I've been wrestling with this for a lot longer than Substack. I left my last "proper" job in 1990 to work as an independent. My clients included chemical and pharma companies that were less than wholesome, but my work for them was in areas such as regulatory compliance that moved them in a better direction.
As you point out, it's impossible to do anything in this economy, or now, on this platform, without doing some harm. May the good we do outweigh the harm; may our compassion outweigh the suffering we cause.
Thanks, John. One thing I think about often—and your experience with chem/pharma companies demonstrates—is how it takes all sorts of people in all sorts of roles to make change. We need revolutionaries AND regulators. Boycotters AND inside agitators. Those working for long-term solutions AND those working on short-term mitigation.
Thank you for describing the rock and hard place we're all up against!
I've often thought about the benefits of decentralization - in tech and other aspects of life. Decentralized energy production, decentralized food production, etc. If done right, it makes local small scale things work better because the power and decision making is done at a local level.
But what you mentioned about discovery is the tricky part. When you're decentralized, it means you're not connected to everyone at large. Sure, you have more control over what happens on your own platform... but unless you're really just focused on a small group you'll still need to play to the algorithms to expand your reach.
I think Google and search engines are some of the first big algorithms that many of us learned to optimize for... but now bigger well-staffed companies compete for the top spots and it makes it harder to be found in the "big web".
Ooh, I appreciate the provocation around decentralization. I think that decentralization only works when we are actually connected to everyone at large—but in our current paradigm, we're kept so busy and in a state of urgent reaction that it's near impossible to forge the kinds of connections that make decentralization work.
This is making me think of a sort of "Anarchy 101" episode that Sean Illing did on his podcast The Gray Area recently. If you're interested in decentralization and you're unfamiliar with anarchism as a social/political philosophy, it's a great listen!!
I'll have to check that out, thanks for the recommendation!
And I totally agree that we aren't able to forge the kinds of connections we need to make decentralization work. Even if some people want to prioritize it and can carve out some time, most people are so busy that they won't be able to participate fully.
That's the fundamental problem with decentralization, right? It doesn't matter if I can publish the same thing on Blue Sky and Threads if there's no one there to read it.
For me, it was a nondecision. No other platform provides the tools I need in a way that reduces my labor. And that’s important as an independent publisher.
But the question of multiple income streams is, once again, at the forefront of my mind. How can I decentralize the platforms from my labor? What else do I need to create to be able to afford my life?
100%. Every time I started thinking about a "workaround," I realized that I was making more work for myself again—something that Substack had solved in a delightful way. Exhausting indeed.
I love the concept that “We can abandon the expectation that ‘our decisions and actions will result in perfect harmony or order.’" This is the case for every financial decision we make under capitalism. It’s definitely a useful framework for thinking about investing, too!
Thanks for this essay, Tara. As always, you’ve put into words so well the thoughts knocking around in so many of our heads and made them easier to decipher.
As a leftist running a business in the deeply conservative heart of Wisconsin, I can vouch that this problem extends beyond the platform world. My partner and I have considered cutting and running but have decided (for now) that the best work we can do is to remain and show the other good people here that we’re a force to be reckoned with. I see that happening on Substack, too, and I hope the good creators will stay and keep making noise.
Thank you so much for writing this. And I’m sorry you had to. Your perspective and the language you’ve given this is deeply appreciated, both in naming what this rock and hard place is, and also ways to think through it. I came here only in September with lots of hope and have been feeling this fuuuuuuuuuck, really? Again? What now?
As I’ve been thinking about this coming year, I’ve been wrestling with the always exhausting decisions about what to truly focus on, go all in on, or diversify. I’ve felt like my tendency to take on all the things, do to much, etc. has been holding me back, that I want and need to focus in. And yet, having multiple ways to earn a living, and my own thing going while not being dependent on platforms has both been a ton of work but also not so devastating as things shift and change. I too feel like I’ve been crawling out of a few very hard years. My health and joy and creativity and gumption, they’re all coming back and I feel really excited and ready to make and share art, and yet here is this awful, broken, morally repugnant world with its exploit and plunder approaches to living all over and inescapable.
I appreciate you naming how many ways there are to create change and liberation in your comment to John up there, that we can do it from within, without, with action, with refusal and on and on. But it seems, not without moral injury. Thanks again, I do feel some ‘made steady progress on that paper work relief’ :)
At this moment I’m on a bus from Granada, Spain, to Madrid. Just read the piece and couldn’t wait to join the convo, but please forgive my handwriting.
