Many users on social media are feeling inspired to unleash their creativity through a publishing app called Substack. It originally was an email newsletter platform for writers, but has expanded its audience by adding podcasts and videos. The app is a great platform for creatives to express their thoughts, share their ideas, and connect with other creatives.
Some people even use it as an entrepreneurship opportunity through their paid subscription option. According to Substack’s site, if someone turns on their paid post for their newsletters, they get paid 86 percent of the profits based on the number of subscribers they receive.
The New Stress Relief
Creative burnout and writers block is an unfortunate circumstance that seems inevitable for artists, especially full-time ones. It can happen at any time for several reasons, but it’s mainly derived from stress and pressure. Using a public forum like Substack reignites passion and takes away the pressure to perfect what you’re writing.
Substack is also a great option for journalists who want to touch on topics they may not be able to with formal publications. Whether the subject is personal and fun, it’s an outlet to decompress and exercise your creative muscles.
Personal substacks (for anyone who wants to unleash their inner Carrie Bradshaw) are filled with more expressive writing through opinion pieces on pop culture and lifestyle updates. It’s treated more of a public diary or personal column. It not only helps mentally, but it combats a bigger and broader issue in the decline of media literacy.
A recurring topic on social media is whether we are entering or currently in a literacy crisis. Social media has opened doors to misinformation, and with it being combined with attention spans becoming shorter, it heightens the conversation.
A decline in literacy IS a national crisis. So many people cannot synthesize or analyze a whole book, they were simply good test takers. https://t.co/cKIvyeFipX
— HRH,Sula 🧚🏾 (@BelovedBaje) October 6, 2024
Doom of Doomscrolling
Users on TikTok are considering Substack an alternative for “doomscrolling.” Doomscrolling is a term used to describe excessive scrolling on social media platforms. But the argument is whether reading through Substack is also considered doomscrolling, since it is a form of social media. However, it is only considered doomscrolling if you spend more time scrolling rather than writing or reading.
Newsletters are more similar to articles, which already separates it from social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok. It feels less stressful and demanding than the others, with the option to read what you’re interested in. It is raw and unfiltered writing and written without editors, which makes it different from formal publications, but you’re given a chance to expand on topics further than a simple tweet does.
Writing more, whether bad or for practice, might not be a fixed solution for more critical thinking, but it is a start. It allows room for thoughts and ideas to grow, which is important for someone with more ideas and less resources to express them. As the French novelist, Gustave Flaubert, once said, “The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.”
What's Your Reaction?
