I do indeed still see Likes in my Notes feed. I actually feel like my feed has become 90% Likes and the other 10% is split between Restacks and original posts. I wish they would go away.
I think if you change the view from Explore to Following it removes all Likes and just shows original posts and restacks from people you follow which is a much cleaner and less crazy view. (to change views click the button to the right of the word Notes)
Ah yes, that's it, and explains why I never see them as I always view in 'Following' mode.
'Explore' is presumably what SubStack wants me to see, rather than my own choice.
I recently noticed this mode when repeatedly seeing Notes from people I didn't subscribe to or follow, it's very frustrating, so I now choose not to use it.
It's a shame that 'Following' isn't the default Notes view in my opinion, and it's annoying how often it sneakily switches back to 'Explore'.
It's rare for me to see something I don't want to see in the Explore view but I don't like it for the simple fact that I can end up seeing the same post 3-4 times in a row because it's liked by different people and for some reason their system separates them and that drives me nuts. I follow people who will all like the same thing so when that happens it's a wall of the same post Liked and Restacked. I need to change it to Following and it is a shame that it's not default. Sometimes it will just be on that option but most of the time I have to change it back.
Wow Erica! Thank you! such an eye-opening and thought-provoking post! Damn ❤️
I have my comments feature turned off on my Instagram posts cos I thought I didn’t want everyone's public opinions about my post, whether it’s controversial or not. I turned off comments on my IG stories, too - I did this because I thought if they really like my post and have something to say, better DM me, and so it’s a way for us to chat and catch up if they do, it really means they care.
Not sure if you could resonate to this. What do tou think?
Finally got to this, and thanks for putting it out there. My Substack philosophy had been to "like" every post I read, even from newsletters I don't subscribe to, to show the writer I engaged with the work. Of note, when other writers don't "like" my posts back, sometimes I feel a little resentful, because we all want that stupid dopamine hit, and "likes" are valuable from a curation/algorithm standpoint.
I've criticized Notes from the outset, because it's antithetical to the point of Substack -- producing great content for engaged readers. Notes is another place for algorithms and faux engagement to rule the day, which I hate, and is why I have no social media accounts.
I'm not "liking" your post, but I appreciate you writing it. I asked Substack specifically for an option to disable "likes" while keeping "comments" active. Hopefully that becomes possible.
I’ve gotten used to the like feature on other platforms, and since it didn’t bombard people it seemed an innocent way to support the work of more people when my time was limited for one-finger typed comments. But seeing likes turn into shares, here and elsewhere, I’ve become more conservative with them.... I’ve felt bad about it but dang it when I see a dozen liked posts from one person, I now mute or unfollow them. And that feels ick too. Social just keeps becoming more and more of what I don’t want in my life. Yet...I run a biz and still need to engage clients. Bleh!
I usually comment. If I like something, I skip the like button and share thoughts. Makes me happier when that happens on my own Substack. But the reason isn't because I don't like the like button. It's because I want a community, a conversation. Like doesn't offer that. I came to Substack a few months ago, migrating my newsletter of 15 years here because of that need for community. It's the whole reason this feels vibrant and alive to me.
Erica, I'm consciously avoiding the urge to "like" this post! But I do appreciate what you have to say here. I also appreciate what you have to say elsewhere, and appreciate what you're doing. I hope you don't mistake my likes for anything other than wanting to amplify what you were saying so that others would also (hopefully) see the same message (or story).
It's really tough, because we ARE living within a system. It's a bit of a prisoner's dilemma, where we have to promote our stuff and know that the best way for us (as individuals) to do that is to play the game in front of us, but the best thing for the community at large may be for everyone to stop playing entirely.
I don't really have an axe to grind one way or another. I do know that I want to continue to amplify works I think are good, because I feel like a higher level of quality deserves to receive more exposure, but I also think you make great points here: if we're just playing a game, does our conversation begin to lose meaning? The answer is almost certainly yes.
I love playing this game. Share each others work. Help each other when we have questions that someone else will likely have more of a grasp on. This excites me. I think there are certain aspects of the game that deserve to be rejiggered(?) a bit. Such as the Like system. It's like this unwritten rule, within ourselves, that says "If I Liked it then I can move on from it. My work here is done." When in fact, your work has only just begun. Especially if that Like is followed up with unanswered questions. I enjoy dropping a Like every now and then. I am guilty as charged. But I realize now, in hindsight, just how much a simple comment along with a Like can open up conversations and discussions that would otherwise go untapped.
