.