Back-to-school season may brim with nostalgia, but your learning days don’t have to be over with social media’s bevy of fun-meets-educational creators. Infotainment-style accounts abound on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Craving history? Tune into short-and-sweet lessons through the centuries. More of a Zoology fan? Learn animal facts straight from a beloved TikTok zookeeper.
We have all of that and much more in this roundup of 12 must-follow educational creators. Grab your pencil pouches and open your spiral notebooks because social media school is now in session.
For Astronomy: Alexandra Doten (@Astro_Alexandra)
From the total solar eclipse to a boom in northern light activity, interest in the night sky is growing. Few creators have satiated that hunger for space knowledge like Alexandra Doten, best known as Astro Alexandra. Doten uses platforms like TikTok and Instagram to share all things interstellar, including what to look for in the night sky, fun facts about other planets (or forgotten planets), and updates on space travel.
For Finances: Taylor Price (@Priceless Tay)
Gone are the days of avoiding money talks. Taylor Price, best known as @PricelassTay on TikTok and Instagram, is a young finance expert teaching followers how to navigate the world of money, wealth, and savings, including money-smart habits, hacks for investing, tips on the best types of banking accounts, and budgeting 101. In addition to social media, Price shares her finance tips via the Priceless Tay Podcast.
For Geology: Geo Rutherford (@Geodesaurus)
Geo Rutherford, known on TikTok as @Geodesaurus, uses social media to share lesser-known facts about our planet, particularly its lakes—think spooky lakes with haunted histories to lakes with peculiar features like spots. She grew to fame with the signature opening line, “Um, yes, hello,” a tagline now so well-known among her followers that it became the title of a documentary film about her work. In addition to teaching Earth facts, Rutherford is an author and artist with galleries in the Great Lakes region.
For Botany: Gina Danze (@WildGina)
Gina Danze, known on Instagram as @WildGina, is both a celebrated Sony nature photographer and the creator behind the Instagram Reels series “Botany Bites.” With the latter, Danze showcases interesting facts about plants, be it the ins and outs of fern history to how climate change is impacting the orange industry. Come for Danze’s mind-boggling plant facts, stay for her nature photography inspiration—and don’t just scroll through her feed. Allocate time to read the captions for insights into how science plays a role in her visual inspiration.
For Zoology: Jordan Veasley (@JungleJordan)
If you’re an animal fan, stop everything you’re doing and give Jordan Veasley, better known as @JungleJordan, a follow. Veasley is a wildlife educator, former zookeeper, and conservationist. He uses Instagram and TikTok to spotlight fun facts about the animal kingdom. Do you know, for example, the difference between bugs and insects? Or how penguins choose their mates? Veasley does, and he shares this intel with followers via short and entertaining videos.
For Art: Charly Clements (@CharlyClements)
Curious about the world of illustration or hoping to break into the design industry? Tune into Charly Clements’ Instagram content for illustration inspiration, tutorials, assignments, and prompts. Clements offers an accessible and easy-to-follow approach to illustration on Instagram, with more intensive and detailed art masterclasses available on her website.
For Writing: Lauren Kay (@LaurenKayWrites)
Getting words down on the page can feel hard enough. Writing words and characters that are so coherent they can be turned into a real-life book? That can seem downright impossible—unless you have author and creator Lauren Kay on your side. Kay, who goes by @LaurenKayWrites on social media, uses TikTok and Instagram to help aspiring authors turn their words into stories that sell. Her tips run the gamut, from the best technology to use (hint: it’s not Google Docs) to how to brainstorm a book and, particularly important, how to find writing motivation when all feels lost.
For Music: Matt Wheeler (@MattWheelerGuitar)
If you’ve dreamed of playing your favorite songs on a six-string but need motivation to stick with your practice, you’re in luck. Matt Wheeler uses his Instagram account, @MattWheelerGuitar, to help budding musicians make their instrumental goals a reality. Wheeler, who offers private lessons in real life, turns to Instagram to share all sorts of entertaining and educational music content, be it must-know tricks from Eddie Van Halen or how to overcome common guitar problems. While you’ll still need to practice on your own, Instagram sessions with Wheeler will give you a leg up.
For Home Design: Julie Sousa (@The_AvantGarde)
Décor and design are integral to making a house feel like home, but many homeowners aren’t sure where to start. Enter Julie Sousa, known on TikTok as @The_AvantGarde, a self-taught interior designer offering quick and easy decorating and design hacks to elevate a home’s aesthetic. Her tips are simple and actionable, including styling for a dinner party and making a small bedroom feel larger. Perhaps the greatest part of Sousa’s content? Unlike some aspirational home-design accounts, her DIY tips won’t require draining your savings.
For Cooking: Owen Han (@Owen.Han)
There’s a reason those Tasty food videos of the 2010s rose to fame. Watching ingredients turn into a dazzling dish is nothing if not mesmerizing. TikTokker Owen Han (@Owen.Han) offers a contemporary take on those eye-popping videos with quick, easy-to-follow visual recipes for everything from a delectable French onion burger to a wet burrito and meatball sub. This October, Han will also release his new cookbook, “Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich,” which has received early praise from chef icons like Gordon Ramsay.
For History: Lauren Cella (@LaurenCella)
Who better to learn history from than world history teacher Lauren Cella (@LaurenCella), who’s made a name for herself on social media with hilarious but accurate videos on subjects from war to monarchies. Cella goes beyond straight history lessons, with fun takes incorporating social media trends—including her recent TikTok showing Catherine of Aragon as a “demure and mindful” queen. According to an interview on ABC 23 in Bakersfield, this idea for social media history classes stemmed during the pandemic’s virtual classes, when her students suggested she launch a TikTok—and the rest, as they say, was history.
For Filmmaking: Sal D’Alia (Behind the Beat)
In August 2024, AdoramaTV partnered with Adorama brand content lead and Sony Alpha Ambassador Sal D’Alia on an exciting new YouTube series: Behind the Beat. This original series showcases the ins and outs of making high-quality music videos for top young talent, including interviews with artists like TikTok sensation Gabi Sklar. Follow along for tips, tricks, and insights into this creative style of filmmaking, and don’t forget to follow other AdoramaTV favorites, including Coffee with Creators.