I think we probably both use Substack really differently than most readers. I tend to comment more often than not if I read something; after all, a deeper conversation is exactly what I hope to instill in my own readers.
A lot of folks out there are probably pretty comment-shy, but for me, the conversations are the important part.
I do like the idea of improving the system, too, and I'll stand alongside you in these efforts. In the meantime, I'll continue to do my best to navigate the existing framework.
In the thread, myself and @Alexander M Crow got into convo, basically agreeing with what you've said here. We discovered that we found it really hard to NOT hit the like button even during the course of our brief conversation.
Small steps, I decided to continue as I'd started and not like anything for the rest of the day (even if I liked it) and comment. So far, so good.
Challenge accepted. I'm going to try go another day! I'm hoping to go heart and thumbs up free until the end of the month, and who knows, maybe the like-free response will be the new normal?
It sounds and feels like a breath of fresh air to be Like free. I am sure there is an equal and more damning negative impact that can come from everyone ceasing to use the Like button. I do try to stress that I feel there is a time and a place for using it and it shouldn't just disappear from our everyday use entirely. It just shouldn't be the norm or default response to what we read and especially should never be used in cases where we have not yet begun to read what was written.
To be more mindful with one's Like choices is key to a better and happier community.
To try has been an exercise in learning first-hand the pitfalls and benefits. I will add an addendum to a future post on what I have learned from the experience. At the moment, I still think it is habit, but a habit to click BEFORE the read rather than after is somewhat taking the mick. I think it is a good idea to take a moment before clicking. Why am I doing this? Could it be said better with words? What am I really trying to say when I react to this? Interesting discussion, Erica, thank you for raising it.
Scrolling through my Notes, I don't see likes. I get like notifications and those clog my notifications tabs, but if I go to Notes and check out the home or following tab, I just see people talking and restacking. This is a honest question, what are you looking at that is clogged with likes?
I'm looking at the Home tab. Which is essentially the main Notes tab either in the App or on the website. If you LIKE a post/email and I am Following you, then in the Notes feed/timeline I will see PATRICIA J.L. LIKED and then it will be that post. No commentary along with it. Just that. And if several people LIKE something it will just be one after the other before I see an actual Note or Restack from someone else. After seeing 5+ LIKED posts it can get annoying to keep scrolling till I see a real Note in Notes. The solution that I have come up with is to not follow anyone. That way I won't see LIKES in my timeline at all.
Okay, that is legit weird because I do not get ANY likes in my Notes feeds. Not on the website or the app. I don't see anything in settings that would turn it off in Notes. Maybe the update hasn't rolled out to everyone yet and it will start eventually for me. I guess right now I better enjoy the crap of out of having a timeline uncluttered by likes!
I’m giving you a Like and a Comment because I do like what you’ve said and I do agree with you. I rarely use Notes and have not followed anyone on Substack because every “update” makes this wonderful place feel more and more like every other social platform. With every additional feature added, a small piece of the unique experience is lost. I came here because it was different!
As for the Like button, I couldn’t have said it better. And I am completely guilty of hitting it instead of typing out how I truly feel about a post. But I do appreciate anyone who hits it for me because I rarely get any kind of feedback at all. At least a like let’s me know someone actually read what I wrote and didn’t just open it and scroll through mindlessly. So, it’s double-edged for me.
Thank you for voicing your thoughts, Erica! I enjoy your writing. Your presence on Substack certainly makes me want to remain a part of this special community of writers and readers.
I am forever a work in progress. Are we all not? If we aren't then what are we living for? I say this because I to have clicked the button. And I'll admit those times were instant and without having read the work at all. I did it because it was someone I know. And I figured, "I always like what they write so it stands to reason, whether I read this thing from them or not, I'm going to like it. So I'll just save myself the time and hit this LIKE button." But how disingenuous that is for me to do and how would I feel if that were done to me? As I am sure it is and has been many times over.
