If you’ve noticed that Chicago-centric social media content privileges specific areas and communities, you aren’t alone.
On Instagram or TikTok, short-form “reel” content abounds, and many videos seem positionally catered to tourists and/or newcomers. The content rarely appeals to the born-and-raised locals who, according to the Sun-Times concerning Chicagoan geography – make up roughly half the population of the city, heavily concentrated in neighborhoods farther away from the Loop.
It’s impossible to ignore the impact of these online trends, as harmless as intentions may be. Dominant social media voices implicitly decide which community areas are prioritized for social and economic growth. “Influencers” now have the ability to influence infrastructure — driving investment and population to certain, concentrated areas of the city.
Though there doesn’t seem to be any concrete data on which Chicago neighborhoods are highest promoted online, the most frequently talked-about areas on platforms like Instagram and Tiktok seem to be: West Loop, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park, Logan Square, and River North.
These neighborhoods are all located on the North Side of Chicago, even when, according to the University of Chicago, the South Side is larger in area than both the North and West Side combined. The Chicago Health Atlas even recorded all of these trending neighborhoods having a median income that ranks in the top 50% of all Chicago neighborhoods. In addition, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, and River North consistently rank among the whitest communities in the city.
Born-and-raised Chicagoans, many from the South and West sides, have taken to social media to point out the hypocrisy of “Chicago-centered” content that centers an affluent, white perspective and ignores integral history and community context. A commonly shared sentiment is that trending content rarely focuses on areas outside of a certain “bubble” and is lacking in native Chicagoan perspectives.
In order to turn the tides against an algorithm oversaturated with one type of voice, here are three native Chicagoan creators who encapsulate, within their content, an authentic sense of the city. The heart and soul of a working-class metropolis, a patchwork quilt of neighborhoods and a community that takes initiative and stands together when under threat. These three Chicago content creators are, undoubtedly, the real deal.
Charley Cao (aka @charleytalks)
Charley Cao is a content creator who was born and raised in the Chinatown neighborhood, and now calls Brighton Park home. He spent most of his childhood and adolescence on the southwest side, mentioning that the majority of Chicago’s Chinese population now live along the Orange Line corridor after being displaced from Chinatown and Armour Square.
“It [Chinatown] was very different back in the early 2010s,” said Cao. “Many of the people who grew up there have moved out. It’s become more of a tourist spot.”
Cao started posting videos over a year ago, after having several conversations with childhood friends about the lack of Chicago content creators from the South Side. He also wanted to highlight Chicago’s large and historically significant Chinese-American community.
He started out with a simple concept: “Take transit with me to visit a different neighborhood.” His goal was to show viewers that “Chicago is different everywhere you go.” Now, he mostly makes videos about Chicago history and films his day-to-day activities, which include liberal use of the CTA, along with trying new restaurants and hanging out with family and friends.
Cao notes that viral and trending videos about Chicago rarely appeal to the lifestyle a large majority of residents are living. He hopes his content can bridge that gap.
“This neighborhood we’re in right now, it’s very working class,” said Cao. “That’s most of the South Side, and the West Side, and you don’t see those neighborhoods getting featured by many creators, but we make up most of the city.”
Cao, who has recently pushed to create more informative content, is fascinated with the history of workers and labor activism in Chicago. To educate himself he once took a long-haul bus ride to Hegewisch to see and film a video about the memorial in Haymarket Square – the site of a massive protest by activists against the violent deaths of workers during a labor lockout.
When asked about his favorite part about exploring new neighborhoods, Cao says that the word “exploring” didn’t seem quite in line with what he does.
“I’m just visiting new places,” said Cao. “But I’m still in my city, in my community. I don’t want to shy away from reality with my content. There is inequality and there is poverty. But that’s the reality of the city.”
