They are all algorithm malls. I miss the ethos of the Dial-up Internet Age.
Today I feel like picking on Substack because it likes to present itself as a haven for writers: a quiet place to publish, connect with readers, and escape the noise of social media. But if you look closely at how it actually behaves, it’s just another algorithm mall.
In a mall, the architecture is designed to keep you inside, wandering past store after store, constantly nudged by layout, signage, and impulse displays. Your attention is the product being optimized.
Substack continues to introduce new features such as Notes, Recommendations, and Restacks pushing in the same direction. The ideal 𝗰̶𝘂̶𝘀̶𝘁̶𝗼̶𝗺̶𝗲̶𝗿̶ user is no longer allowed to be just a writer creating thoughtful posts, but incentivized to be a maniacal participant feeding the in‑app feed with bitesized, scrollable content. Of course you can still be just a writer but ...
... If you simply publish essays or links you love and then leave, you quickly discover how little the system cares about your work. Your posts go out to whoever is already subscribed, and beyond that, you are invisible. These days even your subscribers can’t be arsed to share your writing (a bloody link) with anyone. Why? Too busy scrolling and caught up in their own life to elevate others.
Discovery isn’t driven by quality or depth any longer.
It is driven by what the algorithm can easily measure: Likes, Re-stacks, Comments, Dwell Time. If you’re not participating in this game of dipshits, you’re choosing to stand outside the mall like a chugger.
Dear Substack,
You create a subtle but corrosive pressure on writers.
Why do you want writers to ask themselves, “What will travel in Notes?” rather than focus on writing something wholly meaningful. It’s your job to distribute by doing the work, not forcing us to awkwardly self-quantify.
Substack: the platform that promised to free you from social media logic quietly pulls you back into the same dynamics, just with more tasteful branding.
Also there is a power imbalance baked into the design.
Substack controls the corridors, the signage, the recommendation rails.
They decide which publications get pushed, which writers appear in “Because you read…,” and which topics are amplified.
You’re encouraged to believe this is meritocratic, but the underlying incentives are clear: the more you keep readers inside the ecosystem, the more the system rewards you.
The mall loves shopkeepers who generate foot traffic.
Substack is a cool publishing platform and my platform of choice because it offers seamless email delivery, a clean editor, and is genuinely fun to use. Yet, I wish Substack was honest about what it is.
It’s not a neutral platform that simply “serves writers.” It’s an attention engine with writing attached.
And it leaves me wondering, in 2026, where can I distribute something that doesn’t depend on an algorithm mall?
Please lmk in the comments - I’m genuinely looking for cool places where creative souls hang out.
