In which ismatu gwendolyn (writer extraordinaire and Black all the time) re-evaluates their relationship to this social media infused publishing platform.
I came to substack for your essays but I was totally floored when I first signed in and saw how crazy conservative and white supremacist. I thought I must be in the wrong place.
herein lies my central issue: the people that have a desire to read my essays are at substantially more risk than the average white, centrist US-American. how do I continue to pull people to this site where they are most definitely not going to be protected under the user policies?
I also created a substack to read their essays as well & have been a semi-avid user since (the influence is real af!). I actually haven’t seen much racism (my notes feed is full of black queer ppl) I have been seeing casual transphobia which sent me reeling cause I was like wtf??
It was a good reality check, later in Ismatus video, when she talkes about how the platform works to keep left and right seperated using the algorithm. Reminded me that that's the nature of every platform I use. I hate that writers that are needed by the world today aren't protected and paid for their labor.
I didn't know there were any conservatives in this platform until I watched this video, I only subscribe to anti capitalist content and avoid all comments on all platforms.
I’m noticing that the upside to Substack is being able to create and facilitate who and what you want to see in your algorithm. I have yet to experience the white supremacists on this app because I haven’t engaged or followed any publications or writers that engages in that.
As the open letter stated… there are extremist groups that have been banned on every single social media platform except Substack. So I would say it goes further than that.
I was just starting up my substack and did have concerns on the white supremacy (even though I haven’t seen it yet) — that’s enough for me to not want to publish here. I also agree, the art gets tainted when it’s about vitality and not the art itself. Thanks for sharing this, I won’t be giving this platform my time, data or precious energy.
Appreciate the wide strokes of the picture of the platform you paint— there’s an algorithmically dependent ambivalence I’ve noticed that changes extremely rapidly on the daily— AI mini-incursions? I’ve gotten complacent myself in letting many of the archetypes of posts I see (and how that distills into an ugly media diet cycle and habits) slip by without consequence. Also a good reminder for me to be more mindful in general in how much net consumption vs. production I’m doing; writing first drafts live on Substack would be a lot. Sending slow breaths your way.
Embarrassingly, I started a Substack blog because of you. I was a TikTok user who was really moved by your digital presence — so moved that I changed my consumption patterns towards long-form content (because leaving content altogether seemed like a punishment than a move towards liberation). Now, I spend most of my time on YouTube video essays and I try to keep track of you and Devon Price’s writing because it keeps me grounded; reminds me to go outside, reminds me to make community like actual community, reminds me to create for the joys, and reminds me of the fight against varying forms of oppression and dispossession that we’re all invested in. I’m now slowly returning to my youthful creativity that I lost to Academia along the way… I’m writing again, actually writing. And Substack is where I publish that writing. And I’m lowkey considering reviving my YouTube channel that made small but recognisable impacts for young black queers trying to make life happen in South Africa. This is all to say that… fuck, after reading your essay like yeah, you gotta go. It doesn’t make sense for the Substack you’ve carefully shown to me to be a home for your work. And… fuck, I don’t know what that means for my work and its home. I’ve been thinking of a website for a while… working with a back-end and front-end developer to make a piece of the internet that’s curated by me for the sole purpose of sharing; sharing my attempts at living a liberatory life and also my attempts at understanding myself in this world. All without monetising (as I’m fortunate enough to have irl advocacy-aligned work that keeps money coming in, albeit tiny… enough for someone who lives at their mother’s house), because YOU helped me make sense of the ill feelings emerging in my body when I feel as if I am creating with the purpose of making money. Idk. You’re the only blog I recommend on my substack when people follow me.
My teacher, I wish you the best. I feel some grief and I feel some guilt (at remaining here on this platform) but these are things I can survive. I have no more words.
This essay has tapped into a rage I've felt but hadn't articulated. As a Kenyan writer, it's so infuriating that Western orgs take our money (I can pay for Substack subscriptions) but don't allow us access to the same opportunities to get paid.
I'm not fully through the essay yet, but I just reached the part where you mentioned the payment method. I have been so mad about that for ages because Stripe technically breaks EU data privacy law by wanting verification through a full front and back pic of your ID instead of a censored version showing the core info needed for verification. Totally great if they ever get hacked (not). It's literally anti-consumer trying to ride the wave of hate for Paypal the way all these Twitter-copies do the same. Adding payment gateways actually isn't super hard, so Substack truly is committed to limiting money flow to everyone by only giving people one option.