I really appreciated this post. It *does* help us think through this spot between a rock and hard place in a way that’s meaningful. And you lay it out, Tara, in a way that oozes empathy. I think this is the first post adjacent to the “Nazi Problem“ topic that I’ve found relatable (and felt “related to”).
Compared to other Substackers, I’ve probably felt less moral injury from these events because I started off with lower expectations of Substack. I was never someone posting about how Substack made me feel loved, or Notes was the best social feed, or the app was amazing. To me, Substack is a newsletter-service-cum-social-platform that effectively branded itself as a place for great writing (thereby attracting MANY great writers — such as yourself, Tara — in addition to legions of lesser writers). Substack is a place for great writing in the same way YouTube is a place for great video. I don’t say this as an insult to Substack or anyone using it. I’m thankful for the value Substack offers me. But I also started here around the time of Patel’s interview with Chris Best and, even if we set aside Chris’s message, I was struck by the amateurishness of the communications operation. Then I recall Hamish posting that he was okay with Substack getting a reputation as a highbrow platform (a statement that hasn’t aged well), and I knew it was a place where I’d be an outsider.
I thought your point about moving to the devil you don’t know is one of the most underappreciated considerations for those leaving. The fact that “Joe’s Writing Platform and Grill” heard about an exodus from Substack and adds “No Nazis” to its Terms of Service, so I can safely migrate there for $9/month, isn’t persuasive to me. By the time Joe realizes it has nazis on its platform and figures out what to do with them, Substack might implement a more palatable and proactive policy. I don’t know. Someone on Mastodon suggested Wordpress.com — never been bad actors there 🙄
I’m thankful for the evocative section on moral injury. It gives food for thought as I’ve considered later this year exploring — as a sort of take on Bullshit Jobs — the concept of meaningful jobs (eg. baristas?) in bullshit industries (eg. fast food coffee).
Sorry for a Comment that’s almost longer than the post. You gave me so much to think about. Thank you!
Oh my! I IMMEDIATELY got an image for a sign for "Joe's Writing Platform and Grill" and I'd like to have a cheap steak and an IPA there with you, Bob!
I think your comparison between Substack and YouTube is SPOT ON. The discovery engine there makes it a place video creators want to be despite the vile stuff that's also there. Same here.
Maybe instead of Substack building an "economic engine for culture" (because frankly, the infrastructure for that already exists and has for more than a decade), Substack needs to concern themselves with why people are actually here: the discovery engine. And that begs a new set of questions about what kinds of discoveries the platform wants to facilitate.
It took me a few days to get back around to this, although I liked it so well I shared it on Facebook right away--because, and this is crucial--I understand part of my role as a content consumer/creator to be interleaving the various worlds which I inhabit. As Briar and others mention, decentralization makes it HARD, which is why platforms like Facebook, and before that LiveJournal, services like RSS feeds, and bbs systems embedded on popular websites, are so popular. We want to find and interact with each other. I already know Briar, now I get to see her thinking in another place. I was really excited to hear Notes was coming out BECAUSE I want to talk to other people who are reading/listening to the things I'm reading and listening to, like What Works. I was very Not Excited about the Nazi problem, so even though my entire public presence really started with writing, I have not launched a Substack. But I haven't launched an anything-else either, because I know how important audience and discoverability are, and I need that boost, I need the community aspect. It's when platforms mess with the organic qualities of the communities they host that we stop getting content that we want and start getting content they want us to have. But I love so much about the product Substack has created, which really is unique, that I still pay and read here, knowing that for every $10 I spend, $1 goes to the platform and more to fees. There are too many rich writings here, making a kind of self-selected high quality magazine for me every time I open it, to dismiss it. And as a creator, being part of that ecosystem is really appealing--so appealing that I'm wrestling with this question almost daily now. The exhaustion you describe is .real. and a real impediment to good work, especially for someone like me, autistic and limited in outward-facing spoons. How much do I have to create, and much harder, how much administrative overhead do I have to wade through, in order to do the work I'm here to do?
Thanks, Tara, for this perspective.