I will also admit that treating everything I read this way: LIKE is secondary. COMMENT always preferred. This makes me expand my mind more. Be more mindful with my words and my thoughts. It also forces me to think and use words. It might sound silly, but I compare this to a signature. The only time I write in cursive is when I sign my signature and the only time I do this is when I'm writing a check. Nowadays, that might happen a dozen times in one year. That's it. And when I think about it, that's also the only time I may pick up a pen to write anything! So that when I do, as I have been forcing myself to do lately, I feel like I'm re-learning how to write words! How dependent we have become on technology. No need to hand write that note, I have a notes app. Or why bother typing? I have dictation that will type it for me. Yes, I know there are people who need and use these tools. They are necessary and they are amazing. But for those of us who really don't need those tools and could hand write it down or could leave a comment (even if it's just a sentence or two) should we not make the effort?
I step down gingerly off my soapbox now. I really only intended to write a sentence or two reply...but here we are! What a difference NOT hitting the LIKE button here has made!
I will get Instagram likes for videos that appear before it would be possible to watch what I've put up, and yes, absolutely, that isn't a real person. In fact, in every case, it's a robot pushing me to an engagement site. Then there are the mutuals who'll like everything I ever make, as a reminder that they're still in my feed. There used to be a lot of time spent in the past mailing these people and asking them to tell me why they'd be happy to like but never to engage and the responses were... well, let's just say it was never really a surprise. Then there was the guy who'd reply to every blog post and when I didn't talk to him for a few days he went ballistic and started pulling every thing I wrote apart. In the end, he squatted on a name change assuming I'd want to come back to it. He's still there, waiting.
In the end, we all crave the connections for different way. I, personally, would like a dislike button because if there were one I sense it might empower me more to challenge the stupidity I see daily. Meaning for me comes from exchanges like this, when I'm grateful you explain your position and allow me to respond. Too many times on platforms, and it has happened here already, my responses are automatically considered as an attack because I won't agree 100% with the person's POV.
We should have the option to customise our own reactions. The word 'like' is horrible, there are far better words. If we COULD customise those features, I suspect the meaning might yet be salvaged.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to engage with you <3
I welcome the opposite response and the positive response! I welcome your thoughts and opinions wholeheartedly. In fact, I insist you give them. So much so that if I could, I would do away with the comments section. I'm even quite totalitarian in my thoughts here, or should I say dictator?, because what I would love is that you CANNOT read my next thing UNTIL you leave a comment. But I know there are those for whom leaving a comment, even one that says "liked it" or "hated it" would be asking too much.
I think back on the days when people would write a letter to the newspaper or their favorite author to tell them what they thought because there was literally no other way. And sometimes they would respond back. I know it's still done today, but not like it used to be. I speak as if I am old enough to remember those days. I am not. Though I wish I were. Instead, I read about those days and wonder how much different life would be if my stories were serials in a newspaper and my correspondence with readers came through letters in my mailbox...would my mailbox be empty or would it be stuffed with words of love and hate equally?
I feel like this idea is meant for the more niche communities. Not Substack as a whole, they could not handle it. But say, if you had a PO Box and then your readers could, if they wanted to, send you a correspondence. I actually have a PO Box for business reasons but you know, I never actually share it anywhere and then I wonder why I never get any mail there outside of what I'm expecting!
Indeed! How many thoughts and opinions, all valid and what I never even considered myself, would I not have seen or they not had the opportunity to say if there were some fear of saying it. I am truly overwhelmed by the response to my post and intend to respond in kind to every single one.
As I was about to “like” your post, I clicked and read it instead. Because that’s the precise human-condition conundrum SM has prayed upon: what’s the quickest low-cost interaction and how can we build upon that? And that’s why so many of us LOVE Substack - it’s the social media antidote for social creators. So yes, I am on this bandwagon with bless and whistles. Say NO to the Like! 😂💖
I will create banners (or placards depending on where you're from) for us to carry and march in protest if we have to. Or maybe we should be silent assassins and nudge our readers towards leaving a comment first and maybe, if they still feel the need, a LIKE afterwards. I am currently working on a "part II", if you will, that will outline some types of comments one can leave if one is feeling pressure and just not the comment leaving kind. It's actually quite painless once you make that a part of your everyday routine.
Why do I love the idea of leaving emoji comments vs using the LIKE button? This could start a trend that I support. Until the emoji's are strange and difficult to decipher...this deserves some further thoughts and experimentation for sure...
A Note without a human connection behind it is really not a Note at all. I feel like the lack of the human words along with the post is what's making it seem less alive. At least having the ability to "restack with a Note" makes it better. But this? This just will not do at all...
