The world of independent journalism was shaken to the core as news surfaced that Twitter has deboosted any tweets that contain Substack links. This development comes after the newsletter platform launched its ‘Notes’ feature, which is widely seen as a competitor to Twitter.
Posts in Twitter that contain links to the now-rival platform can’t be liked, retweeted or replied to. It has also been reported that Twitter also disabled the ability to embed its links inside Substack posts.
The two platforms are considered by many writers to be complementary. User Wall Street Silver tweeted in late 2022: “Would it make sense for Twitter to buy Substack and more tightly connect the two platforms. Twitter plus Substack creates instantly massive competition for obsolete legacy corporate media.”
Musk replied: “I’m open to the idea”.
Now, with the launch of the ‘Notes’ platform, the controllers of the big tech giant decided to severely limit the reach of any posts containing links to Substack.
This has caused widespread worry among independent journalists, including some associated with Twitter.
Matt Taibbi, who wrote many ‘Twitter Files’ exposes, and who has a very sucessful Substack, shared his disappointed reaction:
“Earlier this afternoon, I learned Substack links were being blocked on Twitter. Since being able to share my articles is a primary reason I use Twitter, I was alarmed and asked what was going on.
It turns out Twitter is upset about the new Substack Notes feature, which they see as a hostile rival. When I asked how I was supposed to market my work, I was given the option of posting my articles on Twitter instead of Substack.
Not much suspense there; I’m staying at Substack. You’ve all been great to me, as has the management of this company. Beginning early next week I’ll be using the new Substack Notes feature (to which you’ll all have access) instead of Twitter, a decision that apparently will come with a price as far as any future Twitter Files reports are concerned. It was absolutely worth it and I’ll always be grateful to those who gave me the chance to work on that story, but man is this a crazy planet.”
Substack released a statement on the subject, signed by Jairaj Sethi, Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie:
“The Substack model is thriving. The proof is that the imitations are failing and the incumbents are resisting.
For example, today Twitter started blocking links to Substack. We hope this action was made in error and is only temporary. Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else. However, even if this change is not temporary, it is a reminder of why cracks are starting to show in the internet’s legacy business models. When it comes to any of the other large platforms, the rules are the same. If writers and creators don’t own their relationships with their audiences, they’re not in control.
This writer- and reader-first model represents the future of the internet. Any platform that benefits from writers’ and creators’ work but that doesn’t give them control over their relationships will inevitably wonder how to respond to the platforms that do.”
The post War of the Platforms: Are Twitter and Substack in a Collision Course? appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