Generally, I'm so close to writing essays into and just reading them on audio/video to put them on YouTube/Spotify, solely because there I at least a better filtering system to make bigots unwelcome to my corner of the capitalist machine I'd publish through. The downhill motion of this platform through the notes function is such a core part of why I haven't even published stuff I already finished writing in a long while.
Now I'll be quiet and actually finish reading this amazing piece though.
I came here for you, and also bc i wanted to start taking my writing more seriously but *something* about the vibes on this platform made me not want to post. You articulated so clearly the issues I’ve been having with Substack.
Ismatu, I get that you’re upset over the excessive use of racial slurs, but how many times you going to run away from things? Like, racism exists everywhere! It’s a common cold, all you can do is have your ginger shots and hope you don’t catch it. But people like you are needed in these places, because you show people the better way. But you running from places just because it makes you feel less “cozy” it’s just not a good excuse anymore 🤷♀️ I’ll miss you so much, you made me want to write and get on here, and now you’re leaving? Naaaahh come back here and let’s fix this issue together!
Ismatu continuing to enrich a platform whose values they don’t agree with isn’t going to “fix the issue”. No amount of well-meaning Black people on this platform will “fix this issue” because we do not have ownership over here. Why should Black people be spending their time & energy trying to fend off racists to claim a domain they have no ownership of? Substack should be deprived of Ismatu’s genius & we should be supporting the sovereignty of their work & ideas where they have more control.
But don’t you see how this essay evoked so much emotion out of people, that we’re all gathered here having a conversation about it, and some of these experiences are essential in order to create a change. But if people like Ismatu leave Substack, then our impact and the amount of awareness we can attract goes with it.
I think that’s a sacrifice we need to be willing to make. As much as I like having access to people who produce thought-provoking work, I don’t think they should indefinitely stay in toxic spaces. Things have an expiration date, this is someone who has already done a lot here. They have the ability to leave & influence people to join them in co-creating alternatives. I think that is more important than staying & trying to fight the beast from within.
We as readers (if we choose to stay) can be the people advocating for a safer platform! it does not have to be creators or ismatu’s responsibility - but i was thinking about your point (@mariam) when ismatu talked about the polarization of the platform. a diversity of voices is really important, but to put oneself in a space where you’re not protected and repeatedly degraded (and more issues with platform) doesn’t seem like it’s a better option than passing the baton to people who do currently have the capacity and bandwidth to do that work.
It’s just sad, because what’s she’s asking for, she can’t get like the way she wants🤷♀️ we can always use the block, report button, but we can’t sit around and force people not to say things… I find that essays like this keep that word alive, and then we complain why it’s still being used.
I joined Substack just as you resolved to stop engaging with the Twitter (Notes) section of this platform. So I began to treat it with caution and careful intent.
I saw that you offered a paid subscription to support your work. It was above the base $5 and below the Substack's recommended $8. So I felt safe to ask for a similar amount as well despite my single-digit following at the time.
You have been a model for me on how to treat this platform. While I do not have the means just yet, I hope to be able to grow beyond this platform as well. I look forward to following your writings on Threadings.io.
I wish you abundance in your life online and most importantly, offline.
ismatu, this makes me want to create a blogging site that’s more selective/curated. may i connect with you about this? i’m currently working as a software engineer and i’ve been thinking about how else i can spend my time & skills rather than labour for a large corporation, and reading this essay sparks some inspiration for me. (for what it’s worth you were one of the writers that really brought me to substack where i actually was so fortunate to find very like minded people with such beautiful experiences and analyses and writing—i’m so grateful for your time here.)
Hii just another person here to report that I came to substack purely to read your essays and I now happily leave along with you too. Will go swap my payment across now - please keep asking though, people will intend to but forget! I know you know this but it bears repeating, you are important both as an individual human being and in terms of what you mean to others/the collective and it's important the impact of this move on your finances is mitigated as much as possible. If you post about it on your insta and tik tok it could also be a good opportunity to again challenge people's inclination to donate to you vs the SLAES community. Sending big love, appreciation and respect as ever xx
I came to substack for your essays but I was totally floored when I first signed in and saw how crazy conservative and white supremacist. I thought I must be in the wrong place.
herein lies my central issue: the people that have a desire to read my essays are at substantially more risk than the average white, centrist US-American. how do I continue to pull people to this site where they are most definitely not going to be protected under the user policies?
