Is Substack The New Protestant Reformation?

On Luther, DIY Culture, Decentralization, and Narcissism

It’s not a Substack until you’ve written about Substack.

There are many ways to tell the story of what this medium is, but one dominant story, shared by both friends and critics, is that it’s a way for writers and “content creators” to “go independent” and to “build their own audiences.” I am grateful to Substack for enabling me to attempt this. I have some skin in this game.

Whether you think Substack is hastening the end of legacy media—or simply capitalizing on its decay—it is one tiny part of broader trends in which “unbundling” and “decentralization” are operative terms. These trends are not new, but have been kicked into hyper-speed by 1) The rise of remote work 2) Increased distrust of mainstream institutions (what Martin Gurri calls “The Revolt of the Public”) and 3) Social media’s normalization of the idea that each of us is a broadcaster of our own private channel.

Substack is to the New York Times, as it were, what Miami is to San Francisco, and what Bitcoin is to the dollar. Some think of these as replacements, others as hedges; and others as healthy competition (this latter view seems to be the official position of Substack CEO, Hamish McKenzie).

When considering the contemporary trends of unbundling and decentralization it helps to recall the Protestant Reformation as a time when, as it were, Luther contributed to questioning the “Fake Catholic Church.” I’m sure that in every generation, there were others who felt the Church was corrupt, but had no success building a movement around their personal grievances. Luther’s success was in the timing of his ideas. (Similarly, the Hasidic movement of the 18th and 19th century began with one man, the Baal Shem Tov, but scaled at warp speed thanks to mass discontent with the rabbinic status quo.)

If we accept the frame, then anti-Substackers (those who say, the world will end if people write without editors) can be better understood as analogous to Counter-Refomationists.

Taking a long view on the Protestant Reformation, I see compelling arguments on both sides of the debate. Luther was diagnostically correct, in my view, (just as the Baal Shem Tov was, in a Jewish context), that something needed to change. But the turn to DIY culture would not be without its own pitfalls, culminating not in greater piety, as Luther thought, but simply in new forms of complacency.

Luther was a seeker, but the recognition of the importance of a personal relationship with God can also be a half-measure on the way to self-worship and narcissism. Meanwhile, the void left by the traditional Church would simply get filled—for the most part—by new authorities, equally if not more corrupt.

Take contemporary Hasidism. What began as a theological movement against authoritarianism soon became its own kind of cult. The Hasidic movement is arguably more reliant on a culture of “Rebbe” idolization than the traditional rabbinic framework it challenged.

What does this mean for Substack and DIY culture today? First, that we shouldn’t expect new technology to free us from the corrupting influence of mediators. More likely, we will simply swap one set of institutions for another. Second, to the extent that decentralization empowers individuals to pursue and “speak their truth,” it may end with worse, not better, content, over-all. Third, it is as foolhardy to blame Substack as it was to blame Luther for the social changes already underway. If Luther hadn’t posted the 95 theses someone else would have.

Corruption is an enduring problem of human nature, and not one that a traditional Church or a new one can solve. It would be short-sighted to think Substack and DIY culture can save us.

Navigating the Scylla of authoritarian gate-keeping and the Charybdis of narcissistic self-worship is a problem that endures above any changes in our technology.

Why am I wrong?

Zohar

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