The problem you've identified – that our Notes timelines are a mess – has been the case since Notes started, including having likes show up irritatingly frequently. Perhaps it's gotten worse, but it is the least of Notes' problems. You're right to be cross about the recent update, but I fear the target of your anger is wrong.
Likes form three important functions.
1. They are social proof. A post or a Notes with lots of likes is more attractive to the casual reader who will see the likes and think "Oh, must be something here worth reading."
2. They are esteem indicators. They show the author that they've said something that someone has valued, and that's important especially for writers who perhaps aren't getting much else in the way of feedback elsewhere.
3. They are an easy way for readers to indicate a positive response without having to come up with some sort of comment. We shouldn't feel the need to always comment – sometimes we want to just show that we, well, liked something.
These are all important social communications, and asking people to stop liking is asking them to partially sever themselves from the broader Substack community. Likes have value, both in terms of creating connection and goodwill, and indicating that something has been appreciated.
I agree that the Notes algorithm is terrible, but there's so, so much more that's wrong with it than just it over-weighting likes.
If I may address the court with a counter argument to your points (all of which I find true and valid, by the way):
1. I can't recall ever basing my decision on whether or not something is worth reading if it has an abundance of LIKES. In fact, if I were to base it on a number, which I don't, my eye will always go to Title first, image second, first paragraph third, is to the number of comments. If I see a decent amount of comments (not hundreds because that is overwhelming and I feel like I could never catch up or join in after that) then I will read it.
2. My issue is not with the LIKE itself but the timing of it. All too often the LIKE comes seconds after something has been sent. I don't know about you, but when I see something I've written that is over 2k words and it receives multiple likes SECONDS after I sent it, I know it was not read. It does little to build my esteem. It actually deflates it.
3. I think asking for a comment isn't asking a lot. Especially, if you really do Like it. The act of writing words does more for ones brain function than clicking the LIKE button. I am not medical doctor or expert. But I do take your point that not everyone is a commenter by trade (I know I am not by any means) which is why I advocate that it should stay.
I've tapped the like button to give your post support, and restacked. I confess, I hadn't thought about how automatic it's become to tap the heart and move on if I can't think of anything productive to say. Your post is aptly timed however, because over the past week, I've had an awakening.
I can't recall if it resulted from a post of yours or someone else's, but I remember reading somewhere that one of the strengths of Substack is community, and community is built by interacting with each other. In this case, through the comments and chats and Notes. Also mentioned was that if an author has invested hundreds and sometimes thousands of words into their post/essay, they deserve better than a "Cool!" comment. It struck me that I had been sliding into that lane myself. I co-manage a crafting group on Ravelry, and I'm always telling our folks there that "You get out of this experience what you put into it". That's true here on Substack as well, (although that was never the case for Twitter and I).
So after reading that essay last week, I resolved to be a more conscientious and thoughtful commenter. Support my fellow authors with, at the very least, some kind of useful feedback, or discussion point or question about what they've written.
I read something somewhere that talked about a phenomena wherein many people seem to "tap into" the same theory, or realization, or philosophy. I think that many of us are getting tired of seeing the same old, same old on the places we hang out online. Likes are one example of this, the yearning for true connection and exchange of thoughts as well. A socially aware pendulum, of a sort.
At any rate, I agree with the call for more thoughtful interaction and less tapping of an icon and moving on.
We'll get out of Substack what we put in, and can only raise the IQ of the internet if we feed it intelligent and thoughtful discourse.
I literally had to stop everything I was doing to read this thoughtful and informative response. Thank you for reading my post and for agreeing. It was difficult to write but seeing all of the positive responses has made me realize I am not alone in how I feel about this situation and I'm glad I said something.
I think if we all just take an extra couple seconds to think about a verbal/written response rather than a knee-jerk button push, the community could only get better.
I've only just stumbled upon this post, and I can't see any Likes in my notes feed, so I'm guessing they've stopped re-stacking a Like?
Perhaps they just did it to liven up the Notes feed in the early days when there was not much traffic?
Can you still see them Erica?
I do indeed still see Likes in my Notes feed. I actually feel like my feed has become 90% Likes and the other 10% is split between Restacks and original posts. I wish they would go away.