I've been wrestling with this for a lot longer than Substack. I left my last "proper" job in 1990 to work as an independent. My clients included chemical and pharma companies that were less than wholesome, but my work for them was in areas such as regulatory compliance that moved them in a better direction.
As you point out, it's impossible to do anything in this economy, or now, on this platform, without doing some harm. May the good we do outweigh the harm; may our compassion outweigh the suffering we cause.
Thanks, John. One thing I think about often—and your experience with chem/pharma companies demonstrates—is how it takes all sorts of people in all sorts of roles to make change. We need revolutionaries AND regulators. Boycotters AND inside agitators. Those working for long-term solutions AND those working on short-term mitigation.
yes, both. All the roles. Street protests are not the only effective protestors.
Thank you for describing the rock and hard place we're all up against!
I've often thought about the benefits of decentralization - in tech and other aspects of life. Decentralized energy production, decentralized food production, etc. If done right, it makes local small scale things work better because the power and decision making is done at a local level.
But what you mentioned about discovery is the tricky part. When you're decentralized, it means you're not connected to everyone at large. Sure, you have more control over what happens on your own platform... but unless you're really just focused on a small group you'll still need to play to the algorithms to expand your reach.
I think Google and search engines are some of the first big algorithms that many of us learned to optimize for... but now bigger well-staffed companies compete for the top spots and it makes it harder to be found in the "big web".
Ooh, I appreciate the provocation around decentralization. I think that decentralization only works when we are actually connected to everyone at large—but in our current paradigm, we're kept so busy and in a state of urgent reaction that it's near impossible to forge the kinds of connections that make decentralization work.
This is making me think of a sort of "Anarchy 101" episode that Sean Illing did on his podcast The Gray Area recently. If you're interested in decentralization and you're unfamiliar with anarchism as a social/political philosophy, it's a great listen!!
I'll have to check that out, thanks for the recommendation!
And I totally agree that we aren't able to forge the kinds of connections we need to make decentralization work. Even if some people want to prioritize it and can carve out some time, most people are so busy that they won't be able to participate fully.
That's the fundamental problem with decentralization, right? It doesn't matter if I can publish the same thing on Blue Sky and Threads if there's no one there to read it.
For me, it was a nondecision. No other platform provides the tools I need in a way that reduces my labor. And that’s important as an independent publisher.
But the question of multiple income streams is, once again, at the forefront of my mind. How can I decentralize the platforms from my labor? What else do I need to create to be able to afford my life?
It’s exhausting.
100%. Every time I started thinking about a "workaround," I realized that I was making more work for myself again—something that Substack had solved in a delightful way. Exhausting indeed.
I love the concept that “We can abandon the expectation that ‘our decisions and actions will result in perfect harmony or order.’" This is the case for every financial decision we make under capitalism. It’s definitely a useful framework for thinking about investing, too!
Thanks for this essay, Tara. As always, you’ve put into words so well the thoughts knocking around in so many of our heads and made them easier to decipher.
As a leftist running a business in the deeply conservative heart of Wisconsin, I can vouch that this problem extends beyond the platform world. My partner and I have considered cutting and running but have decided (for now) that the best work we can do is to remain and show the other good people here that we’re a force to be reckoned with. I see that happening on Substack, too, and I hope the good creators will stay and keep making noise.
Thank you so much for writing this. And I’m sorry you had to. Your perspective and the language you’ve given this is deeply appreciated, both in naming what this rock and hard place is, and also ways to think through it. I came here only in September with lots of hope and have been feeling this fuuuuuuuuuck, really? Again? What now?
As I’ve been thinking about this coming year, I’ve been wrestling with the always exhausting decisions about what to truly focus on, go all in on, or diversify. I’ve felt like my tendency to take on all the things, do to much, etc. has been holding me back, that I want and need to focus in. And yet, having multiple ways to earn a living, and my own thing going while not being dependent on platforms has both been a ton of work but also not so devastating as things shift and change. I too feel like I’ve been crawling out of a few very hard years. My health and joy and creativity and gumption, they’re all coming back and I feel really excited and ready to make and share art, and yet here is this awful, broken, morally repugnant world with its exploit and plunder approaches to living all over and inescapable.
