Here’s What’s Trending on Medium This Week: July 30–August 5
Your window into the stories resonating with readers right now
Every day, thousands of writers turn to Medium to share their perspectives — from personal experiences to presidential statements to product reviews. Here, anyone with an idea or story to share can potentially reach millions of readers, changing how we understand the world and each other.
To give you a sense of the stories having that kind of impact, here’s a list of what’s trending on Medium right now. This week: an iPhone devotee previews what’s next for iOS; an artist inspires us to draw one line each day; and a hummingbird enthusiast maps seasonal migration patterns. Curious what else readers are spending time with? Browse the “trending” tab on any tag page (for example, medium.com/tag/drawing).
1. “My 2022 Summer Lists” by Barack Obama
Sea of Tranquility — Emily St. John Mandel
Why We’re Polarized — Ezra Klein
The Candy House — Jennifer Egan
A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance — Hanif Abdurraqib
2. “We Are Still Good” by Savala Nolan
It’s been years since I’ve had an ecstatic moment of absolute clarity about the benevolent, grand force of the universe, of good news. The moments I’ve been nursing for solace are all memories. And lately the world we humans have made for ourselves, and the way we treat each other, has felt so alienated, so cruel and merciless, that I’ve wondered what will become of us human beings. Whether we can still be good to each other in big-scale ways that mirror and align with the creative impulse of the universe.
3. “Rewilding Cities” by Clive Thompson
We often don’t notice it, because we’ve trained ourselves to think of streets as “almost exclusively for cars”. But if you think of all the things you could do with streets, you realize how weird it is that we have, for decades now, used them mostly only for vehicles.
4. “My Experience of Sri Lanka’s Powerful Protests” by indi.ca
People walked. People came on bicycles. They came in moving vans, in vehicle transporters, in lorries, they even commandeered trains that the government had tried to stop from running. The government cut fuel supplies even further, they tried to call a curfew, they thought about blocking internet, but — like the Grinch — they couldn’t stop the Aragalaya (struggle) from coming.
5. “Three Features Make iOS 16 Great” by M.G. Siegler
The real star of the show, at least in this early stage, may be the Emoji. Again, speaking to the notion of working with your strengths, Apple has always had the best emoji. But given that they’re emoji, they’re tiny when used in apps. Apple decided to weave their brilliant designs into the design of iOS 16. You can now mix and match your favorite emoji in ways that are surprisingly satisfying and even gratifying. And just fun.
6. “Not a Day Without a Line: The Gentle Discipline of Drawing Every Day” by Garance Coggins
Any creative practice can feel like… an elusive creature we might never know — beautiful from a distance and not willing to engage with us. It is ours to show patience towards it, and to sit closer to it, one day at a time, one line at a time.
7. “Double Income Home Decor Can F*ck Immediately Off” by Shani Silver
Solo home ownership and solo home decor are possible. But they’re harder. They take longer. They look different than what two incomes can accomplish together. And you know what, that’s fine. We are all living our own unique circumstances and our own life timelines.
8. “Insignificance” by Cai Emmons
I wonder if astronomers live differently from the rest of us. Are they more humble because they spend their time contemplating the vast universe and its origins? What does it mean to factor this cosmic knowledge into the way one leads a life?
9. “I Was Eddie Munson, And You Hated Me” by Benjamin Sledge
When I say that people hate metal, I’m not exaggerating. I can’t tell you the amount of conversations I’ve had regarding my taste in music in which people claim they “can’t understand the appeal” or that it sounds “too angry and could lead to violence” or they’re certain “this is what they’d play in hell.” Consider that even though Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” took the internet and ratings by storm, every single major radio station still refuses to play metal because the belief is that it won’t do well, is too angry, or won’t resonate with today’s culture.
10. “Hummingbird Migration Maps 2022” by Ann Christine Tabaka
I have been a hummingbird enthusiast for the past 35+ years. Here on the east coast of North America, we only get one variety that nests here and is a regular visitor, the Ruby throated Hummingbird. These enchanting little ‘flying jewels’ only live in the western hemisphere. There are over 330 species [some avian societies cite 365 varieties], and 115 genera of hummingbirds, but only 12–15 will regularly migrate into the United States to nest in the summer, and even fewer continue all the way north to Canada.
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