Why aren’t they content to offer something unique? They had a really compelling offering at the start. So many of us bought into the dream of a place for writing.
I read last week that Substack’s user-base was shrinking because it was trying to be like every other social media platform, whether that’s Twitter with notes or Youtube with TV. It’s not working, FFS.
It was really special and now it’s just become homogenous - deliberately. Absolute madness and really bloody disappointing.
They aren’t content because the users don’t want to read, they want to listen and/or watch. It takes too much effort to sit still and focus.
This is an ongoing issue. I read (heard?) an interview with Matt Damon talking about how Netflix wants plotlines emphasized multiple times in their movies. Why?
Because home streamers multitask and are usually on their phones while watching movies. Same with long form content. Same with adding captions to movies.
That’s why Substack had to add Notes (“posts”). People can’t pay attention.
Yes! Text to speech is different than what this new feature is though, I think (I could be wrong). My understanding is that text to speech is an incredibly wonderful assistive technology that turns a written article into audio but this new app is specifically for the purpose of content that is already in video form - so we can watch on our smart televisions sort of like a streaming service.
I came to post a similar comment! This is a writing platform and these added apps are not supporting writers, instead will bring in more “how to” gurus and sellers.
How do you know? Also, how do you know it won't help make Substack more sticky for those that would like both a place to read and another way to engage with writers?
It just seems like more upside than downside to me.
If you are going to a place for video, you tend to not be a reader. If you are a site specifically where long form writing is found, then you will attract readers that want to find stuff to read. It's the mechanics of how humans work.
Yeah, that’s not enough at all. They might as well be making nothing. They’re doing this video pivot because they have to be making way more than that.
The idea that 24 million dollars isn't enough profit is wild to me; I know in the scale of things its not because of hungry big money culture (I wanna say capitalism but at this point its bigger than capitalism), but I think hungry big money culture is a cancer.
Help me understand how that's nothing. I understand they've grown, they have overhead, and it takes a lot to provide the space for good writing (and now video, apps, and social networks) to be easy to use. My sense would be, though, is that if they just focused on elevating good writing, they would attract more people wanting something different than every other social media company out there. If they keep going down this road, there is no distinction between them and anyone else, so why stay? Most folks came here because it was different. That promise is gone.
I had to cut back because I went on a subscription frenzy. It was worse than picking streamings - maybe there’s going to be bundling soon. A couple of months ago, I was spending more on subscriptions than streamers so I question the lack of financial viability.
See, I’m the other way around. I’m subscribed to about a thousand for free but haven’t been compelled yet to upgrade to a paid subscription.
There are some I like and I’ve been wanting to but it’s just too hard to justify the expense when I have so much other stuff to read that I don’t pay for.
I did that at first, subscribing to TONS of free stacks and flitting around. But then what I noticed was that more and more people started to just restack constantly. Eventually, it started to feel like Blue Sky and all the rest.
So, I decided I would rather really read and engage. But man, it got expensive fast! I’m still trying to find the right balance but I appreciate paying subscription to those who take the time to write and engage. It’s worth it to me, though I feel super guilty when I have to cut writers loose from paid if they stop writing and start reposting.
I'm having trouble over there too. I'm not easy to pigeon hole and I'm a populist and entertainer AND I tell the truth. If it doesn't fit into any easy category or add up to a bite-size bullet point presentation-- it's crickets.
Sure, in theory, I agree. My issue is that the platform was created for reading long-form writing. Should I be surprised that the promise of supporting writers (Not video content creators. There's plenty of places that do that.) has changed? No, it's what all social media platforms do. Facebook promised connection and sowed division. IG promised connection through visual mediums and sowed envy, etc., etc.
What I'm disappointed about is another platform that tries to say they are not like the others but continually chooses to become like the others.
I only care that my voice won't be censored. I write and I can post video. And as a reader and writer I can tell you there is less time in a day to leisurely sit and read anymore. Sad but true. People have to go work their shitty gig jobs and can't look down -- so whatever works . . .
