This article hits the nail on the head. I travel for a living and was subconsciously seeking out places with this aesthetic simply because it was a “known factor”, a soothing balm in what can be a noisy, chaotic space (six different countries in a week is typical for me). What this piece made me realize is that in seeking out the same, bland places that are “safe”, I’m missing out on some wonderful opportunities to immerse myself in real local culture and, in a way, negative the privilege I have in being exposed to all these cultures to begin with. Thank you for waking me up. Well written.
I liked this the first time and I like it again. In a way, I’m finding Substack to move against this trend--it’s a place to find distinctive, individual voices, and not the same image-obsessed listicles you mind elsewhere. I think those of us writing on Substack need to keep an eye out for maintaining it’s quirky distinctiveness, for the move to a mass audience that is underway will exert pressure toward uniformity.
Yes for sure! It's a great place to have a network effect and generate discussions that don't depend on the biggest digital platforms. But there are lots of other email newsletter providers also.
I should have been more explicit: I see Substack rising to the top of the newsletter providers, becoming to writers what AirBNB has become to renters of property, and I wonder how we monitor a the effects that this dominance has on the quality of the newsletter experience? I already see an obsessive focus on growing subscriber counts, which leads to a focus on manipulating content to enhance engagement (in the same way that AirBNB owners focus on their photos and designing their spaces to appear to a prescribed notion of a good AirBNB). How long will it be before you could write a parallel article about Substack?
This article hits the nail on the head. I travel for a living and was subconsciously seeking out places with this aesthetic simply because it was a “known factor”, a soothing balm in what can be a noisy, chaotic space (six different countries in a week is typical for me). What this piece made me realize is that in seeking out the same, bland places that are “safe”, I’m missing out on some wonderful opportunities to immerse myself in real local culture and, in a way, negative the privilege I have in being exposed to all these cultures to begin with. Thank you for waking me up. Well written.
Negating *
I liked this the first time and I like it again. In a way, I’m finding Substack to move against this trend--it’s a place to find distinctive, individual voices, and not the same image-obsessed listicles you mind elsewhere. I think those of us writing on Substack need to keep an eye out for maintaining it’s quirky distinctiveness, for the move to a mass audience that is underway will exert pressure toward uniformity.
Yes for sure! It's a great place to have a network effect and generate discussions that don't depend on the biggest digital platforms. But there are lots of other email newsletter providers also.
I should have been more explicit: I see Substack rising to the top of the newsletter providers, becoming to writers what AirBNB has become to renters of property, and I wonder how we monitor a the effects that this dominance has on the quality of the newsletter experience? I already see an obsessive focus on growing subscriber counts, which leads to a focus on manipulating content to enhance engagement (in the same way that AirBNB owners focus on their photos and designing their spaces to appear to a prescribed notion of a good AirBNB). How long will it be before you could write a parallel article about Substack?