You’re helping to diversify the platform, that’s the solution. I too came here for you. Your voice matters, needless to say.
I also created a substack to read their essays as well & have been a semi-avid user since (the influence is real af!). I actually haven’t seen much racism (my notes feed is full of black queer ppl) I have been seeing casual transphobia which sent me reeling cause I was like wtf??
It was a good reality check, later in Ismatus video, when she talkes about how the platform works to keep left and right seperated using the algorithm. Reminded me that that's the nature of every platform I use. I hate that writers that are needed by the world today aren't protected and paid for their labor.
I didn't know there were any conservatives in this platform until I watched this video, I only subscribe to anti capitalist content and avoid all comments on all platforms.
I’m noticing that the upside to Substack is being able to create and facilitate who and what you want to see in your algorithm. I have yet to experience the white supremacists on this app because I haven’t engaged or followed any publications or writers that engages in that.
Pros to Substack, free speech. Cons to Substack, free speech.
As the open letter stated… there are extremist groups that have been banned on every single social media platform except Substack. So I would say it goes further than that.
I was just starting up my substack and did have concerns on the white supremacy (even though I haven’t seen it yet) — that’s enough for me to not want to publish here. I also agree, the art gets tainted when it’s about vitality and not the art itself. Thanks for sharing this, I won’t be giving this platform my time, data or precious energy.
Appreciate the wide strokes of the picture of the platform you paint— there’s an algorithmically dependent ambivalence I’ve noticed that changes extremely rapidly on the daily— AI mini-incursions? I’ve gotten complacent myself in letting many of the archetypes of posts I see (and how that distills into an ugly media diet cycle and habits) slip by without consequence. Also a good reminder for me to be more mindful in general in how much net consumption vs. production I’m doing; writing first drafts live on Substack would be a lot. Sending slow breaths your way.
Embarrassingly, I started a Substack blog because of you. I was a TikTok user who was really moved by your digital presence — so moved that I changed my consumption patterns towards long-form content (because leaving content altogether seemed like a punishment than a move towards liberation). Now, I spend most of my time on YouTube video essays and I try to keep track of you and Devon Price’s writing because it keeps me grounded; reminds me to go outside, reminds me to make community like actual community, reminds me to create for the joys, and reminds me of the fight against varying forms of oppression and dispossession that we’re all invested in. I’m now slowly returning to my youthful creativity that I lost to Academia along the way… I’m writing again, actually writing. And Substack is where I publish that writing. And I’m lowkey considering reviving my YouTube channel that made small but recognisable impacts for young black queers trying to make life happen in South Africa. This is all to say that… fuck, after reading your essay like yeah, you gotta go. It doesn’t make sense for the Substack you’ve carefully shown to me to be a home for your work. And… fuck, I don’t know what that means for my work and its home. I’ve been thinking of a website for a while… working with a back-end and front-end developer to make a piece of the internet that’s curated by me for the sole purpose of sharing; sharing my attempts at living a liberatory life and also my attempts at understanding myself in this world. All without monetising (as I’m fortunate enough to have irl advocacy-aligned work that keeps money coming in, albeit tiny… enough for someone who lives at their mother’s house), because YOU helped me make sense of the ill feelings emerging in my body when I feel as if I am creating with the purpose of making money. Idk. You’re the only blog I recommend on my substack when people follow me.
My teacher, I wish you the best. I feel some grief and I feel some guilt (at remaining here on this platform) but these are things I can survive. I have no more words.
This essay has tapped into a rage I've felt but hadn't articulated. As a Kenyan writer, it's so infuriating that Western orgs take our money (I can pay for Substack subscriptions) but don't allow us access to the same opportunities to get paid.
I'm so tired. And angry.
this part!!!
Beautifully said.
I'm not fully through the essay yet, but I just reached the part where you mentioned the payment method. I have been so mad about that for ages because Stripe technically breaks EU data privacy law by wanting verification through a full front and back pic of your ID instead of a censored version showing the core info needed for verification. Totally great if they ever get hacked (not). It's literally anti-consumer trying to ride the wave of hate for Paypal the way all these Twitter-copies do the same. Adding payment gateways actually isn't super hard, so Substack truly is committed to limiting money flow to everyone by only giving people one option.