This post has been live for 20 minutes, and I am quite glad at the outspoken negative response from the community. I hope substack takes heed of the warning of their subscribers. Do not dilute your product by trying to reach the widest possible market. This is a horrible move, and your most devoted users are going to turn away from this platform and seek to move to independent platforms if this change comes. Dilution of IP is never a good market strategy.
Many already have fled, to Patreon, selling ebooks on Buy Me a Coffee, etc.
Get that, Substack overlords? Read all these comments here and try, just try, to understand that there are readers who want desperately to find great things to read, but discovery is difficult. And writers here simply want to have flexible monitization options, connect with each other and be able to find an audience.
Instead, we get this shit. It serves no purpose but to line the CV of a newly graduated MBA who never wrote a story in their lives, and for whom authors and readers are merely abstract, numbers in a spreadsheet.
Just fuck off with this, Substack, seriously. Maybe features like this have a place, but none of you know what the fuck you are doing, and obviously listening to others who are apparently even more incompetent, so untill you can find someone smart enough...
Problem is a lot of us can't do that. As much as I hate to admit it I probably wouldn't have a few readers I do now if I didn't post here. Moving isn't easy, but bugger me if it's not looking like the only option.
Interesting. You guys have gone from saying Substack is the best home for longform writing/writers to “Substack is the home for the best longform—work…”. I get trying to evolve, but this just seems like another venture capital-fueled idea. Reminds me of Medium all over again.
So for the limited amount of videos, they get TV apps.
Meanwhile... We can't even get a full fledged text editor for the writing.
Remember how writing was the original focus? Is Substack Proper just on maintenance now? No new features for a long time. Only Notes and Video. For the writers... Nothing.
I guess the investors want a second rate X and YouTube. They kneecapped themselves by creating Notes. Substack has growth in long form via X and then Notes made X remove visibility from Substack articles. Now it's YouTube... Rumble hasn't even made a dent in YouTube, so why does Substack think they can do it?
You would think Rumble's lack of traction, despite its strong backing from certain political elements, would have been a lesson and a monition, but... nope.
I'll never understand why they abandoned the one thing that made them unique. As I said, a wasted opportunity.
In the meantime, independent writers are going elsewhere...
That too. I self publied my novel here and I had thought they were going to move to a point where the Kindle and eReaders were the competition and not video. But I guess not.
I love reading material and I will always come back here to read - I consider substack the best place to find great, often thought provoking, lots of history, satirical, even politics are thoughtful, not some mambo jumbo found elsewhere.
I consider this panic against the subs. tv app kind of premature.
Check it out first. I didn't see anywhere anything of cancelling the written word, have you?
It's an expansion.
That's a good thing.
I for one, come here to read.
I'll watch some reels, some livestreams, but I always go back to reading.
When I can't read, because I'm busy with something else, turning a tv on in the background, listening and having a look at the program?
It seems to me that even if video starts as a conscious choice or alternative, the nature of its convenience and the lesser demand for critical thinking slowly erodes into a habit. I run a writing community and some of our weekly sessions are dedicated to silent group writing time. We just log in to the session, and write together. The experience of being accompanied by others who are focused on the craft of writing is enormously helpful in creating focus, momentum, and elevating the value of the activity and craft of writing. We are tribal creatures and are our mirror neurons apply powerful leverage upon our behavior. The quality of an intentional environment is wisely curated by the leader of any environment to protect the celebrated values and behavior. I see the casual introduction of influences like video as a distraction from the focus that great writing requires. Not that it can't be done. But if you had a goal to complete the novel that has been living inside of you calling for expression, and you chose to complete your novel in a hockey rink, you might well find yourself wearing skates before you reached your goal.
I'm going to take a look at Beehive. I've never heard of it but better writers than me are recommending it. I don't want anything to do with videos on a writer's platform. Substack needs to slow down and remember what happened to the Titanic.
Beehiiv looks great for building newsletters - better than here, with more options to create something unique.
BUT…
It doesn’t have the built-in social network/community that Substack has.
For me, that’s still where most of my readers come from, so no point in moving to Beehiiv.
Yet.
The thing is, the more Substack piss off their community by veering away from the reason they’re here in the first place, the more Beehiiv becomes a new and potential reality - especially if they start a network within it or build an app to rival Sub’s.