I think if you change the view from Explore to Following it removes all Likes and just shows original posts and restacks from people you follow which is a much cleaner and less crazy view. (to change views click the button to the right of the word Notes)
Ah yes, that's it, and explains why I never see them as I always view in 'Following' mode.
'Explore' is presumably what SubStack wants me to see, rather than my own choice.
I recently noticed this mode when repeatedly seeing Notes from people I didn't subscribe to or follow, it's very frustrating, so I now choose not to use it.
It's a shame that 'Following' isn't the default Notes view in my opinion, and it's annoying how often it sneakily switches back to 'Explore'.
Naughty Substack. 😉
It's rare for me to see something I don't want to see in the Explore view but I don't like it for the simple fact that I can end up seeing the same post 3-4 times in a row because it's liked by different people and for some reason their system separates them and that drives me nuts. I follow people who will all like the same thing so when that happens it's a wall of the same post Liked and Restacked. I need to change it to Following and it is a shame that it's not default. Sometimes it will just be on that option but most of the time I have to change it back.
I don’t have an issue with “likes” and I’ll continue to click like on the ones appealing to me. I’m sorry it hadn’t worked for you.
Wow Erica! Thank you! such an eye-opening and thought-provoking post! Damn ❤️
I have my comments feature turned off on my Instagram posts cos I thought I didn’t want everyone's public opinions about my post, whether it’s controversial or not. I turned off comments on my IG stories, too - I did this because I thought if they really like my post and have something to say, better DM me, and so it’s a way for us to chat and catch up if they do, it really means they care.
Not sure if you could resonate to this. What do tou think?
Finally got to this, and thanks for putting it out there. My Substack philosophy had been to "like" every post I read, even from newsletters I don't subscribe to, to show the writer I engaged with the work. Of note, when other writers don't "like" my posts back, sometimes I feel a little resentful, because we all want that stupid dopamine hit, and "likes" are valuable from a curation/algorithm standpoint.
I've criticized Notes from the outset, because it's antithetical to the point of Substack -- producing great content for engaged readers. Notes is another place for algorithms and faux engagement to rule the day, which I hate, and is why I have no social media accounts.
I'm not "liking" your post, but I appreciate you writing it. I asked Substack specifically for an option to disable "likes" while keeping "comments" active. Hopefully that becomes possible.
I’ve gotten used to the like feature on other platforms, and since it didn’t bombard people it seemed an innocent way to support the work of more people when my time was limited for one-finger typed comments. But seeing likes turn into shares, here and elsewhere, I’ve become more conservative with them.... I’ve felt bad about it but dang it when I see a dozen liked posts from one person, I now mute or unfollow them. And that feels ick too. Social just keeps becoming more and more of what I don’t want in my life. Yet...I run a biz and still need to engage clients. Bleh!
I usually comment. If I like something, I skip the like button and share thoughts. Makes me happier when that happens on my own Substack. But the reason isn't because I don't like the like button. It's because I want a community, a conversation. Like doesn't offer that. I came to Substack a few months ago, migrating my newsletter of 15 years here because of that need for community. It's the whole reason this feels vibrant and alive to me.
Erica, I'm consciously avoiding the urge to "like" this post! But I do appreciate what you have to say here. I also appreciate what you have to say elsewhere, and appreciate what you're doing. I hope you don't mistake my likes for anything other than wanting to amplify what you were saying so that others would also (hopefully) see the same message (or story).
It's really tough, because we ARE living within a system. It's a bit of a prisoner's dilemma, where we have to promote our stuff and know that the best way for us (as individuals) to do that is to play the game in front of us, but the best thing for the community at large may be for everyone to stop playing entirely.
I don't really have an axe to grind one way or another. I do know that I want to continue to amplify works I think are good, because I feel like a higher level of quality deserves to receive more exposure, but I also think you make great points here: if we're just playing a game, does our conversation begin to lose meaning? The answer is almost certainly yes.
I love playing this game. Share each others work. Help each other when we have questions that someone else will likely have more of a grasp on. This excites me. I think there are certain aspects of the game that deserve to be rejiggered(?) a bit. Such as the Like system. It's like this unwritten rule, within ourselves, that says "If I Liked it then I can move on from it. My work here is done." When in fact, your work has only just begun. Especially if that Like is followed up with unanswered questions. I enjoy dropping a Like every now and then. I am guilty as charged. But I realize now, in hindsight, just how much a simple comment along with a Like can open up conversations and discussions that would otherwise go untapped.
