The hottest Online Platforms Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top News Topics

The internet's "town square" is dead

The Intrinsic Perspective • 18314 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Social media Online Platforms Content Moderation Power Dynamics
  1. The internet's idea of a centralized 'town square' is no longer feasible due to fundamental differences in people's worldviews.
  2. When individuals have too much control over speech without oversight, it often leads to corruption and abuse of power.
  3. The rise of new platforms like Threads and shifts in social media dynamics reflect a fragmentation of the 'town square' into multiple platforms with differing moderation policies and user bases.

On Recent Developments at Substack

Welcome to Garbagetown • 2574 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Online Platforms Social media Free speech Community Building
  1. Acknowledgement of issues with Substack's management of diverse opinions and policies on monetization
  2. The dilemma of deciding whether to stay on Substack despite hosting problematic content or to leave and potentially lose audience
  3. Concern about the online space being dominated by harmful voices if good actors continually leave platforms hosting problematic content

⬜ The importance of curation

One Thing • 1186 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture History Art Online Platforms Content creation
  1. Curation has a long history dating back to ancient Rome, starting as a way to manage aspects of city life and evolving into a responsibility of caretaking, on both a spiritual and physical level.
  2. The concept of curation has shifted over time, from being associated with museum stewards to being seen as a glamorous act online, where individuals are faced with curating their digital presence to navigate vast content.
  3. There's a call for more support for curation, emphasizing the importance of sustaining those who find and organize valuable content, moving beyond just paying creators for their work.
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In Search of the “Reasonable Man”

Symposium • 432 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Freedom of Speech Content Moderation Online Platforms Social media
  1. The debate about Substack and 'Substack Nazis' raises questions about freedom of speech and tolerance.
  2. Moderation on platforms like Substack should aim to keep out trolls and explicit Nazis while allowing for diverse discussions.
  3. A 'reasonable man' approach to content moderation could help platforms like Substack navigate difficult decisions.

The internet is for 12-year-olds

Read Max • 2535 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Social media Content creation YouTube Internet culture Online Platforms
  1. Many content creators online are pressured to create content aimed at 12-year-olds due to the large number in the audience.
  2. Internet platforms lack adult mediation between young viewers and content creators, leading to a focus on adolescent content.
  3. Successful creators may reintroduce wholesome content into the online sphere, standing out in a sea of material targeting younger audiences.

🌍 👩🏿‍🤝‍👩🏽 Building a digital lifeline for women around the world

New_ Public • 412 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Community Women's issues Online Platforms
  1. Lola Omolola started a Facebook group, Female IN (FIN), which became a vital lifeline for over two million women worldwide.
  2. Facebook, despite its issues, is still a significant tool for relationship-building and is low-cost, making it impactful for communities like FIN.
  3. Community stewardship in FIN relies on a strong team of volunteers from within the community, creating a supportive and self-policing environment.

Betting the kingdom

SuperJoost Playlist • 176 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Entertainment Finance Media Online Platforms
  1. Disney's $1.5 billion investment in gaming highlights the shift of entertainment firms towards the gaming industry.
  2. Microsoft's potential move to release Xbox games on PlayStation has stirred controversy among fans.
  3. Nintendo's decline in earnings, future of the Switch, and Roblox's strategy of user-generated content indicate interesting trends in the gaming industry.

3 médias bonus

L'Atelier Galita • 196 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
📰 News Media Journalism Funding Politics Online Platforms
  1. The Media is an alternative cooperative media outlet with a focus on independence, collaboration, and diversity.
  2. The Media faced challenges with funding due to a dysfunctional economic model and a shift towards advertising.
  3. Blast, a media outlet created by a former dissident of The Media, gained more popularity despite both facing similar issues.

The Rise of Offline Apps

In Bed With Social • 334 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Apps Tech Trends Digital Experiences Online Platforms Entrepreneurship
  1. The mobile app landscape is shifting with a decrease in app downloads and counts on platforms like the App Store and Play Store.
  2. Apps like Breeze and Soon are introducing 'offline dating' experiences that prioritize face-to-face interactions over virtual connections.
  3. There is a rising trend towards digital consolidation and possibly a shift towards a 'super app' revolution to balance tangible experiences with digital connectivity.

Searching For My City

Reboot • 24 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Community Online Platforms Community Building
  1. Early online communities like Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) fostered local connections and community building through text-based websites and local forums.
  2. Platforms like Yelp and Google Maps have shifted the focus from local community engagement to commercialized consumption, impacting the way we interact with and perceive our cities.
  3. Creating and sustaining place-based digital networks presents challenges, but initiatives like DIY internet radio stations showcase the potential for online communities to embrace local culture and connection.

