Broken Social Media Scene

“Ok. So, Social Media is dying,” says the guy still posting on Instagram.

It is, though. Twitter is on fire, Facebook is unbearable to look at and Instagram (in the middle of some weird attempt to become boomer-flavored Tiktok) is trying its best to hide my friends from my feed.

Do you remember when you used to MEET PEOPLE on social media?

I joined Instagram in 2012 and it was…amazing. I found people, my people. 

I was at NYU at the time, which meant every once in a while, my IG homies would blow into town and we would meet up irl. We went to concerts together. We watched the East Village sunrise through the windows of Veselka after crawling through bars all-night. Shoot! I even got invited TO A WEDDING of a friend who I met through IG!

Those were good years. We were humans using technology to find humans. Social media was a joy to use.  I haven’t felt that way for awhile.

At some point I stopped meeting new people. Then it got worse: algorithms hid the humans I already knew and loved from my feed. Seriously, why did I keep logging on?

I did an experiment the other day. I spent one afternoon scrolling through the accounts I follow. Handle after handle, I kept going, “Damn! What happened to you?!”

I miss the connection. I miss the interaction, but by the looks of things Anti-Social Media is here to stay.

Ok, so what is this article actually about?

What if I told you that there was a Social Media Platform with a LINEAR, TIME-BASED feed? What if I told you it also has a searchable post archive and what if I told you that YOU ALREADY USE IT?? Like, you actually use it everyday.

Not sold? It gets better. This platform is not owned (i.e. controlled) by any corporation. There is zero chance of Elon Musk buying it out, and there is no CEO who can decide to throttle your content or manipulate your feed.

Pipe dream? Dudeman, this shit is real! I am talking about EMAIL. Free to use. Linear Feed. No corporate control. 

You have one. I have one. I think we should use ‘em. 

Starting January 3rd 2023, IMO start sending letters, electronic letters, and I would love to become your pen pal. 

In the New Year, I am going to create an email newsletter (Gutter Zine!) and send it out on the 3rd of every month. Comics, articles and music will be all wrapped up in this alien transmission. That’s to start the convo. The rest is up to us! 

In my current season of life, my littles range from diapers to highschool. I don’t get out much and I would LOVE to reconnect. I think email is a better format than what Meta & Musk have to offer us right now.

Whether you are searching for connection or reconnection, it’s not gonna happen unless we take our conversations underground to a place where corporations have no authority to mute or monetize.

That is my vision for Gutter Zine: transmissions WE own between the people WE care about. Let’s create a new scene together. 

Sign up so we can catch up - the way we used to do!

JT⚡