My post had a mistake in the second-to-last paragraph. It said "Donald Trump admission." I've corrected it to "Donald Trump administration." If Snowden can double-post, I suppose it's okay if I type the wrong word.
There might be a deal between Substack and Snowden: the tagline is one hint, and claiming he's going to revive the pre-commercial internet by posting on a commercial platform sounds off.
With the 'pre-commercial internet' no longer really in existence anymore, one should probably acknowledge that what Mr. Snowden seems to be attempting is an electronic version of 'Making the Best of Available Circumstances'. I recently plowed through his autobiographical novel 'Permanent Record', and wonder if this will perhaps serve as a persistently available means of conveying some of the thoughts, ideas and concepts that can be bogged down by the traditional publishing process, as happened even with that vital work.
Yes, Substack has commercial application, and some might want to cry foul over his use of such a platform. However, Substack offers a chance to engage in long-form exchanges between users, something lacking in most social media. Whether this turns into an effective modus operandi for Mr. Snowden or not merely remains to be seen.
I do have to add a small caveat to my earlier commentary, an observation that undercuts my prior enthusiasm some; for a man who advocates for free speech, I find it mildly irritating that ONLY paying subscribers are allowed to comment on his posts. I get it, most folks want to be able to make money off of this platform, but this strikes me as antithetical to the whole 'free speech for all' argument
My post had a mistake in the second-to-last paragraph. It said "Donald Trump admission." I've corrected it to "Donald Trump administration." If Snowden can double-post, I suppose it's okay if I type the wrong word.
There might be a deal between Substack and Snowden: the tagline is one hint, and claiming he's going to revive the pre-commercial internet by posting on a commercial platform sounds off.
With the 'pre-commercial internet' no longer really in existence anymore, one should probably acknowledge that what Mr. Snowden seems to be attempting is an electronic version of 'Making the Best of Available Circumstances'. I recently plowed through his autobiographical novel 'Permanent Record', and wonder if this will perhaps serve as a persistently available means of conveying some of the thoughts, ideas and concepts that can be bogged down by the traditional publishing process, as happened even with that vital work.
Yes, Substack has commercial application, and some might want to cry foul over his use of such a platform. However, Substack offers a chance to engage in long-form exchanges between users, something lacking in most social media. Whether this turns into an effective modus operandi for Mr. Snowden or not merely remains to be seen.
I do have to add a small caveat to my earlier commentary, an observation that undercuts my prior enthusiasm some; for a man who advocates for free speech, I find it mildly irritating that ONLY paying subscribers are allowed to comment on his posts. I get it, most folks want to be able to make money off of this platform, but this strikes me as antithetical to the whole 'free speech for all' argument