Super clarifying! I have wondered why I’m suddenly seeing every video and needing to dig for material to read. I came here to appreciate those who write and to read, read, read. A clue for me, as a reader, is the subtle tone of panic underlying a couple of my favorites. It has been what seemed like an over-emphasis on readers unsubscribing. It just seemed like an unusual vibe. At one point, that vibe crept into my head and had me looking backward. Hey, wait, what? Did I miss an important post? Am I one of the folks they are talking about, who didn’t show up, didn’t read or restack or comment? And then that began to be problematic for me. Too much like the big social media platforms, for which I have little patience.
Writers gotta write. And readers gotta read. Give me words; my brain is fabulous with creating the images and with connecting the dots. Give me flexibility to go slow or do a skim. Time to take a pause when I read a quote that blows my mind open.
XPLISSET I subscribed because I admire your writing and your delivery of an idea. If video is dressing up, just know that’s not what drives my subscription- just as you pointed out so well in your post!! I’m a sweat pants and hoodie reader, old school and okay with that. I’ll try to do the vids occasionally, but reading is my bag.❤️
Here is what’s going on I’m gonna say it straight up. Capitalism isn’t just about profits, it’s about growth. Substack has shareholders demanding ROI. Growth is the fuel to show those ROI stats on paper.
Ok now writers and readers is just a foundation for them not the primary driver of growth. That app feed is the funnel that gets new prospects who will eventually become paying subscribers.
Ya think someone coming in through an app feed populated by short notes, short vids with bright captions, and eye catchy pics are all of a sudden going to start reading long form, hell, or even short form essays?
A million thanks for explaining all of this. I will read, read, read!
I wondered why things were changing before my eyes.
Do what you must, but keep your writing coming! I read books. That's why I can stay with a post for more than a paragraph or two before scrolling on to some other shiny object on my screen.
Thanks for the explanation and links! As I have said previously multiple times in multiple places, I am on Substack to read well-reasoned posts/articles. Sure, I watch videos (usually the ones contained in footnotes or posts) but I mainly read posts. I am struggling with the new presentation. I thought I had accidentally changed my settings.
I do like and restack posts but will try to comment more often.
I find it maddening that I have subscriptions, including paid subscriptions, that I can't read via a browser - getting repeated messages to "read this on the app!", install the app to keep reading.
“The core trick is variable reward.” Takes me back to my graduate school days and how robust a variable schedule of reinforcement is. Check out BF Skinner’s “Schedules of Reinforcement”
This essay is so right on. I have commented before when you were talking about producing a video….i came onboard with Substack because of great writing I found. That is why I stay. I do participate in the feed sometimes, reposting memes. But my preference is to read the essays which I get thru my email. I am like the reader above - I don’t “tune in” to scheduled live streams nor do I open notices of such I receive via email.
Thanks once again for such beautiful and comprehensive writing.
Thank you for this. Very helpful, informative for people like me, knowing little about how substack works. I also learn better by reading than hearing. The MTV and the pharmacy ad analysis are on the nose.
I am also a reader…. I have never cared for the video, U-tube format unless I am listening to music. Reading information allows me to absorb it at my own pace; I can go back over the piece to see if I missed something in the first read. Most videos seem like they are yelling at me and making me move faster than I like. Keep writing, and I will keep reading.
I’m pissed and much less engaged with Substack than the early days before the sellout. Now I get videos on videos. I don’t have time for f*’ing videos. I don’t get the point. Most have 1-2 minutes of a takeaway buried in 45-60min of sheer slop. Why do I want to listen to people I don’t know, pretend to be friends when I could be with real friends?! Give me good reads and stop wasting my time with videos.
I will go back & read this post after a bit. I promise. But skimming what you went thru to attempt to also use videos? Maybe its my age, but I like your WRITINGS - I dont usually watch videos. I just dont. And frankly, the description of what you went thru strikes me as too much.
Amazing read. Thank you. MTV-ification. Makes so much sense. I noticed the change in the feed, and I hate the short videos populating it. I never use TikTok, and I don’t like that Substack is becoming a TikTok and YouTube shorts wannabe.
I too hit delete on email notices to video (yes, even from HCR). There’s something seemingly unserious about it. I restock and share to Facebook because likeminded friends are still there.
I would be unlikely to stick with the video long enough to know there was a transcript attached. I would prefer the writing first with a video attached, if you must. HCR does this by posting her written piece first and later in the day her video of her reading it. I always read her post, but never watch the video.
Paul Krugman does this with his weekend interviews. I have the choice of watching the video or reading the transcript. Of course I always read the transcript.
Super clarifying! I have wondered why I’m suddenly seeing every video and needing to dig for material to read. I came here to appreciate those who write and to read, read, read. A clue for me, as a reader, is the subtle tone of panic underlying a couple of my favorites. It has been what seemed like an over-emphasis on readers unsubscribing. It just seemed like an unusual vibe. At one point, that vibe crept into my head and had me looking backward. Hey, wait, what? Did I miss an important post? Am I one of the folks they are talking about, who didn’t show up, didn’t read or restack or comment? And then that began to be problematic for me. Too much like the big social media platforms, for which I have little patience.
Writers gotta write. And readers gotta read. Give me words; my brain is fabulous with creating the images and with connecting the dots. Give me flexibility to go slow or do a skim. Time to take a pause when I read a quote that blows my mind open.