Substack trying to be all things to all people. I came here 3 years ago because it was a good place for writers. I understand that the money is where the influencers are and you are trying to entice them here from other SM sites. But meanwhile, a lot of people here still write. Where is the improved functionality for writers? A text editor would be fantastic. And also more flexibility in formatting, so we can at least attempt to make our Substack corners more unique, ie more font options, drop caps, positioning of images, justified paras, moveable text boxes. I can't imagine this would be too costly or too complex to set up, would it? Please show your writers some love too. 💕
Ali, I'd love to show you what's possible for a writing experience with WordPress! You can do all of the things you just mentioned. Customize your fonts, brand your site to your liking, use drop caps, add image galleries, columns, create truly immersive stories.
Substack, you turned out to be the same tech fuckboy you promised you were not. Lured here under false pretence, sold a haven for writers and you roll out this fresh hell.
What's next? AI for writers that can't write good?
Readalouds for people who don't want to read?
The industry standard machine gun algorithm dance that murders creativity and originality?
Sell-outs never prosper. Ugh, you really are just like all the others.
Attention spans are already in the gutter among all age groups and literacy rates are plummeting, creating another platform under the guise and facade of different "mediums" of long-form content feels like a pyramid scheme that accelerates the deterioration of intellectualism. We aren't buying it. Do not piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. We. Don't. Need. More. Platforms.
This is typical capitalistic overconsumption at it's finest. Shareholders in board rooms are going to be the death of critical thinking skills. A bunch of MBA's grossly out of touch with how the world works (or in this case, isn't working anymore) and have no clue about the devolution of society that they are actively contributing to.
People need to be FORCED to read paragraphs if we want to even slightly steer the ship back towards any semblance of literacy. I'm so glad the overwhelming majority of comments are echoing the exact gut feeling/sentiment I immediately had after getting the notification of another damn TV app BS. Do you guys even have a plan to stop AI slop from infiltrating your new business venture?
All due respect, we can already record and publish audio versions of posts. What’s new about read-alouds, other than shifting people’s already limited attention toward more video consumption?
Apart from those content creators and their paying subscribers who cannot access their own content because you have unfairly and unnecessarily applied the digital ID access requirements. Who does Substack think they are fooling here exactly? Or do you believe your own bs?
It kinda does feel like enshittification and not because video is inherently enshittfication, but because this is a major pivot from what drew a lot of people here.
It started a long time ago, sadly. I got off Amazon, Netflix, Meta, X, Reddit, dating apps and even Spotify. Last year I also left Substack only to return from the Doldrums and start over. This was the better option compared to sitting in silence. I can only hermit so long...
I guess this app is, as predicted, moving away from being a platform for writers, which is a shame, because I thought I had finally found a social media platform that might help me make some headway as a writer. But I can see now that I was idealistic, and wrong.
Who asked for read-alouds? Seriously, show the data proving that readers—especially paying, subscribing readers—are asking for read-alouds on Substack?
The thing is, Substack hasn't even perfected some of the old features and they're hastily rolling out new stuff fast than I can blink. My Substack clients are BEGGING for actual human support here, and it does not exist. Why wouldn’t they invest in helping the people who are already here??
Kelsey, I'm privy to a new platform that'll be launching just for writers in the near future. Funny, they are secretly studying Substack and learning what writers do NOT want so they can make a platform that writers do want 😉
Please please please give us the option to disable the Notes feature entirely (or a stripped-down version of the Substack app that only has longform). I love longform writing but I am on the verge of deleting the app altogether because it’s too distracting.
Anything with a Twitter-like feature like Notes inevitably becomes consumed by its own algorithmic push for engagement, and I don’t want that.
Substack is once again moving in completely the wrong direction…
I thought Substack was for writers prioritizing written content? I get that some “newsletters” are mostly video (which is a separate conversation…) but plenty of platforms already exist for their content i.e Youtube, Vimeo etc. Why is it that writers are the ones always asked to sacrifice spaces that are *just for writing*?
Please don't do this. This is not Youtube. Elevate the written word.
Why aren’t they content to offer something unique? They had a really compelling offering at the start. So many of us bought into the dream of a place for writing.