I appreciate you naming how many ways there are to create change and liberation in your comment to John up there, that we can do it from within, without, with action, with refusal and on and on. But it seems, not without moral injury. Thanks again, I do feel some ‘made steady progress on that paper work relief’ :)
At this moment I’m on a bus from Granada, Spain, to Madrid. Just read the piece and couldn’t wait to join the convo, but please forgive my handwriting.
I really appreciated this post. It *does* help us think through this spot between a rock and hard place in a way that’s meaningful. And you lay it out, Tara, in a way that oozes empathy. I think this is the first post adjacent to the “Nazi Problem“ topic that I’ve found relatable (and felt “related to”).
Compared to other Substackers, I’ve probably felt less moral injury from these events because I started off with lower expectations of Substack. I was never someone posting about how Substack made me feel loved, or Notes was the best social feed, or the app was amazing. To me, Substack is a newsletter-service-cum-social-platform that effectively branded itself as a place for great writing (thereby attracting MANY great writers — such as yourself, Tara — in addition to legions of lesser writers). Substack is a place for great writing in the same way YouTube is a place for great video. I don’t say this as an insult to Substack or anyone using it. I’m thankful for the value Substack offers me. But I also started here around the time of Patel’s interview with Chris Best and, even if we set aside Chris’s message, I was struck by the amateurishness of the communications operation. Then I recall Hamish posting that he was okay with Substack getting a reputation as a highbrow platform (a statement that hasn’t aged well), and I knew it was a place where I’d be an outsider.
I thought your point about moving to the devil you don’t know is one of the most underappreciated considerations for those leaving. The fact that “Joe’s Writing Platform and Grill” heard about an exodus from Substack and adds “No Nazis” to its Terms of Service, so I can safely migrate there for $9/month, isn’t persuasive to me. By the time Joe realizes it has nazis on its platform and figures out what to do with them, Substack might implement a more palatable and proactive policy. I don’t know. Someone on Mastodon suggested Wordpress.com — never been bad actors there 🙄
I’m thankful for the evocative section on moral injury. It gives food for thought as I’ve considered later this year exploring — as a sort of take on Bullshit Jobs — the concept of meaningful jobs (eg. baristas?) in bullshit industries (eg. fast food coffee).
Sorry for a Comment that’s almost longer than the post. You gave me so much to think about. Thank you!
Almost in Madrid. 🚍
Oh my! I IMMEDIATELY got an image for a sign for "Joe's Writing Platform and Grill" and I'd like to have a cheap steak and an IPA there with you, Bob!
I think your comparison between Substack and YouTube is SPOT ON. The discovery engine there makes it a place video creators want to be despite the vile stuff that's also there. Same here.
Maybe instead of Substack building an "economic engine for culture" (because frankly, the infrastructure for that already exists and has for more than a decade), Substack needs to concern themselves with why people are actually here: the discovery engine. And that begs a new set of questions about what kinds of discoveries the platform wants to facilitate.
Enjoy Madrid!!!
It took me a few days to get back around to this, although I liked it so well I shared it on Facebook right away--because, and this is crucial--I understand part of my role as a content consumer/creator to be interleaving the various worlds which I inhabit. As Briar and others mention, decentralization makes it HARD, which is why platforms like Facebook, and before that LiveJournal, services like RSS feeds, and bbs systems embedded on popular websites, are so popular. We want to find and interact with each other. I already know Briar, now I get to see her thinking in another place. I was really excited to hear Notes was coming out BECAUSE I want to talk to other people who are reading/listening to the things I'm reading and listening to, like What Works. I was very Not Excited about the Nazi problem, so even though my entire public presence really started with writing, I have not launched a Substack. But I haven't launched an anything-else either, because I know how important audience and discoverability are, and I need that boost, I need the community aspect. It's when platforms mess with the organic qualities of the communities they host that we stop getting content that we want and start getting content they want us to have. But I love so much about the product Substack has created, which really is unique, that I still pay and read here, knowing that for every $10 I spend, $1 goes to the platform and more to fees. There are too many rich writings here, making a kind of self-selected high quality magazine for me every time I open it, to dismiss it. And as a creator, being part of that ecosystem is really appealing--so appealing that I'm wrestling with this question almost daily now. The exhaustion you describe is .real. and a real impediment to good work, especially for someone like me, autistic and limited in outward-facing spoons. How much do I have to create, and much harder, how much administrative overhead do I have to wade through, in order to do the work I'm here to do?
Thank you for this. Such a challenge all around.