These posts share many of the reasons I find the pressure to leave Substack problematic.
First, ”The amount of revenue Substack makes from my newsletter is insignificant to them, while the income is life-changing for me.” Anastasia Shelby
Second, “All labor under capitalism involves moral compromise.” Tara McMullin
Third, “Every social platform profits from extremism in some way… “ (If not from subscription models then data mining.) ”The only content we can truly control is our own.” (Kathleen Schmidt
Because of these, is no clear alternative.
This is doubly true for smaller creators. (For example, I can’t afford the paid tier of Ghost.org that offers the same storage capacity.)
But also, is it wise to cede this amazing tool for communication and connection to the bad actors? Why not use the platform instead to share positive messages to counter the hate?
Anyway, these posts put it better than me.
Hi, it’s me. I’m here. by Anne Trubek
On Recent Developments at Substack by Catherynne Valente
Rock, Creator, Hard Place by Tara McMullin
See also: enshittification