I read last week that Substack’s user-base was shrinking because it was trying to be like every other social media platform, whether that’s Twitter with notes or Youtube with TV. It’s not working, FFS.
It was really special and now it’s just become homogenous - deliberately. Absolute madness and really bloody disappointing.
They aren’t content because the users don’t want to read, they want to listen and/or watch. It takes too much effort to sit still and focus.
This is an ongoing issue. I read (heard?) an interview with Matt Damon talking about how Netflix wants plotlines emphasized multiple times in their movies. Why?
Because home streamers multitask and are usually on their phones while watching movies. Same with long form content. Same with adding captions to movies.
That’s why Substack had to add Notes (“posts”). People can’t pay attention.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/19/matt-damon-netflix-plot-explained-phones?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
But can't text-to-speech read the articles to us? (Maybe not; I've never tried!)
Yes! Text to speech is different than what this new feature is though, I think (I could be wrong). My understanding is that text to speech is an incredibly wonderful assistive technology that turns a written article into audio but this new app is specifically for the purpose of content that is already in video form - so we can watch on our smart televisions sort of like a streaming service.
Uh... huh?
I lost track.
;-)
I came to post a similar comment! This is a writing platform and these added apps are not supporting writers, instead will bring in more “how to” gurus and sellers.
Plenty already here. You’re very late.
Do you want this platform to expand and bring in new subscribers? This is one way to do it.
I want subscribers who will subscribe to my writing. This will only bring in more subscribers looking for video.
It’s all back to video again. Not even audio podcasts get a fair shake. Everything has to be bloody video.
Can only speak for my perspective, but I signed up for Substack to read Taibbi. That he has video is great, but I come back for his writing.
I like Taibbi too - and for his writing
It won't bring in readers. So... to answer your question, No, not if this is the way are they are going to do it.
How do you know? Also, how do you know it won't help make Substack more sticky for those that would like both a place to read and another way to engage with writers?
It just seems like more upside than downside to me.
If you are going to a place for video, you tend to not be a reader. If you are a site specifically where long form writing is found, then you will attract readers that want to find stuff to read. It's the mechanics of how humans work.
True, I wouldn't read on Youtube, but I have watched videos on or linked from substack.
Seems like the writing, no pun, is on the wall, or the TV.
Read-alouds are one of the features we are excited to add in coming releases! That will offer a great way to enjoy your favorite writers.
Probably would have been much better to have added that long before this crap.
I'd rather have a dark text editor. I'm writing now in an LLM to copy paste into Substack.
Would have to agree.
The written word is the power here.
That’s a beautiful thing, don’t destroy it.
Exactly this!
There’s no money in it. That’s why they’re pivoting.
They made 45M last year. I don’t think money is the issue as much as want for more.
How much of that was profit?
Depends on the source. Sci-Tech-Today and TechCrunch put profit at about 23M.
Yeah, that’s not enough at all. They might as well be making nothing. They’re doing this video pivot because they have to be making way more than that.
The idea that 24 million dollars isn't enough profit is wild to me; I know in the scale of things its not because of hungry big money culture (I wanna say capitalism but at this point its bigger than capitalism), but I think hungry big money culture is a cancer.
Help me understand how that's nothing. I understand they've grown, they have overhead, and it takes a lot to provide the space for good writing (and now video, apps, and social networks) to be easy to use. My sense would be, though, is that if they just focused on elevating good writing, they would attract more people wanting something different than every other social media company out there. If they keep going down this road, there is no distinction between them and anyone else, so why stay? Most folks came here because it was different. That promise is gone.
I had to cut back because I went on a subscription frenzy. It was worse than picking streamings - maybe there’s going to be bundling soon. A couple of months ago, I was spending more on subscriptions than streamers so I question the lack of financial viability.
See, I’m the other way around. I’m subscribed to about a thousand for free but haven’t been compelled yet to upgrade to a paid subscription.
There are some I like and I’ve been wanting to but it’s just too hard to justify the expense when I have so much other stuff to read that I don’t pay for.
I did that at first, subscribing to TONS of free stacks and flitting around. But then what I noticed was that more and more people started to just restack constantly. Eventually, it started to feel like Blue Sky and all the rest.
