Why You Need Substack: A Survival Guide for the Social Media Apocalypse
Day 003
In an age where every social platform feels like a dystopian theme park, it’s no surprise that I’m clinging to Substack like a lifeboat in the stormy sea of digital insanity.
Allow me to explain.
Twitter: Elon’s Personal Cult Compound
Once upon a time, Twitter was a chaotic but lovable space where everyone yelled into the void. Now, it’s Elon’s never-ending TED Talk—featuring a crowd of fervent fans who treat his every tweet like it’s the Sermon on the Mount.
It is Elon Musk's echo chamber. It seems the only thing "free" about Twitter is Musk’s willingness to suspend accounts that dare question his worldview. If you disagree with him, you’re one bad tweet away from digital exile, left screaming into the void of Threads. Ouch.
Meanwhile, far-right content is thriving like it's got an exclusive invite to a billionaire’s Mars colony.
Rumor has it, that Musk’s latest update to Twitter includes a "Fawning Praise Only" filter, which turns dissenting opinions into inspirational quotes about Tesla stock. Critics of this new feature are, of course, permanently locked out… but hey, maybe they just need to innovate harder.
P.S. I know it is called X. For me, it will always be Twitter. Sue me.
Bluesky: The Anti-Elon Commune
On the flip side, there’s Bluesky: a utopia for those who wake up every morning wondering how to dunk on Elon more creatively. The vibe is less “social media” and more “support group for disappointed Democrats.”
If you think it’s all sunshine and rainbows, beware—the collective disdain for Musk comes with a side of moral superiority so intense it could power a solar farm.
Think if Ezra Klein started a religion and AOC is the God.
Instagram: AI Farmville for Pretty People
Then we have Instagram, where every third account is an AI-generated influencer. You thought it was bad when real humans were selling you collagen tea? Now it’s synthetic avatars with flawless skin and algorithmically curated captions. Spoiler: they’re probably run by a click farm in a basement, and they still have better engagement rates than you.
Facebook: Fact-Checking Is So 2016
Mark Zuckerberg—our Greek godfather—has decided that independent fact-checking is just too passé. Why bother verifying the truth when you can just let engagement sort it out?
According to sources, Zuck’s new motto is "Who needs facts when you have feelings?" The result? Facebook will now officially lean into its destiny as a global misinformation bazaar. Somewhere in an underground server farm, a bot is already crafting posts about how milk cures cancer while 5G towers make it worse.
LinkedIn: The AI Grift Olympics
And oh, LinkedIn—the professional masquerade ball where influencers reinvent themselves every fiscal quarter. Last year, they were ESG evangelists. This year? AI thought leaders! And every post is a selfie of them “thinking deeply” at a WeWork, accompanied by captions like, “Had an amazing conversation about the ethical implications of ChatGPT. Here’s what I learned: I’m amazing.”
You don’t know insufferable until you have interacted with an active LinkedIn user.
TikTok: A Dictatorship of Dance
And then there’s TikTok, where censorship is subtle but somehow even more infuriating. Users are alleging that the platform is suppressing phrases critical of Donald Trump. If your hot take on Trump doesn’t make it past the algorithm, it’s probably because it’s been replaced with a pretentious 22-year-old sitting in a Camry and giving financial advice video.
TikTok insists it’s “neutral,” but neutrality hits differently when the app seems to push MAGA-adjacent dance trends to the For You page. Imagine learning you’ve been shadow-banned because your anti-Trump rant didn’t use a trending sound. Truly, Orwell never saw this coming.
The Algorithmic Aristocracy: By the Platforms, For the Platforms
So I heard the word algorithmic aristocracy and I liked it so I stole it.
These platforms aren’t just curating content anymore—they’re curating reality. In this Algorithmic Aristocracy, freedom of speech is a quaint concept, fact-checking is a relic, and dissent is erased faster than you can say, “Terms of Service.”
Of course, we’re all complicit.
We scroll, we share, we rage—and in doing so, we strengthen their grip. They own the algorithms, and by extension, they own us. So let’s raise a glass (of filtered water, because this planet is also dying) to the brave new world: where the truth bends, algorithms rule, and your voice only matters if it boosts ad revenue.
There’s one more thing.
Enter Substack: The Last Sane Refuge
Which brings me to Substack, the one platform that doesn’t make me want to chuck my phone into the ocean. It’s a magical place where writers share actual ideas instead of recycled memes or lazy platitudes.
No AI influencers. No Musk discourse. No LinkedIn humblebrags. Just words, thoughts, and the occasional very niche rant about artisanal bread. And how to grow on Substack. Harmless mostly.
I am using Substack to send you this Silly Point newsletter. It is not the first time I am using this platform. In my previous life, I ran another newsletter on Substack. It was right after I had discovered Substack and fell in love with its simplicity. It used to be just a newsletter platform but it has matured over the years and I love the evolution.
Not too psyched about a16z investing in Substack. But that’s a topic for another day.
Anyway, I am now going to go read a 3,000-word essay on why the Oxford comma is overrated.
Until tomorrow: keep questioning everything, especially why you read this far.
Za-Head