How to Turn Off the Noise in Substack
a prescription for your readerly attention
Happy Sunday, my friends.
I am working on some big changes for this newsletter that you’ll be hearing about and experiencing soon, but today I want to share with you how I am resisting Substack’s quest to social-media-fy my formerly favorite place to read smart things from smart people.1
I want to be absolutely clear that I came to Substack as a writer after fleeing social media. Because I don’t want to use social media. I don’t want likes and alerts and chat and Notes and video. I don’t want an algorithm involved in any way.
I don’t want those things as a reader, either. I just want to READ NEWSLETTERS.
Some of you only ever read this newsletter in your email inbox, which is amazing for things to come, but for those of you who read in the Substack app or the web inbox, you may be able to relate to the influx of attention-thieving features that have arrived in the Substack world.
As a reader, here is what I have done to quiet the noise:
I no longer use the app for anything
I switched to receiving all newsletters in my actual email inbox
It is truly amazing how much more peaceful it has been to read each newsletter again as its own individual article, rather than one of many in my feed. I hear the voice of the writer more clearly, feel like they are writing directly to me more clearly, and no longer feel like Substack is just long-form social media.
Stay tuned for a newsletter about my evolution on Substack *as a writer* soon … I’m really nervous about sharing that one, so first I have to get the courage to hit send. ♡
See you soon,
Katy
As a part of my attempt to lessen noise in all areas of my tech life. I also removed the internet browser from my phone. Email has been gone from my phone for quite awhile. I read articles from web sources in a particular browser on my laptop and iPad using a specific feature. Related, and as no shock to anyone, I am also reading this book right now.
Thanks for stopping by!
