Why I Won't Be Using Notes
The dangers of attention-scattering, polarised fighting & social injustice
Recently Substack launched a new feature called ‘Notes’ which is kind of like Twitter but not - a place where people can share short form text, pictures and links either with their existing networks or with people from across the Substack platform.
I have really enjoyed playing there this week. I had a few connecting conversations with writers whose Substacks I really admire (fan girl). I was happy to find Adetokunbo who is writing about about climate change in Africa, and Scott who wrote about spiritual materialism. I love expanding my circle of friends and meeting folk I wouldn’t usually meet. I love finding new excellent writing. All the conversations I saw were kind, courteous and curious. What’s not to love?
Alas. I discovered three things that I did not love.
The first is that short form social media with its endless scroll and little hits of dopamine plays havoc with my poor brain. My attention becomes scattered. As Bryan so beautifully puts it in his article Twitter, Notes & Sacred Wildflowers, the internet is a portal to TOO MUCH and “we cannot drink ever more and more from this digital firehose.” I noticed that my time slipped away into Notes like sand in an unwatched hourglass (ten minutes, twenty…) and that I came away feeling jittery and hungry for more.
The second is that short form makes it so hard to engage with complex issues with nuance, patience and open-mindedness. Our world is already polarised enough and, for me, short form social media platforms are not conducive to proper conversations about serious issues. At their worst they contribute to the strengthening of each side’s position and the descent into fighting. What initially attracted me to Substack was the space it gives individuals to be thoughtful and thorough about their topics - we speak one at a time, and we listen with respect. We honour some of this good writing with our proper attention, and some with our money.
The third is the most important because it isn’t about me. It’s the thorny topic of censorship vs. moderation.
At the moment Notes (like the rest of Substack) is an unmoderated space where free speech is allowed. I’m not an expert on this issue, and I don’t know whether censorship does help us to be kinder to each other or not. I do know that last night I witnessed racism for the first time on Sharon’s Note, and it made me very sad. I fear that it is only the beginning.
I have noticed that those calling for free speech are often (not always) those who don’t experience daily oppression. If I was a person of colour or queer or if I belonged to another group that experienced oppression on a regular basis, I can’t see why I would want to enter a new arena where there were no guidelines about rules of conduct and no consequences (except a personal block) for those who actively perpetuate these insidious and toxic systems of oppression. A personal note - my lovely spouse is non-binary and has had a few painful experiences of being treated badly in online spaces, and so there is a lot of heat around this for me.
If it ain’t a safe space for my brothers, sisters and siblings, then I’m not going to play there any more for now.
I want to emphasise that not going onto Notes is a very personal decision for me. It is like my decision not to fly again because of climate change - it isn’t for everyone and I’m not saying that others should do what I’m doing. I don’t have all the answers. Maybe it would be better for me to stay on Notes and offer solidarity for folk when appropriate. Maybe I should learn how to manage the distraction better rather than stepping away. I still think Notes has great potential, and I really hope conversations continue about how it can become a safe, inclusive space for everyone. I have faith in Substack and I am hoping to write here for a long time.
In the meantime I’m going to go outside into the temple garden and see what’s changed since yesterday - how much bigger the tadpoles are, and which new buds are opening. I’m going to keep putting time aside to write my Going Gently pieces and put as much love into them as I can. I’m going to do what I need to do to honour my connection with dear Earth, other beings and myself.
I’m going to enjoy my life.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Bryan’s article:
“…I am cautious about this new battlefront in the digital invasion of our brains. Like many of you, I strive to keep people and nature centered and lofty in my life. Instead of consulting the myriad of self-help books about coping with the digital life — about how the internet has addled our brains for distraction and about the myths of digital productivity and goodness — my default redress is simple: Go outside. Meet those little red flowers and their infinite promises of spring. Walk. Sit. Think. Sense. Be. Write.”
Amen.
Let’s be kind to each other out there.
Go gently,
Satya <3
Yes indeed, more distraction... I should be already out in town 😄
I can't find what was wrong with comments on Sharon's note - anything specific?