April 12th 2023.
Today marks the end of my first day on Substack's Notes, and I'm still yet to post - I must admit, I was a bit intimidated. At first glance, the platform aims to promote constructive and thoughtful discourse, which is a pretty ambitious goal!
Substack wrote in their April 5th announcement: ‘Imagine Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leaving a comment on Margaret Atwood’s note about trends in science fiction, or Alison Roman sharing a quote from an amazing recipe developed by a little-known food writer who then gets a flood of subscriptions. Think of your favorite Substack economists nerding out in a deep thread about the latest jobs report, or Joe Posnanski and Molly Knight going back and forth about Major League Baseball’s opening day.’
This made me realise that this is more than just another social media platform - it's a revolution. It sets out to be the antithesis of what we know as social media today, and I'm really excited to be a part of it.
And while I may not have the same credentials as some of the other users, I don't feel like I have to be an adored author or world-renowned expert to get involved - Notes has set a high bar and I'm confident it can maintain it.
Substack also said: ‘The goal here is not to create a perfectly sanitised information environment, but to set the conditions for constructive discussion where there is enough common ground to seek understanding while holding onto the worthwhile tension needed for great art and new ideas. It won’t feel like the social media we know today.’
This is great news for those of us who are fed up with the current state of social media. Notable names like David Aaronovitch have already taken to Notes, showing their support for the platform. As well as fostering meaningful discussion, Notes also offers a 'like' button and 'restack' function, which is understandable due to the commercial nature of the platform.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) All in all, I'm really looking forward to being a part of this new revolution that Substack has unveiled. I'm excited to see how it will help improve online discourse, and am confident that Notes will remain a platform which encourages constructive and thoughtful dialogue.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) I'm so excited to be one of the first to explore Substack's new Notes platform! Today was my first day here and I'm already in awe of the potential this platform has to revolutionize online discourse. Substack stated that this platform could potentially lead to inspiring conversations between people like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Margaret Atwood, or Alison Roman and unknown food writers. It could also foster meaningful discussions between economists or sports writers Joe Posnanski and Molly Knight. This is a lofty goal, but one that I'm confident Notes can achieve!
But, do I belong here? I'm no adored author, world-renowned expert or of grand standing. Well, thankfully, it seems that Notes isn't solely catering to this demographic. Elon Musk recently reported that Twitter had reached 8 billion user minutes per day and Notes has a long way to go - but the potential is there! It will have some of the features that social media users are accustomed to, like a 'like' button and 'restack' function, but the goal is to foster meaningful connections and quality over shallow engagement.
Already, we've seen the likes of David Aaronovitch, an esteemed columnist at The Times, leave the paper to launch his own Substack - so there's no doubt that with the right support, Notes will be a success. It's going to be an exciting journey and I'm so glad to be a part of it!
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
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