The Three Segments of American Culture

Political Currents by Ross Barkan • 71 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Cultural analysis Media Literature Music Online Platforms Counterculture
  1. The Macroculture includes mainstream media, major record labels, and Hollywood, shows wealth but also vulnerability in the 21st century.
  2. The Microculture, like TikTok and YouTube, represents bottom-up content creation and massive growth in online platforms, but also lacks stability and can be a hustle culture.
  3. The Mesoculture is the missing middle ground between the Macroculture and Microculture, emphasizing physical communion, demand for alternative infrastructure, and a resurgence in literary and artistic events.

The Anti-Defamation League Defames Substack

Karlstack • 366 implied HN points • 08 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Social media Censorship Online Platforms Defamation
  1. ADL criticized and called for the deplatforming of several Substack writers for promoting conspiracy theories.
  2. There is suspicion that Substack was blocked by Twitter as retaliation for launching a new feature similar to Twitter.
  3. The incident involving the ADL, Substack, and Twitter is a developing story that has caused confusion and concern among content creators.

The lizard republic contemplates moving its capital

Banana Peel Pirouette • 158 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Media Social media Online Platforms Community
  1. Twitter users have a love-hate relationship with the platform but find it essential due to its influence in the media industry.
  2. Being on Twitter is crucial for individuals in various professions like journalism, literature, and academia to build and maintain their reputation.
  3. Twitter, despite being disliked by many, remains a powerful tool for individuals to gain visibility, recognition, and advance their careers in the competitive landscape of social media and knowledge work.

Quick Update

Malt Liquidity • 6 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Social media Content creation Online Platforms Digital Communication
  1. The author is apologizing for a lack of posts due to a busy work schedule, but mentions having several in progress.
  2. The author is considering different ways to engage readers and potentially move discussions to a more permanent format.
  3. There are plans to transition content to a native URL and potentially create a separate site for non-core content.

2022 Introspective

Technology Made Simple • 99 implied HN points • 27 Dec 22
🕹 Technology Content creation Community Building Audience Growth Online Platforms
  1. The newsletter is going on break till January 5th to recharge and will have a 'start here' section for newcomers.
  2. More AI/Machine Learning content will be integrated into the newsletter on specific days to cater to a general audience.
  3. The growth of the newsletter was mainly influenced by partnerships, Substack recommendations, and content on other platforms including LinkedIn and Medium.

Group Theory. The Math Twin to Object Oriented Programming[Math Mondays]

Technology Made Simple • 79 implied HN points • 31 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Programming Mathematics Learning Design Online Platforms
  1. Group theory in mathematics helps in understanding inheritance and polymorphism in Object-Oriented Programming.
  2. In OOP, inheritance allows classes to inherit properties, similar to how groups inherit properties from subgroups.
  3. Group theory provides a framework for designing efficient and modular systems by understanding class and object relationships.

Substack fights Elon Musk [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Social media Tech industry Content creation Online Platforms Digital Communication
  1. Substack introduced a new feature called Notes resembling Twitter, aimed at enhancing writer engagement.
  2. Substack's focus on paid subscribers sets it apart from traditional social media platforms, indicating a unique strategy.
  3. The move by Substack to introduce Notes hints at a strengthening independent writer community and a shift in digital content consumption trends.

Crisis averted

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 29 May 20
🎭️ Culture Internet culture History Media Social Issues Online Platforms
  1. Y2K and COVID-19 both show the importance of trusting experts and unseen work in crisis response.
  2. Historical events like Y2K can teach us valuable lessons about mitigating disasters and recognizing the reality of threats.
  3. Success in averting a catastrophe doesn't mean the threat wasn't real - it often reflects the effectiveness of prevention efforts.

Groceryplaylist.com, Whatsinmyfridge.ai, and the future of grocery shopping

Expand Mapping with Mike Morrow • 0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Shopping Future Trends Online Platforms Automation
  1. Two web apps were created for meal planning with a unique twist.
  2. The future of grocery shopping may involve personalized 'grocery playlists' for ordering ingredients.
  3. Traditional grocery stores might become obsolete, with a shift towards more personalized, online-based shopping experiences.

Know when to ~stop searching~

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 25 Aug 16
🕹 Technology Social media Virtual reality Future Tech Internet culture Online Platforms
  1. Meet the new class of political media on Facebook, shaping news with outrage to millions of viewers.
  2. Mark Zuckerberg's vision goes beyond social networking, hinting at a future resembling 'Ready Player One'.
  3. The future may see immortality through VR technology, transforming the concept of death in unique ways.