Substack Notes is a rebellious movement

And I'm here for it!

I’ve never done anything ‘bad’ and I’ve certainly never broken the law. Ah wait, I did get a speeding ticket once, so I guess that counts. But, I think I’ve turned into a rebel, and you might be one too!

It started when I realised that I didn’t want to work my typical ‘safe’ job anymore. I rebelled and went self employed.

When I went self employed, I started my own creative business thus rebelling against everything my parents believed I ‘should’ do by not having a ‘proper’ job anymore.

I’ve rebelled against having lots of friends because I’m far too comfortable with my own company.

At high school I rebelled against wearing makeup and being the typical girly-girl that all the other girls in my year group were becoming.

Saying no to gossip or being negative towards others is an act of rebellion I’m proud of.

I’ve rebelled against normal society standards and become a minimalist with a capsule wardrobe. I’m always rebelling against consumerism.

And my latest rebellious act has been joining Substack. If you’re new to Substack, it’s an amalgamation of blogging, having your own email newsletter, as well access to video and podcasts all in one place. It truly is amazing and I don’t think I’ve said that about a platform since Instagram, circa 2016.

Since joining Substack, I’ve given up on social media. I just don’t need it anymore because Substack caters for all of my wants and needs without any ads or dancing Reels!

So, I’ve deleted unused profiles and removed the Instagram and Facebook apps from my phone. I haven’t looked back and I honestly thought I was done with social media for the foreseeable future. Another act of rebellion added to my list!

But…

This week, Substack launched Substack Notes. Notes is a kind of social media in that writers and creatives can publish short form content, a picture or video, or even a link, to a feed.

Notes is different though! It’s not just any old social media.

It’s all in chronological order for one, there isn’t an ad in sight, and there’s two feeds - Home and Subscribed. The Subscribed feed only shows Notes from writers who I subscribe to, and the Home feed shows Notes from writers who have been recommended by those who I subscribe to.

You could say, then, that Substack Notes is an act of rebellion to social media!

I’ve been experimenting with Notes since it launched less than 48 hours ago, and I love it. It’s the breath of fresh air I (and I’m sure lots of other people) need.

At first, I worried what this new social media function would be like, after all, I’d only just gotten used to not scrolling aimlessly on my phone for the first time in years.

But, it’s actually rather wonderful. Imagine Twitter but with users who are kind, supportive and often incredibly talented. Every time I do scroll through the Notes feeds, I see things that interest me. There’s an intention to every post that I want to explore further. I’m certainly not scrolling aimlessly like before. I’ve found writers classes, book recommendations, and must-read short essays from writers all over the world.

Substack Notes is, I think, going to change how we use social media going forward. And I can’t wait!

I’ll be using Notes to share snippets of my simple living day, quotes I like, behind the scenes of what I’m working on, and most importantly, I’ll be sharing anything that catches my eye here on Substack, from beautifully written essays to informative podcast episodes.

I’m not sure if you’re on the lookout for a new social media, but I urge you to try Substack Notes if you are. You can download the Substack app which I use mostly for reading newsletters and essays, for using the Substack Chat function (like having your own personal WhatsApp group with your audience), and now for using Substack Notes.

If you’d like to rebel against social media too, I’d love for you to join me! And if you’d like to try out writing (or creating) on Substack in general, then give it a go using this guide on how to set up your Substack for the first time.

If you’ve used Notes already, I’d love to know how you’re finding it. If you haven’t tried it yet, will you? How are you finding Substack in general? Do you love it too? Come and chat to me in the comments.