I think we probably both use Substack really differently than most readers. I tend to comment more often than not if I read something; after all, a deeper conversation is exactly what I hope to instill in my own readers.
A lot of folks out there are probably pretty comment-shy, but for me, the conversations are the important part.
I do like the idea of improving the system, too, and I'll stand alongside you in these efforts. In the meantime, I'll continue to do my best to navigate the existing framework.
@JB Minton started a thread on this topic earlier today on Notes: https://substack.com/@jbminton/note/c-36906059
In the thread, myself and @Alexander M Crow got into convo, basically agreeing with what you've said here. We discovered that we found it really hard to NOT hit the like button even during the course of our brief conversation.
Small steps, I decided to continue as I'd started and not like anything for the rest of the day (even if I liked it) and comment. So far, so good.
Challenge accepted. I'm going to try go another day! I'm hoping to go heart and thumbs up free until the end of the month, and who knows, maybe the like-free response will be the new normal?
It sounds and feels like a breath of fresh air to be Like free. I am sure there is an equal and more damning negative impact that can come from everyone ceasing to use the Like button. I do try to stress that I feel there is a time and a place for using it and it shouldn't just disappear from our everyday use entirely. It just shouldn't be the norm or default response to what we read and especially should never be used in cases where we have not yet begun to read what was written.
To be more mindful with one's Like choices is key to a better and happier community.
To try has been an exercise in learning first-hand the pitfalls and benefits. I will add an addendum to a future post on what I have learned from the experience. At the moment, I still think it is habit, but a habit to click BEFORE the read rather than after is somewhat taking the mick. I think it is a good idea to take a moment before clicking. Why am I doing this? Could it be said better with words? What am I really trying to say when I react to this? Interesting discussion, Erica, thank you for raising it.
Scrolling through my Notes, I don't see likes. I get like notifications and those clog my notifications tabs, but if I go to Notes and check out the home or following tab, I just see people talking and restacking. This is a honest question, what are you looking at that is clogged with likes?
I'm looking at the Home tab. Which is essentially the main Notes tab either in the App or on the website. If you LIKE a post/email and I am Following you, then in the Notes feed/timeline I will see PATRICIA J.L. LIKED and then it will be that post. No commentary along with it. Just that. And if several people LIKE something it will just be one after the other before I see an actual Note or Restack from someone else. After seeing 5+ LIKED posts it can get annoying to keep scrolling till I see a real Note in Notes. The solution that I have come up with is to not follow anyone. That way I won't see LIKES in my timeline at all.
Okay, that is legit weird because I do not get ANY likes in my Notes feeds. Not on the website or the app. I don't see anything in settings that would turn it off in Notes. Maybe the update hasn't rolled out to everyone yet and it will start eventually for me. I guess right now I better enjoy the crap of out of having a timeline uncluttered by likes!
I’m giving you a Like and a Comment because I do like what you’ve said and I do agree with you. I rarely use Notes and have not followed anyone on Substack because every “update” makes this wonderful place feel more and more like every other social platform. With every additional feature added, a small piece of the unique experience is lost. I came here because it was different!
As for the Like button, I couldn’t have said it better. And I am completely guilty of hitting it instead of typing out how I truly feel about a post. But I do appreciate anyone who hits it for me because I rarely get any kind of feedback at all. At least a like let’s me know someone actually read what I wrote and didn’t just open it and scroll through mindlessly. So, it’s double-edged for me.
Thank you for voicing your thoughts, Erica! I enjoy your writing. Your presence on Substack certainly makes me want to remain a part of this special community of writers and readers.
I am forever a work in progress. Are we all not? If we aren't then what are we living for? I say this because I to have clicked the button. And I'll admit those times were instant and without having read the work at all. I did it because it was someone I know. And I figured, "I always like what they write so it stands to reason, whether I read this thing from them or not, I'm going to like it. So I'll just save myself the time and hit this LIKE button." But how disingenuous that is for me to do and how would I feel if that were done to me? As I am sure it is and has been many times over.