XPLISSET I subscribed because I admire your writing and your delivery of an idea. If video is dressing up, just know that’s not what drives my subscription- just as you pointed out so well in your post!! I’m a sweat pants and hoodie reader, old school and okay with that. I’ll try to do the vids occasionally, but reading is my bag.❤️
Thank you Melody!
Here is what’s going on I’m gonna say it straight up. Capitalism isn’t just about profits, it’s about growth. Substack has shareholders demanding ROI. Growth is the fuel to show those ROI stats on paper.
Ok now writers and readers is just a foundation for them not the primary driver of growth. That app feed is the funnel that gets new prospects who will eventually become paying subscribers.
Ya think someone coming in through an app feed populated by short notes, short vids with bright captions, and eye catchy pics are all of a sudden going to start reading long form, hell, or even short form essays?
Boom!
So many of us here sound like visual learners rather than aural learners. I'm visual, too, and I just don't like video.
A million thanks for explaining all of this. I will read, read, read!
I wondered why things were changing before my eyes.
Do what you must, but keep your writing coming! I read books. That's why I can stay with a post for more than a paragraph or two before scrolling on to some other shiny object on my screen.
Reading works better for me. Have you ever read a book and then watched the movie? The book is aways more
Or the book may be less because it doesn't have a Hollywood romance tacked on.
Thanks for the explanation and links! As I have said previously multiple times in multiple places, I am on Substack to read well-reasoned posts/articles. Sure, I watch videos (usually the ones contained in footnotes or posts) but I mainly read posts. I am struggling with the new presentation. I thought I had accidentally changed my settings.
I do like and restack posts but will try to comment more often.
I find it maddening that I have subscriptions, including paid subscriptions, that I can't read via a browser - getting repeated messages to "read this on the app!", install the app to keep reading.
No
This is so very well done, Xplisset. Thank you.
Exactly. N-O spells NO! I'm no luddite but there isn't enough meat in a video for my taste.
I am getting similar messages , lots of them and recently. I don't want any more effing apps.
“The core trick is variable reward.” Takes me back to my graduate school days and how robust a variable schedule of reinforcement is. Check out BF Skinner’s “Schedules of Reinforcement”
This essay is so right on. I have commented before when you were talking about producing a video….i came onboard with Substack because of great writing I found. That is why I stay. I do participate in the feed sometimes, reposting memes. But my preference is to read the essays which I get thru my email. I am like the reader above - I don’t “tune in” to scheduled live streams nor do I open notices of such I receive via email.
Thanks once again for such beautiful and comprehensive writing.
You nailed it. Skinner’s name came up in my research for this but I didn’t want to get tooo tooo deep.
I'm with you. I like reading more
Thank you for this. Very helpful, informative for people like me, knowing little about how substack works. I also learn better by reading than hearing. The MTV and the pharmacy ad analysis are on the nose.
I am also a reader…. I have never cared for the video, U-tube format unless I am listening to music. Reading information allows me to absorb it at my own pace; I can go back over the piece to see if I missed something in the first read. Most videos seem like they are yelling at me and making me move faster than I like. Keep writing, and I will keep reading.
Beyond wanting text to read, I also value the conversations that take place in comment sections.
Just reading or just writing, or just creating or just viewing, seems very passive to me.
My grow/learn by reflecting in groups, even if not face to face.
I’m pissed and much less engaged with Substack than the early days before the sellout. Now I get videos on videos. I don’t have time for f*’ing videos. I don’t get the point. Most have 1-2 minutes of a takeaway buried in 45-60min of sheer slop. Why do I want to listen to people I don’t know, pretend to be friends when I could be with real friends?! Give me good reads and stop wasting my time with videos.
I don't want videos or podcasts, I want text.
Well said.
I found you through your posts in Robert Reich's Substack columns. Appreciate your candor about the trials and tribulations of doing the video.
I will go back & read this post after a bit. I promise. But skimming what you went thru to attempt to also use videos? Maybe its my age, but I like your WRITINGS - I dont usually watch videos. I just dont. And frankly, the description of what you went thru strikes me as too much.
Now that's my opinion - maybe others disagree.
"The writers want to write. The readers want to read. And I am not letting a timeline talk me out of that."
You damn right. That's what I'm here for. To R-E-A-D!!! Not to watch some GD movie.
I think also that some writers want to read and some readers want to write.
Writers have to read. It’s like a job requirement. It’s the first thing they ask you at the job interview.
“What have you read?”
I am just challenging the dichotomy.
I can vouch for that. I'm very good but not in the same league as X.
A definite concern
Amazing read. Thank you. MTV-ification. Makes so much sense. I noticed the change in the feed, and I hate the short videos populating it. I never use TikTok, and I don’t like that Substack is becoming a TikTok and YouTube shorts wannabe.
I too hit delete on email notices to video (yes, even from HCR). There’s something seemingly unserious about it. I restock and share to Facebook because likeminded friends are still there.
What if there was a readable transcript attached? Would you have deleted this if I had read everything you just read in a video attached?
I would be unlikely to stick with the video long enough to know there was a transcript attached. I would prefer the writing first with a video attached, if you must. HCR does this by posting her written piece first and later in the day her video of her reading it. I always read her post, but never watch the video.
I’m hard of hearing so use close captions for TV and would read transcripts that were emailed to me
Paul Krugman does this with his weekend interviews. I have the choice of watching the video or reading the transcript. Of course I always read the transcript.
Me too. The transcripts seem to be available in short order. Valuable tech imo.