I ditched social media and went back to email newsletters
I used to love Instagram. In the early days it was more aspirational than Facebook, contained less nudity than Tumblr and I’ve got zero time for Twitter arguments. The platform got it’s start attracting amateur photographers and as a result the content quality was much higher than anywhere else.
It acted as a portal into other worlds, finding inspiration from parts of the globe i’ll likely never visit or discovering small boutique brands with impeccable product shots. This exposure was aided by a well designed Discovery page which collated images based on previous searches or accounts you followed. That may sound similar to how the app operates today, but today….today! it is full of absolute nonsense short videos that I despise, about topics I’ve never shown an interest in, but that proliferate the page, making it impossible to enjoy the photography on offer.
The feed is even worse. Congested with either adverts or suggested posts, it’s unbelievable how infrequently I see posts from the accounts I follow.
“We cannot escape change, but with faith and fortitude, we can mold it to our liking.” — Marel, Dawnhart witch
The change happened by accident. I’d been subscribed to a few finance newsletters for a while, and one day it occurred to me how much I enjoyed opening my email to see a new Matt Levine article ready for me to read. In fact I found it a much better experience than reading it on the Bloomberg website. In my inbox I don’t have to contend with cookie pop ups and adverts. It’s a very good way to be focused on reading a piece without getting distracted.
So I’ve decided to ditch the social media apps and set out to curate an email experience that’s more personal than any algorithm could dream of being.
I’ll be honest up front, this does require more effort, but the results are borderline joyous. You also need to run a pretty tight ship, being aggressive blocking spam and setting up auto sorters or filters if your preferred email is multi-use.
What am I subscribed to?
To fulfil the inspirational quota I signed up for James Edition, Zuhair Murad and Ralph Lauren. James Edition is unbelievable for interior design inspiration, the homes on offer are otherworldly with stunning photography over an eclectic range of locations. Zuhair Murad is probably my favourite fashion designer and although I don’t think I could pull off a couture dress, the constant evolution of high end fashion is incredibly motivating.
I mentioned Matt Levine’s newsletter before, and this is an areas I’m looking to improve upon. I find reading medium length articles fills those dead spots in the day when you may otherwise just be scrolling on an app, and it feels like a better use of time. I’ve been struggling to find newsletters that can hold up to the quality of Matt’s, so if anyone has suggests please let me know. A new addition to my list if from Knight Frank who are the people behind the Luxury Investment Index I wrote about previously.
I’m also subscribed to Magic The Gathering’s list which keeps me up to date with the latest sets and Arena event schedule, also their questionnaires are one of my favourite things to do!
I’m still playing around with it, but it’s fun searching for new and interesting newsletters to sign up for, and I’m surprised how many businesses and publications actually still put a great deal of effort into their emails.
/Si
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