I will also admit that treating everything I read this way: LIKE is secondary. COMMENT always preferred. This makes me expand my mind more. Be more mindful with my words and my thoughts. It also forces me to think and use words. It might sound silly, but I compare this to a signature. The only time I write in cursive is when I sign my signature and the only time I do this is when I'm writing a check. Nowadays, that might happen a dozen times in one year. That's it. And when I think about it, that's also the only time I may pick up a pen to write anything! So that when I do, as I have been forcing myself to do lately, I feel like I'm re-learning how to write words! How dependent we have become on technology. No need to hand write that note, I have a notes app. Or why bother typing? I have dictation that will type it for me. Yes, I know there are people who need and use these tools. They are necessary and they are amazing. But for those of us who really don't need those tools and could hand write it down or could leave a comment (even if it's just a sentence or two) should we not make the effort?
I step down gingerly off my soapbox now. I really only intended to write a sentence or two reply...but here we are! What a difference NOT hitting the LIKE button here has made!
I will get Instagram likes for videos that appear before it would be possible to watch what I've put up, and yes, absolutely, that isn't a real person. In fact, in every case, it's a robot pushing me to an engagement site. Then there are the mutuals who'll like everything I ever make, as a reminder that they're still in my feed. There used to be a lot of time spent in the past mailing these people and asking them to tell me why they'd be happy to like but never to engage and the responses were... well, let's just say it was never really a surprise. Then there was the guy who'd reply to every blog post and when I didn't talk to him for a few days he went ballistic and started pulling every thing I wrote apart. In the end, he squatted on a name change assuming I'd want to come back to it. He's still there, waiting.
In the end, we all crave the connections for different way. I, personally, would like a dislike button because if there were one I sense it might empower me more to challenge the stupidity I see daily. Meaning for me comes from exchanges like this, when I'm grateful you explain your position and allow me to respond. Too many times on platforms, and it has happened here already, my responses are automatically considered as an attack because I won't agree 100% with the person's POV.
We should have the option to customise our own reactions. The word 'like' is horrible, there are far better words. If we COULD customise those features, I suspect the meaning might yet be salvaged.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to engage with you <3
I welcome the opposite response and the positive response! I welcome your thoughts and opinions wholeheartedly. In fact, I insist you give them. So much so that if I could, I would do away with the comments section. I'm even quite totalitarian in my thoughts here, or should I say dictator?, because what I would love is that you CANNOT read my next thing UNTIL you leave a comment. But I know there are those for whom leaving a comment, even one that says "liked it" or "hated it" would be asking too much.
I think back on the days when people would write a letter to the newspaper or their favorite author to tell them what they thought because there was literally no other way. And sometimes they would respond back. I know it's still done today, but not like it used to be. I speak as if I am old enough to remember those days. I am not. Though I wish I were. Instead, I read about those days and wonder how much different life would be if my stories were serials in a newspaper and my correspondence with readers came through letters in my mailbox...would my mailbox be empty or would it be stuffed with words of love and hate equally?
That is a genius idea, you know. I wish there was more customization in these apps for niche approaches to publishing.
I feel like this idea is meant for the more niche communities. Not Substack as a whole, they could not handle it. But say, if you had a PO Box and then your readers could, if they wanted to, send you a correspondence. I actually have a PO Box for business reasons but you know, I never actually share it anywhere and then I wonder why I never get any mail there outside of what I'm expecting!
This thread just illustrates your point. How much might we have missed if everyone had just “liked” your original post?
Indeed! How many thoughts and opinions, all valid and what I never even considered myself, would I not have seen or they not had the opportunity to say if there were some fear of saying it. I am truly overwhelmed by the response to my post and intend to respond in kind to every single one.
As I was about to “like” your post, I clicked and read it instead. Because that’s the precise human-condition conundrum SM has prayed upon: what’s the quickest low-cost interaction and how can we build upon that? And that’s why so many of us LOVE Substack - it’s the social media antidote for social creators. So yes, I am on this bandwagon with bless and whistles. Say NO to the Like! 😂💖
I will create banners (or placards depending on where you're from) for us to carry and march in protest if we have to. Or maybe we should be silent assassins and nudge our readers towards leaving a comment first and maybe, if they still feel the need, a LIKE afterwards. I am currently working on a "part II", if you will, that will outline some types of comments one can leave if one is feeling pressure and just not the comment leaving kind. It's actually quite painless once you make that a part of your everyday routine.
😂🎉💖 (my go-to when I want to leave a comment but have gone into nonverbal mode!)