Generally, I'm so close to writing essays into and just reading them on audio/video to put them on YouTube/Spotify, solely because there I at least a better filtering system to make bigots unwelcome to my corner of the capitalist machine I'd publish through. The downhill motion of this platform through the notes function is such a core part of why I haven't even published stuff I already finished writing in a long while.
Now I'll be quiet and actually finish reading this amazing piece though.
I came here for you, and also bc i wanted to start taking my writing more seriously but *something* about the vibes on this platform made me not want to post. You articulated so clearly the issues I’ve been having with Substack.
Ismatu, I get that you’re upset over the excessive use of racial slurs, but how many times you going to run away from things? Like, racism exists everywhere! It’s a common cold, all you can do is have your ginger shots and hope you don’t catch it. But people like you are needed in these places, because you show people the better way. But you running from places just because it makes you feel less “cozy” it’s just not a good excuse anymore 🤷♀️ I’ll miss you so much, you made me want to write and get on here, and now you’re leaving? Naaaahh come back here and let’s fix this issue together!
👎
Ismatu continuing to enrich a platform whose values they don’t agree with isn’t going to “fix the issue”. No amount of well-meaning Black people on this platform will “fix this issue” because we do not have ownership over here. Why should Black people be spending their time & energy trying to fend off racists to claim a domain they have no ownership of? Substack should be deprived of Ismatu’s genius & we should be supporting the sovereignty of their work & ideas where they have more control.
But don’t you see how this essay evoked so much emotion out of people, that we’re all gathered here having a conversation about it, and some of these experiences are essential in order to create a change. But if people like Ismatu leave Substack, then our impact and the amount of awareness we can attract goes with it.
I think that’s a sacrifice we need to be willing to make. As much as I like having access to people who produce thought-provoking work, I don’t think they should indefinitely stay in toxic spaces. Things have an expiration date, this is someone who has already done a lot here. They have the ability to leave & influence people to join them in co-creating alternatives. I think that is more important than staying & trying to fight the beast from within.
We as readers (if we choose to stay) can be the people advocating for a safer platform! it does not have to be creators or ismatu’s responsibility - but i was thinking about your point (@mariam) when ismatu talked about the polarization of the platform. a diversity of voices is really important, but to put oneself in a space where you’re not protected and repeatedly degraded (and more issues with platform) doesn’t seem like it’s a better option than passing the baton to people who do currently have the capacity and bandwidth to do that work.
It’s just sad, because what’s she’s asking for, she can’t get like the way she wants🤷♀️ we can always use the block, report button, but we can’t sit around and force people not to say things… I find that essays like this keep that word alive, and then we complain why it’s still being used.
You are brilliant
Medical school!!?? Damn! When (if) will we get an update on that??? Congrats Imastu g <3
You are really pretty
I joined Substack just as you resolved to stop engaging with the Twitter (Notes) section of this platform. So I began to treat it with caution and careful intent.
I saw that you offered a paid subscription to support your work. It was above the base $5 and below the Substack's recommended $8. So I felt safe to ask for a similar amount as well despite my single-digit following at the time.
You have been a model for me on how to treat this platform. While I do not have the means just yet, I hope to be able to grow beyond this platform as well. I look forward to following your writings on Threadings.io.
I wish you abundance in your life online and most importantly, offline.
ismatu, this makes me want to create a blogging site that’s more selective/curated. may i connect with you about this? i’m currently working as a software engineer and i’ve been thinking about how else i can spend my time & skills rather than labour for a large corporation, and reading this essay sparks some inspiration for me. (for what it’s worth you were one of the writers that really brought me to substack where i actually was so fortunate to find very like minded people with such beautiful experiences and analyses and writing—i’m so grateful for your time here.)
Hii just another person here to report that I came to substack purely to read your essays and I now happily leave along with you too. Will go swap my payment across now - please keep asking though, people will intend to but forget! I know you know this but it bears repeating, you are important both as an individual human being and in terms of what you mean to others/the collective and it's important the impact of this move on your finances is mitigated as much as possible. If you post about it on your insta and tik tok it could also be a good opportunity to again challenge people's inclination to donate to you vs the SLAES community. Sending big love, appreciation and respect as ever xx