In July, I spent a week covering changes Substack is making to both creator and user experiences. Here’s the first newsletter in that series:
I encourage everyone to scroll through that week’s offerings, because Substack continues to make changes that, in my view, degrade the overall experience.
This week, I opened Substack to respond to a few comments and saw the words “Pays for you” beside a smattering of names. (As far as I can tell, this has now been changed to “Paid Subscriber.”)
Substack’s choice of the original tag “Pays for you” is revealing. Here’s why.
Tech companies have created a system built on the following formula:
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Creators create free “content.”
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Creators upload said free “content” to social media.
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If creators hit algorithmic sweet sauce, their free “content” goes “viral” and can result in making money, sometimes through their actual work product, but more often through selling their data, allowing ads to creep into their work, permitting sponsored posts, and more.
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At the end of the day, the algorithm always wins.
In the past, I’ve compared this system to a casino:
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Person purchases tokens for slot machine.
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Person puts tokens into slot machine and pulls handle.
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Occasionally, lucky persons are rewarded with a jackpot.
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At the end of the day, the house always wins.
The main difference is that in a casino, regulators periodically come in and inspect the machines to ensure they are randomized. On the internet, tech broligarchs have created a system where the algorithm isn’t ever audited by independent regulators to ensure fairness.
Creators would probably have better luck at a real casino instead of an algorithmic one.
The choice of the phrase “Pays for you” showed me everything I need to know about how the Substack overlords really view creators: We are not people whose work has value BECAUSE IT IS OUR WORK. No, we are beggars creating free “content” and should feel grateful when we hit an algorithmic jackpot and convince anyone to “pay for you.” Especially when said algorithm has been engineered to drive users to creators at the top.
Just like every other casino-driven social media model.
If I haven’t said it in a while, I appreciate every single person who sees this work as WORK and supports it with money.
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You make it possible for more people to find and access this work.
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You allow me to devote 60 hours per week (on average) to this work. Crazy weeks can see me spending 80 hours or more. I couldn’t justify the amount of time I spend on this work (or the toll it takes, something I seldom share) without your support.
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You buck the tech mentality that creators should work for free, that our creations are “content” to be churned.
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You help other Americans examine their own values and challenge a few more to recognize the critical role creators play in a functioning society.
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And maybe you are teaching the algorithm to value this kind of work.
Here’s a peek behind the scenes at things that are happening thanks to PAID SUBSCRIBERS:
I’ve made more updates to our database of fascist companies.
GO HERE to access it. (And note that Menards, which I previously listed as the least-bad home improvement option, is now on the list. Sigh.)
And thanks to everyone who sends intel. I check out every link you provide, and if appropriate, I add them.
A small group and I tested an alternative platform to Substack.
The verdict? We didn’t like it.
Yes, I know about Ghost and Beehiv, but I have been looking for a non-US-based alternative that would be subject to non-US laws and regulations. Since I still haven’t found one…
I have invested in updating my website to host this work.
Last year, I invested part of the money paid subscribers spent to move my website and all ancillary services to non-US-based providers. This year, I’m making a major update to that system so that subscribers have a place to go if Substack becomes compromised.
Bottom line: I don’t plan to leave Substack. But I want to create a safe space if it becomes necessary.
Bonus: Email lists and payments will be owned by an independent entity and hosted outside the US, meaning your data will have another layer of protection from data mining and predatory government agencies. While they may still come after me, a predatory government would have to bring a lawsuit against multiple companies in multiple foreign jurisdictions to get to you.
Another bonus: I will also be able to offer tailored payment structures like Senior Discounts and similar, something Substack doesn’t allow.
If you become a paid subscriber here, you’ll have paid access there and vice-versa. Don’t worry over where to subscribe.
I’ll give another update when I have more to share.
I am starting a separate Substack in Spanish.
At first, I will adapt my prior work on Christian Nationalism to explain what has happened in the US to the Spanish-speaking world. Over time, I hope to provide detailed reporting about how Christian Nationalism is distorting the political landscape in Spanish-speaking countries.
US Christian Nationalist billionaires and their money/non-profit machine are exporting this cancer everywhere. It played a role in Bolivia’s recent rightward swing. It’s part of the calculus in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and more. It’s also a big piece of Spain’s far-right. (While I will also cover Brazil, I’m not learning Portuguese. But US CNs are working there, too.)
I’d love to hire a Spanish-speaking/Latin America-based journalist. I believe the success of this piece hinges on having a Spanish-speaker on the team. I’m very leery of being the white-bread gringa lecturing people and hope I can provide useful information without coming across as “let me tell you what to do.”
If you’re interested in supporting this effort or know Spanish-speakers who might be interested, please share in a comment.
At a time where many Americans feel squeezed-to-breaking, it’s important to let you know how much your investments matter.
This space is so much more than a daily newsletter. Your investments make every aspect of this work possible, even when things don’t show up day-to-day.
THANK YOU for being here.