So, I decided I would rather really read and engage. But man, it got expensive fast! I’m still trying to find the right balance but I appreciate paying subscription to those who take the time to write and engage. It’s worth it to me, though I feel super guilty when I have to cut writers loose from paid if they stop writing and start reposting.
Who are the top 3 worth paying for to you? I appreciate your perspective.
Oh my Gawd, just 3? Netflix, Apple, and HBO Max ;)
Came here to express same.
YouTube bans anyone interesting. I need this, man.
I'm having trouble over there too. I'm not easy to pigeon hole and I'm a populist and entertainer AND I tell the truth. If it doesn't fit into any easy category or add up to a bite-size bullet point presentation-- it's crickets.
communication is the art and the wisdom, not necessarily written
Sure, in theory, I agree. My issue is that the platform was created for reading long-form writing. Should I be surprised that the promise of supporting writers (Not video content creators. There's plenty of places that do that.) has changed? No, it's what all social media platforms do. Facebook promised connection and sowed division. IG promised connection through visual mediums and sowed envy, etc., etc.
What I'm disappointed about is another platform that tries to say they are not like the others but continually chooses to become like the others.
Yes this. 👐
Oh oh whose idea was it to turn on the TV to read?😂😂😂
When people turn on their TV, they start channel surfing
That's kinda my point. I don't want the platform "built for writers" to become the platform of channel surfing.
I only care that my voice won't be censored. I write and I can post video. And as a reader and writer I can tell you there is less time in a day to leisurely sit and read anymore. Sad but true. People have to go work their shitty gig jobs and can't look down -- so whatever works . . .
Read-alouds are one of the features we are excited to add in coming releases! That will offer a great way to enjoy your favorite writers.
To quote Michael Scott: “No! God! No! God! Please! No! No! Nooooooo!”
This post has been live for 20 minutes, and I am quite glad at the outspoken negative response from the community. I hope substack takes heed of the warning of their subscribers. Do not dilute your product by trying to reach the widest possible market. This is a horrible move, and your most devoted users are going to turn away from this platform and seek to move to independent platforms if this change comes. Dilution of IP is never a good market strategy.
Many already have fled, to Patreon, selling ebooks on Buy Me a Coffee, etc.
Get that, Substack overlords? Read all these comments here and try, just try, to understand that there are readers who want desperately to find great things to read, but discovery is difficult. And writers here simply want to have flexible monitization options, connect with each other and be able to find an audience.
Instead, we get this shit. It serves no purpose but to line the CV of a newly graduated MBA who never wrote a story in their lives, and for whom authors and readers are merely abstract, numbers in a spreadsheet.
Just fuck off with this, Substack, seriously. Maybe features like this have a place, but none of you know what the fuck you are doing, and obviously listening to others who are apparently even more incompetent, so untill you can find someone smart enough...
Problem is a lot of us can't do that. As much as I hate to admit it I probably wouldn't have a few readers I do now if I didn't post here. Moving isn't easy, but bugger me if it's not looking like the only option.
They won’t listen. They didn’t with Instagram-lite last year. It’s pathetic.
Interesting. You guys have gone from saying Substack is the best home for longform writing/writers to “Substack is the home for the best longform—work…”. I get trying to evolve, but this just seems like another venture capital-fueled idea. Reminds me of Medium all over again.
Another one bites the dust, it seems. Heh.
So for the limited amount of videos, they get TV apps.
Meanwhile... We can't even get a full fledged text editor for the writing.
Remember how writing was the original focus? Is Substack Proper just on maintenance now? No new features for a long time. Only Notes and Video. For the writers... Nothing.
They can build a dedicated app for video but can’t even do Google indexing.
It's the priority list, brother - and writers are no longer on said-list. So much potential, wasted in the pursuit of quick profits.
And they do not care...
I guess the investors want a second rate X and YouTube. They kneecapped themselves by creating Notes. Substack has growth in long form via X and then Notes made X remove visibility from Substack articles. Now it's YouTube... Rumble hasn't even made a dent in YouTube, so why does Substack think they can do it?
You would think Rumble's lack of traction, despite its strong backing from certain political elements, would have been a lesson and a monition, but... nope.
