i'd prefer not to be a starving writer...

thoughts on the enshittification

Recently, there’s been some discourse in my corner of Substacks Notes sections. I’ve seen so many writers complain about Substack becoming another funnel for influencers to make a buck off of people. What was once a sanctuary for writers and their patrons to bask in the arts has fallen victim to enshittification.

Many people making claims like this were on the platform long before its popularity grew. They either had to grind to grow their following or they managed to move a pre-existing audience onto what was then a new platform. They’ve earned their stripes so to speak.

Even new creators express their fear of Suvstack becoming the new Instagram, where clout-chasers flourish and real connection and arts are overtaken by more social media slop.

Though, it's true that Substack has its fair share of bad actors (i.e. people starting Substacks to simply sell products or courses that have no inherent value), I find most posts lauding the downfall of Substack to be annoying and pretentious.

The main reason for my annoyance is that I feel this type of language demonizes people who join Substack both for the joy of writing and for the hope of making that writing a source of income.

I started this Substack with what some would call the purest intentions. I wanted to write about my life and share it with other people. And at the end of the day, that is still what I want. But, after seeing so many people make a living here and break free from corporate jobs, I wanted some of that for myself. Yet, when I see posts of people complaining about writers trying to monetize their writing and the destruction of art, it makes me feel like a scumbag.

Again, I love writing and I would do it for free. I’ve been doing it for free for the last two years on this platform and it’s been fine. But I know I want to grow here. I want to have a community here. I may even want to create something and share it with others here. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

Would I like to live in a world where there are no bills and free healthcare? Of course. Would I like to live in a world where I spend all day writing and not have to worry about feeding myself? Of course.

But, we haven’t gotten out of this capitalistic system yet. So until then, if I want to live in this world I’ll need to make money and would much rather that money come from people who support my writing than slaving away at a company that doesn’t give a damn about me.

Side note:

I find it interesting that most of the people I see making comments like this are folks who already have a steady income from Substack or other endeavors. It’s funny seeing people who don’t need to worry about money, complaining about people who do. But maybe that’s me being angry about my financial distress.

This one is particularly ranty but I need to get it off my chest.

There’s nothing wrong with coming on this platform with a plan. There’s nothing wrong with selling something to an audience willing to take it.

There’s nothing wrong with providing value and wishing for something in return.

And there’s nothing wrong with monetizing your passion.

You’re only sleazy if you lose sight of why you love writing or creating in the first place. You only become an influencer when you let go of your values for dollars.

Ignore the people out here stinking up the platform. Both from complaining about it and those who are taking advantage of it

Till next time xx

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