Why do I love the idea of leaving emoji comments vs using the LIKE button? This could start a trend that I support. Until the emoji's are strange and difficult to decipher...this deserves some further thoughts and experimentation for sure...
I appreciate what you have written here Erica. Notes just doesn’t seem to have the same feeling and sense of community that it previously had.
A Note without a human connection behind it is really not a Note at all. I feel like the lack of the human words along with the post is what's making it seem less alive. At least having the ability to "restack with a Note" makes it better. But this? This just will not do at all...
I agree.
Oh, good grief, no.
The problem you've identified – that our Notes timelines are a mess – has been the case since Notes started, including having likes show up irritatingly frequently. Perhaps it's gotten worse, but it is the least of Notes' problems. You're right to be cross about the recent update, but I fear the target of your anger is wrong.
Likes form three important functions.
1. They are social proof. A post or a Notes with lots of likes is more attractive to the casual reader who will see the likes and think "Oh, must be something here worth reading."
2. They are esteem indicators. They show the author that they've said something that someone has valued, and that's important especially for writers who perhaps aren't getting much else in the way of feedback elsewhere.
3. They are an easy way for readers to indicate a positive response without having to come up with some sort of comment. We shouldn't feel the need to always comment – sometimes we want to just show that we, well, liked something.
These are all important social communications, and asking people to stop liking is asking them to partially sever themselves from the broader Substack community. Likes have value, both in terms of creating connection and goodwill, and indicating that something has been appreciated.
I agree that the Notes algorithm is terrible, but there's so, so much more that's wrong with it than just it over-weighting likes.
If I may address the court with a counter argument to your points (all of which I find true and valid, by the way):
1. I can't recall ever basing my decision on whether or not something is worth reading if it has an abundance of LIKES. In fact, if I were to base it on a number, which I don't, my eye will always go to Title first, image second, first paragraph third, is to the number of comments. If I see a decent amount of comments (not hundreds because that is overwhelming and I feel like I could never catch up or join in after that) then I will read it.
2. My issue is not with the LIKE itself but the timing of it. All too often the LIKE comes seconds after something has been sent. I don't know about you, but when I see something I've written that is over 2k words and it receives multiple likes SECONDS after I sent it, I know it was not read. It does little to build my esteem. It actually deflates it.
3. I think asking for a comment isn't asking a lot. Especially, if you really do Like it. The act of writing words does more for ones brain function than clicking the LIKE button. I am not medical doctor or expert. But I do take your point that not everyone is a commenter by trade (I know I am not by any means) which is why I advocate that it should stay.
I've tapped the like button to give your post support, and restacked. I confess, I hadn't thought about how automatic it's become to tap the heart and move on if I can't think of anything productive to say. Your post is aptly timed however, because over the past week, I've had an awakening.
I can't recall if it resulted from a post of yours or someone else's, but I remember reading somewhere that one of the strengths of Substack is community, and community is built by interacting with each other. In this case, through the comments and chats and Notes. Also mentioned was that if an author has invested hundreds and sometimes thousands of words into their post/essay, they deserve better than a "Cool!" comment. It struck me that I had been sliding into that lane myself. I co-manage a crafting group on Ravelry, and I'm always telling our folks there that "You get out of this experience what you put into it". That's true here on Substack as well, (although that was never the case for Twitter and I).
So after reading that essay last week, I resolved to be a more conscientious and thoughtful commenter. Support my fellow authors with, at the very least, some kind of useful feedback, or discussion point or question about what they've written.
I read something somewhere that talked about a phenomena wherein many people seem to "tap into" the same theory, or realization, or philosophy. I think that many of us are getting tired of seeing the same old, same old on the places we hang out online. Likes are one example of this, the yearning for true connection and exchange of thoughts as well. A socially aware pendulum, of a sort.
At any rate, I agree with the call for more thoughtful interaction and less tapping of an icon and moving on.
We'll get out of Substack what we put in, and can only raise the IQ of the internet if we feed it intelligent and thoughtful discourse.
I literally had to stop everything I was doing to read this thoughtful and informative response. Thank you for reading my post and for agreeing. It was difficult to write but seeing all of the positive responses has made me realize I am not alone in how I feel about this situation and I'm glad I said something.
I think if we all just take an extra couple seconds to think about a verbal/written response rather than a knee-jerk button push, the community could only get better.