I'll never understand why they abandoned the one thing that made them unique. As I said, a wasted opportunity.
In the meantime, independent writers are going elsewhere...
Apparently Beehive is getting a large portion of the Substack writers.
Or a decent interface for serializing fiction, more like an ebook. This is so disappointing.
That too. I self publied my novel here and I had thought they were going to move to a point where the Kindle and eReaders were the competition and not video. But I guess not.
I'd tell you to "Read the room," but 'reading' is obviously no longer a priority here...
Touché
“Watch the room”?
I'm saying prayers for the written word.
Noooo, really? Everyone is against it? Why?
I love reading material and I will always come back here to read - I consider substack the best place to find great, often thought provoking, lots of history, satirical, even politics are thoughtful, not some mambo jumbo found elsewhere.
I consider this panic against the subs. tv app kind of premature.
Check it out first. I didn't see anywhere anything of cancelling the written word, have you?
It's an expansion.
That's a good thing.
I for one, come here to read.
I'll watch some reels, some livestreams, but I always go back to reading.
When I can't read, because I'm busy with something else, turning a tv on in the background, listening and having a look at the program?
Can't wait! 😊
It seems to me that even if video starts as a conscious choice or alternative, the nature of its convenience and the lesser demand for critical thinking slowly erodes into a habit. I run a writing community and some of our weekly sessions are dedicated to silent group writing time. We just log in to the session, and write together. The experience of being accompanied by others who are focused on the craft of writing is enormously helpful in creating focus, momentum, and elevating the value of the activity and craft of writing. We are tribal creatures and are our mirror neurons apply powerful leverage upon our behavior. The quality of an intentional environment is wisely curated by the leader of any environment to protect the celebrated values and behavior. I see the casual introduction of influences like video as a distraction from the focus that great writing requires. Not that it can't be done. But if you had a goal to complete the novel that has been living inside of you calling for expression, and you chose to complete your novel in a hockey rink, you might well find yourself wearing skates before you reached your goal.
I'm going to take a look at Beehive. I've never heard of it but better writers than me are recommending it. I don't want anything to do with videos on a writer's platform. Substack needs to slow down and remember what happened to the Titanic.
Beehiiv looks great for building newsletters - better than here, with more options to create something unique.
BUT…
It doesn’t have the built-in social network/community that Substack has.
For me, that’s still where most of my readers come from, so no point in moving to Beehiiv.
Yet.
The thing is, the more Substack piss off their community by veering away from the reason they’re here in the first place, the more Beehiiv becomes a new and potential reality - especially if they start a network within it or build an app to rival Sub’s.
Beehive hey? I'll keep that in mind.
I'm not leaving substack, I just got here, plus I'm not ready for a full blown newsletter, but I just joined beehive so we'll see how that goes.
Substack trying to be all things to all people. I came here 3 years ago because it was a good place for writers. I understand that the money is where the influencers are and you are trying to entice them here from other SM sites. But meanwhile, a lot of people here still write. Where is the improved functionality for writers? A text editor would be fantastic. And also more flexibility in formatting, so we can at least attempt to make our Substack corners more unique, ie more font options, drop caps, positioning of images, justified paras, moveable text boxes. I can't imagine this would be too costly or too complex to set up, would it? Please show your writers some love too. 💕
Ali, I'd love to show you what's possible for a writing experience with WordPress! You can do all of the things you just mentioned. Customize your fonts, brand your site to your liking, use drop caps, add image galleries, columns, create truly immersive stories.
Substack, you turned out to be the same tech fuckboy you promised you were not. Lured here under false pretence, sold a haven for writers and you roll out this fresh hell.
What's next? AI for writers that can't write good?
Readalouds for people who don't want to read?
The industry standard machine gun algorithm dance that murders creativity and originality?
Sell-outs never prosper. Ugh, you really are just like all the others.
They’ve already mentioned forthcoming Readalouds, FFS. They’re actually proud of it. 😖
File this under – thing we didn’t ask for. I guess we know where that investment money went!
And what the investors expected
It's over.
Why are you doing this Substack? Why are you veering away from the written word?
