The TL;DR is that social media platforms are trying to retain viewership on their own platforms, downplaying links that will exit the user from the app.
Which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Engagement is their whole deal.
The author puts some real stretches in this article. He tried Twitter for 2 months and his subscriber count sort of kind of didn’t grow as fast for 2 months. He also didn’t really understand Twitter or how to use it (understandable after dabbling for only 2 months), so he concludes that “being on Twitter” is actually harmful to writers. There are some valid observations in the article but it really feels like it’s just throwing red meat to the “social media bad” audience with an expectation that they’ll subscribe to his Substack.
> tried Twitter for 2 months and his subscriber count sort of kind of didn’t grow as fast for 2 months
If he was giving it as much effort as Substack, and it wasn't paying off after 2 months, I think that's a fair criticism.
> He also didn’t really understand Twitter or how to use it (understandable after dabbling for only 2 months)
_Only_ 2 months? Mate, if I don't understand something meant for the mass-public after 2 months, that's not on me.
> ... so he concludes that “being on Twitter” is actually harmful to writers
I'm not sure I'd conclude that so black-and-white, but I can see his point. Being on Twitter can sometimes do more damage than it can be helpful to your brand. It's an cess pool of bad intent and mobbery where you have to watch every tiny thing you say, so I can see how it can be detrimental for writers.
Which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Engagement is their whole deal.
The author puts some real stretches in this article. He tried Twitter for 2 months and his subscriber count sort of kind of didn’t grow as fast for 2 months. He also didn’t really understand Twitter or how to use it (understandable after dabbling for only 2 months), so he concludes that “being on Twitter” is actually harmful to writers. There are some valid observations in the article but it really feels like it’s just throwing red meat to the “social media bad” audience with an expectation that they’ll subscribe to his Substack.