throwing a fit about something that does not matter
read at your own risk (i am a huge baby)
this week, all hell broke loose on substack. this matters. people are getting harassed, having deepfakes made of them, and the platform isn’t doing anything about it. the substack team hasn’t even made a basic pr statement about it with no action behind it. they’ve simply ignored their loyal and passionate users.
this whole thing has been ramping up with the platform releasing features nobody wanted like video content and betting options (this one still confuses me? like what is even the point of that?) something is obviously rotten in the state of substack headquarters, and i hope things change very soon.
i’m not sure why i’m writing all of this since everyone here came from substack. (are there any wrizzit users who didn’t come from substack? that would be crazy.) but i write all of this to say that i am angry about what this has caused for me personally, though it does not matter at all and to complain about it feels so embarrassing.
but alas, i am a woman of transparency. and, if you do not want to read a piece on me throwing a fit about something that doesn’t matter, then please do not read this. because it truly does not matter. like at all. but i’m annoyed nonetheless.
this week, i posted an essay at my regularly scheduled time. i wrote it before everything went down and it came from a place of joy in my heart.
because last friday, i got into a summer program at yale university. after telling friends and family and making a pinterest board (duh) my next thought was “i can’t wait to tell the cherry pops!” (if you don’t know me from substack, that is how i refer to my subscribers)
here is my tantrum: i didn’t get to enjoy it. yes, people liked my essay and commented their congratulations, but it all felt soured.
i credit so much of my recent writing growth to substack. my relationship to the platform got me writing a full piece at least once a week and reading more widely than i ever have before. i’ve even had an essay brewing in my mind/drafts about how writing essays on substack has changed my life for the better. i likely will not be writing that essay, at least not anytime soon.
i’m mad. not because so many of us are fighting the toxicity on the platform, which is such an important thing. i’m mad that we have to fight at all. i’m mad that i don’t feel safe in a space i love so dearly and have brought so many friends to. i’m mad that the future feels so uncertain and i have no idea if the newsletter i’ve been building for months will even exist in a few weeks. and i’m mad that i didn’t get to celebrate yale with my substack friends as much as i wanted to. and i know that doesn’t matter, but i'm still upset about it.
post script:
okay, full disclosure, i wrote the above section on my phone in a blind frenzy and i genuinely don't want to edit it because even i am annoyed with myself. i'm questioning whether to post this at all but i feel like it will be cathartic so whatever. you guys are getting unfiltered caroline tm over here on wrizzit.
i don't want anyone to congratulate me. that's not really the point of this fit/temper tantrum/rage/essay-type-thing. i guess the point is that substack's silence is hurting us in so many different ways, it's hard to keep up anymore.
do not mind me. i am insane.
Comments (18)
Caroline, it does matter. Everyone's safety and mental health matters. None of this toxic behavior should have happened. The fact that no one has even had the decency to acknowledge such vile behavior is even worse. Btw, I missed your Take University newsletter, and I know you said you don't want congratulations, but that achievement is soo stinking HUGE, and I am INCREDIBLY proud of you!!!
this is so so valid. I hoped that because my medical issues prevent me from working a normal job, I could make money on Substack once I felt more confident with it. now, I feel like I’m almost back at square one. so I feel you girl, the substack chaos has been really disappointing. but… I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU WITH THE YALE PROGRAM!!! CONGRATS!!!!!
I know like i felt the same way. Since we all started substack, we actually found a community that we care about and made friends along the way but now it all feels so disconnected and i don’t like it either. I feel so blue about it!! and yes your “throwing tantrums” does matter!!!
Let it ouutttt! I feel you, I really do! It's a pain to keep feeling like we have to jump ships, even if we understand the importance of it.
I feel that the push from Substack to become a new version of Facebook started the downward trend and the appearance of bots and trolls everywhere, the push for just photos, followed by videos as they strived to get people simply using notes. The site is now too big and rich to control, the main subscription sites pushed are telling you how to make a fortune and get 100,000 followers in 1 week! Who cares? I did / do love Substack and the people who are still there writing, being creative or sharing their life stories. All we can hope for is that we keep this one quiet (ish) for a while and only people who want to read, write, be creative or tell their story will join the community.
I see you and feel you. I've invested 10 months into Substack and a lot of that has been pure, incredible joy. And I feel so sad that I feel like I can't just be normal and joyous over there at the moment. Substack made me believe in my writing; Substack is the reason I receive a tiny monthly income for my writing – but an income all the same. Substack contains a portfolio for me as well as months of community building and I care about it deeply. I care so much about the experience for all of us and to be honest it just sucks and I think that's fair to say!!
It does still matter. You shared happy news on your little corner that you made, not knowing the website was about to explode. It is okay to feel this way, to feel that you got robbed of that happy moment. The movement that started is important, but so was celebrating your win. Both are true. And you can be proud of the movement, and sad about timing at the same time. (And congratulations once more! I can't wait to hear about the week at Yale!)
no i get it. i feel the same way. ive enjoyed substack so much and the thought of it ending makes me so upset.