Read-alouds are one of the features we are excited to add in coming releases! That will offer a great way to enjoy your favorite writers.
We are readers. It’s wild that you think we want to listen. We can read much faster than we can listen.
Exactly.
Completely agree. I delete all video and audio immediately.
what the fuck is a read-aloud?
Attention spans are already in the gutter among all age groups and literacy rates are plummeting, creating another platform under the guise and facade of different "mediums" of long-form content feels like a pyramid scheme that accelerates the deterioration of intellectualism. We aren't buying it. Do not piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. We. Don't. Need. More. Platforms.
This is typical capitalistic overconsumption at it's finest. Shareholders in board rooms are going to be the death of critical thinking skills. A bunch of MBA's grossly out of touch with how the world works (or in this case, isn't working anymore) and have no clue about the devolution of society that they are actively contributing to.
People need to be FORCED to read paragraphs if we want to even slightly steer the ship back towards any semblance of literacy. I'm so glad the overwhelming majority of comments are echoing the exact gut feeling/sentiment I immediately had after getting the notification of another damn TV app BS. Do you guys even have a plan to stop AI slop from infiltrating your new business venture?
This statement alone shows how detached you are from your core users.
All due respect, we can already record and publish audio versions of posts. What’s new about read-alouds, other than shifting people’s already limited attention toward more video consumption?
Apart from those content creators and their paying subscribers who cannot access their own content because you have unfairly and unnecessarily applied the digital ID access requirements. Who does Substack think they are fooling here exactly? Or do you believe your own bs?
$$$
The better move would be to eliminate videos from Substack entirely. There are already MANY other platforms for video.
Like Cheesecake Factory, when you try to serve everything, you stop being great at anything.
anyone not on substack, this is the last chance to get in, the countdown to enshittification has just begun
It kinda does feel like enshittification and not because video is inherently enshittfication, but because this is a major pivot from what drew a lot of people here.
I don’t see this as enshittification at all, but a way to help out the mainly video substacks that exist.
FWIW, I literally read Cory Doctorow’s book on Enshittification, so I definitely know what he’s talking about.
It started a long time ago, sadly. I got off Amazon, Netflix, Meta, X, Reddit, dating apps and even Spotify. Last year I also left Substack only to return from the Doldrums and start over. This was the better option compared to sitting in silence. I can only hermit so long...
Yeah it feels like that
I guess this app is, as predicted, moving away from being a platform for writers, which is a shame, because I thought I had finally found a social media platform that might help me make some headway as a writer. But I can see now that I was idealistic, and wrong.
We'll be adding read-alouds in coming releases! That will offer a great way to enjoy your favorite writers.
That’s such a cop out. As soon as video content hits a platform, it’s over for anything else and y’all know it.
We wanted this to be a place where we could write, not make longer Tiktoks.
I only launched my substack a few months ago (again, to WRITE) and it feels like you’re yanking the rug out from under people like me
I am a writer. But it’s very hard to find space when the site/app no longer feels geared towards writers, but rather performance and video.
Who asked for read-alouds? Seriously, show the data proving that readers—especially paying, subscribing readers—are asking for read-alouds on Substack?
The thing is, Substack hasn't even perfected some of the old features and they're hastily rolling out new stuff fast than I can blink. My Substack clients are BEGGING for actual human support here, and it does not exist. Why wouldn’t they invest in helping the people who are already here??
Kelsey, I'm privy to a new platform that'll be launching just for writers in the near future. Funny, they are secretly studying Substack and learning what writers do NOT want so they can make a platform that writers do want 😉
Please please please give us the option to disable the Notes feature entirely (or a stripped-down version of the Substack app that only has longform). I love longform writing but I am on the verge of deleting the app altogether because it’s too distracting.
Anything with a Twitter-like feature like Notes inevitably becomes consumed by its own algorithmic push for engagement, and I don’t want that.
Substack is once again moving in completely the wrong direction…
I thought Substack was for writers prioritizing written content? I get that some “newsletters” are mostly video (which is a separate conversation…) but plenty of platforms already exist for their content i.e Youtube, Vimeo etc. Why is it that writers are the ones always asked to sacrifice spaces that are *just for writing*?
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