Welcome to Issue 2. I hope my Miro template simplified how you think about promotion. Please tell me, what helped you most? I would love to iterate and improve its impact.
A devolving web and You
X neé Twitter, Reddit, Stack Exchange… Summer of 2023 was about digital watercooler destruction. Here’s some “light reading” that helped me make sense of it.
- Doctorow’s coined phrase enshittification
- Catherynn Valente’s long but historically insightful article Stop Talking to Each Other and Start Buying Things
- Ed Zitron’s ongoing Rot Economy thesis
- Ryan Broderick’s social media analysis
These all poke the same wound. Social platforms are juicing revenue by eroding their experience AND the cultural media institutions we relied on. American television usage dropped below 50% for the first time! Not like I’m crying over it.
But the void has jilted our collective trust in what comes next.
So instead of saying LinkedIn is the new Snapchat or whatever, here are my guiding principals for the new era:
- Own your communication
Netizens are starting email chains, newsletters, curated directories, blogs, forums, RSS feeds, and other indie publishing tools that Web 2.0 killed. Slowly make space for these in your digital diet as you go. - Invest in the good stuff
Snag a domain + hosting for $120/yr and an RSS reader at $60/yr. These tools are priceless for sharing your message and staying current on what matters to you, not some algorithm. - Collect email addresses starting today
You don’t have to start sending emails today. Or at all! But getting direct permission to message someone will give you a running start once you’re ready to reconnect. - Help others on social platforms that suit you
Microblogging is losing appeal, but helping is timeless! Shifting your focus from “sharing” to “helping” expands your visibility and positively rewires your brain. Double down on 2-3 platforms you enjoy and reassess quarterly.
Got something to add? I’d love to hear what’s working for you. And I’m on a secret mission to resurrect Web Rings. Lemme know if you’re in!