Carlos (aka @notitlecarlos)
If you’re looking to witness a completely and utterly “average day in Chicago,” then Carlos Navarro has you covered. Though most recently known for his travel content, the Southwest Side native has garnered over 124,000 followers on Instagram and 138,000 followers on TikTok, all eager to view first person reels filmed with META glasses. In his Chicago-centered videos, he often travels great lengths of distance — hopping from train to bus like the Chicago Spiderman on a mission to traverse the entire city.
“I started posting when I was traveling,” said Navarro. “I was making videos with the glasses in South America and they got a lot of views. But I can’t travel all of the time, so I started to just film my days back home, in Chicago.”
One of his first viral Chicago reels was a clip of him buying street corn from a cornerside vendor in his home neighborhood of West Lawn.
“It was just a simple interaction,” said Navarro. “But it blew up, and I was like, here’s something here.’ So, the next day I did ‘Day Two of Trying Every Street Vendor in Chicago,’ and things just sort of took off.”
Now, Navarro’s content is viewed all over the world. He is always eager to interact with his followers outside of the U.S. and answer their questions about life in Chicago.
Like Cao, Navarro finds joy in filming his travels on the CTA. Although owning a car, he prefers taking public transit than driving in the city, arguing that it brings about a better sense of community with fellow Chicagoans.
“When you’re driving, you’re in this little box by yourself,” said Navarro. “It’s so depressing, you just zone out. On the bus and the train, you feel like part of a community.”
Navarro also enjoys making food content that highlights local businesses popular in Chicago’s Mexican-American community, where he was brought up.
“When a lot of the ICE stuff was happening, I saw journalists writing about businesses in Belmont Cragin, Pilsen, and Little Village that were having trouble because people were afraid,” said Navarro. “So, we went to a lot of those places and I was able to share that with my followers.”
Navarro believes that content creators occupy a special role in both the digital sphere and in the city as a whole, and native Chicagoans who make content have the special opportunity to highlight the most meaningful aspects of their hometown. Navarro simultaneously welcomes newcomers to the city with open arms and holds those who built this city close — all with a smile on his face.
“I really try to advocate for the community,” said Navarro. “I think my videos do a good job of showing that.”
Sydney (aka @sydney_emily):
Sydney Emily is a content creator who makes videos highlighting the history behind Chicago’s buildings and neighborhoods. Currently an architecture student at UIC, Emily started to make content when she first moved into the city full-time after growing up in Evanston. Ever since she was young, Chicago architecture had always fascinated her.
“I was pretty scared to start posting architecture at first, because I feel like I don’t know anybody that does post architecture,” said Emily. “I thought, ‘Will this even work out? Will people even care?’ And obviously they did, which was really cool.”
Since then, Emily has amassed over 18,000 followers on TikTok and over 11,000 on Instagram. Her content varies, from historical videos about architecture to neighborhood guides, as well as the occasional lifestyle recommendation.
Emily’s content blends architectural and social history to dive deeper into Chicago typical influencers may only scratch the surface of. Emily recently made the decision to branch out with her content, fueling her love for her home city and making her even more eager to explore and research.
“I started a series because I wanted to go out into the neighborhoods more. It’s called ‘Sydney in the City,’” said Emily. “I see a lot of other creators making videos like this, too. It makes me really happy.”
Emily enjoys applying the research she’s done to the current social context of Chicago, which has made her a more well-rounded Chicagoan when visiting different communities.
“It all comes down to how you approach certain things about the city, especially areas that have faced gentrification and disinvestment,” said Emily. “You don’t say, ‘I discovered this,’ when people have been going there for years.”
Overall, Emily believes that Chicago content creators, especially ones from the area, have a deep respect for their city and an eagerness to cultivate community. Emily’s own commitment to informative and well-produced content is a shining example.
In the heart of a wildly expansive metropolis, three different perspectives on the city are encapsulated through three different camera lenses — and there are many more out there to discover. These creators encourage followers to dive deeper into Chicago’s culture and engage with their community in a more informed and meaningful way.
Header Image by Eva Strazek
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