u put words to an experience i've come across as a newer substack reader: recommending products, especially luxury products, becomes a way of selling and signaling a privileged way of life. i actually got to a point where i had to stop reading substack cuz it was fueling a vicious cycle of online shopping. *capitalism and white supremacy* i wonder if people think that because it's substack, it's inherently more literary, less obscenely influencer-y than instagram or tiktok? when honestly there's plenty of shopping lists on here, just written in a way that's somewhat self-conscious but still unaware. idk if this makes sense, but i think some folks with a big following on substack do see themselves a lil too highly lol.
I definitely agree that people are less aware of the selling part because it’s Substack. I don’t mind selling as long as it’s honest and genuine. But if writers are selling different products everyday it’s hard to believe they are genuine.
i love this so much. echoing what is written in Filterworld — as our feeds flatten into similarity, we crave a human-curated/personalised experience of the world. i’m learning to slow down, not compare the amount i read, what i’m doing with my social media and interacting with the world with a genuine approach. i did come from Tiktok! please keep doing what you do, i really enjoyed this ;-)
Omg thank you so much! It is hard to not compare ourselves to others. I often find myself worrying if I’m not reading enough or if I’m not reading the right thing. Having social media detox once a while really helped.
I feel this so deeply! As someone whose substack partially focuses on recommending theater and live art, I feel very much at odds with the algorithms preference for shoppable listicles. I find a lot of people want quick consumable starter packs but so much of building taste is exploration and finding out what you dislike as much as what you like. To do that I’m always wrestling with how and how much to share about the work itself. You kinda have to surrender to curiosity and accept the risk of something not meeting your expectations but conversely it also opens up the possibility for expansion.
..but then again should you share also that which youre not settled on as a reflection of your cultivation of taste(theres also an assumption that your taste has reached peak and thus your authority on provide starter pack)
Precisely! I’m coming at this from the angle of the reader in that, readers shouldn’t expect my taste to be the absolute authority. In my opinion, the reader has to experience the work for themselves and in doing so take a risk on seeing something that may not perfectly fit into a box of “good” “must see”
I feel a lot of recommendation “content” tries to define experiences too prescriptively revealing every single detail about what they’re going to see and how they “should” receive the work. At least in the realm of theatre, you forfeit the experience of revelation by going in knowing too much.
similarly to jessi use of recommendation language - it works but is pushy. We seem to have no room for time whether its gradually growing an audience or developing our tastes. The why of it all seems so absurd sometimes: why do you need our taste developed yesterday ?
Would intentionally sharing the process be the solution? might be why daily vlogs are a hit(the boring related doing nothing and something kind).I look back at creators who are now “peak” in their taste development but i look back at videos of 5 years ago and it reminds of the journey and development indeed.
really special read! been always thinking about how taste is created and circulated and how important it is nowadays to have a curator. but i'm waiting to crack the level of analysis and thinking that goes beyond just simple recommendation and glossing. what does it mean to possess an experience and to pass it on. things that has always been on my mind! thank you!!
Beautifully written, this resonated because I’ve also feel into the trap of recommendation culture. Which often led to overconsumption & unnecessary spending.
But through that it has also taught me things about myself and what I actually like, what I do have a real connection to.
So, thank you for sharing this very relevant perspective 🫶🏾
I recently found myself archiving some of my instagram post that seemed not aligned or too personal to attach to myself-extending my hobby what i enjoy to a limited expression seemed endangering in a way and yet I got the same sense (based on my own consumption habits) that my recommendations if not packed in the right way by an equality esthetic person would not run. BRb ..working on a balance
u put words to an experience i've come across as a newer substack reader: recommending products, especially luxury products, becomes a way of selling and signaling a privileged way of life. i actually got to a point where i had to stop reading substack cuz it was fueling a vicious cycle of online shopping. *capitalism and white supremacy* i wonder if people think that because it's substack, it's inherently more literary, less obscenely influencer-y than instagram or tiktok? when honestly there's plenty of shopping lists on here, just written in a way that's somewhat self-conscious but still unaware. idk if this makes sense, but i think some folks with a big following on substack do see themselves a lil too highly lol.
I definitely agree that people are less aware of the selling part because it’s Substack. I don’t mind selling as long as it’s honest and genuine. But if writers are selling different products everyday it’s hard to believe they are genuine.
very much agree. honesty is hard to gauge online nowadays. thanks for ur thoughts & words, i appreciate how intentional ur approach is.
i love this so much. echoing what is written in Filterworld — as our feeds flatten into similarity, we crave a human-curated/personalised experience of the world. i’m learning to slow down, not compare the amount i read, what i’m doing with my social media and interacting with the world with a genuine approach. i did come from Tiktok! please keep doing what you do, i really enjoyed this ;-)
Omg thank you so much! It is hard to not compare ourselves to others. I often find myself worrying if I’m not reading enough or if I’m not reading the right thing. Having social media detox once a while really helped.
I feel this so deeply! As someone whose substack partially focuses on recommending theater and live art, I feel very much at odds with the algorithms preference for shoppable listicles. I find a lot of people want quick consumable starter packs but so much of building taste is exploration and finding out what you dislike as much as what you like. To do that I’m always wrestling with how and how much to share about the work itself. You kinda have to surrender to curiosity and accept the risk of something not meeting your expectations but conversely it also opens up the possibility for expansion.
..but then again should you share also that which youre not settled on as a reflection of your cultivation of taste(theres also an assumption that your taste has reached peak and thus your authority on provide starter pack)
Precisely! I’m coming at this from the angle of the reader in that, readers shouldn’t expect my taste to be the absolute authority. In my opinion, the reader has to experience the work for themselves and in doing so take a risk on seeing something that may not perfectly fit into a box of “good” “must see”
I feel a lot of recommendation “content” tries to define experiences too prescriptively revealing every single detail about what they’re going to see and how they “should” receive the work. At least in the realm of theatre, you forfeit the experience of revelation by going in knowing too much.
*scraps “must see” from recommendation vocabulary
I love how you put it!!
similarly to jessi use of recommendation language - it works but is pushy. We seem to have no room for time whether its gradually growing an audience or developing our tastes. The why of it all seems so absurd sometimes: why do you need our taste developed yesterday ?
Would intentionally sharing the process be the solution? might be why daily vlogs are a hit(the boring related doing nothing and something kind).I look back at creators who are now “peak” in their taste development but i look back at videos of 5 years ago and it reminds of the journey and development indeed.
really special read! been always thinking about how taste is created and circulated and how important it is nowadays to have a curator. but i'm waiting to crack the level of analysis and thinking that goes beyond just simple recommendation and glossing. what does it mean to possess an experience and to pass it on. things that has always been on my mind! thank you!!
Beautifully written, this resonated because I’ve also feel into the trap of recommendation culture. Which often led to overconsumption & unnecessary spending.
But through that it has also taught me things about myself and what I actually like, what I do have a real connection to.
So, thank you for sharing this very relevant perspective 🫶🏾
I recently found myself archiving some of my instagram post that seemed not aligned or too personal to attach to myself-extending my hobby what i enjoy to a limited expression seemed endangering in a way and yet I got the same sense (based on my own consumption habits) that my recommendations if not packed in the right way by an equality esthetic person would not run. BRb ..working on a balance