In a digital age that tends to prioritize quantity over quality, Substack is an online platform that promotes more mindful and intentional consumption of media, a trait that has recently attracted many. Substack is a platform that operates on a subscription basis, where users can subscribe to creators and access multiple mediums of content from them, including pictures, videos, articles, and audio clips. Once you subscribe, you get email notifications when these creators post, so you never need to worry about missing one. It’s also relatively ad-free, apart from sponsored content that creators may choose to include, but Substack itself doesn’t promote any content directly on its platform. Though it’s been around since 2017, the platform has seen its most significant growth in the past few years. From Nov. 2021 to Feb. 2023, the number of paid subscribers on Substack increased from 1 million to 2 million, according to Statista.
But while the platform still remains relatively small in comparison to the corporate giants of TikTok and Instagram, Substack has something for everyone—not just for every interest and niche, but for every type of user. Maybe you want a podcast to listen to on your morning walks, maybe you just want to educate yourself on historical events, or maybe you just want a fun blog to read every now and then. I know we live in a world of “hustle culture” that makes us feel like if we aren’t living life like it’s a never-ending marathon, we’re doing something horribly wrong, but I must stress the importance of slowing down every now and then. Doom-scrolling algorithms online encourage us to consume, consume, consume, and never actually digest. In the passing moments between work and school, we open our phones for a dopamine kick, and when we aren’t glued to our screens, we’re only thinking about what comes next—what’s next on the to-do list, how stressed we are about tomorrow. Stress is inevitable, of course, but slowing down and thinking more mindfully also slows the illusion of a rushed life—looking around us and actually taking in the way the sun hits the grass as if it were dancing atop it, or how the wind rustles the trees as it flies by. We’re living in each next moment and not the one we’re currently in, and before we know it, the essence of each one has passed us by, and we’re wondering where it all went.
I know that sounds very “doom and gloom” of me, but the point I’m really trying to get at is that if we just slow down and consume media more mindfully, it’s one more step towards being more present in each moment and living a fruitful life. Substack isn’t going to solve all your problems (or maybe it will—what do I know, anyway), but if you’re not already taking the time each day to read, listen to a podcast, or consume some other form of media that isn’t entirely short-form, it can be a great start. Substack is particularly helpful for people who may have been bigger readers when they were younger but now struggle to find the attention span to sit down and read a full novel. Reading just a little more every day, particularly if you do it in place of scrolling on social media, can help you win back that once-lost attention span.
To find whatever you might be seeking on Substack, you can either go to the homepage and free scroll, look up a specific topic or person, or create an account to subscribe to specific creators. Personally, I recommend creating an account because, while you can use Substack without one, you can’t subscribe to anyone, which sort of defeats the purpose of a subscription-based media platform. That said, on the Substack homepage, you can select a certain topic and then scroll through recent posts tagged under it from a variety of different Substacks, which can be helpful if you’re just looking to see what people are talking about. Subscribing to different creators will also better curate your Substack feed and recommend similar Substacks to you. A couple of my favorite Substacks are style toast by Brooke and Sugar Town by Bella Townes, both of which I highly recommend reading a few posts from if you’re interested in fashion and/or lifestyle content.
As a final note, if your first reaction to the suggestion of adding a little reading to your daily routine is that you “don’t have enough time,” I encourage you to check the daily screen time on your phone. Sometimes, you have to reconsider whether you actually just don’t have enough time or whether you’re using your time inefficiently. If you truly cannot find the time, though, a podcast related to something you’re interested in can be just as rewarding—whether it’s on Substack, Spotify, Apple Music, or beyond.