So, yes, Substack is social media, but it’s more than that, too. It’s a media system built with a different outcome in mind: not an endless scroll, but a culture worth participating in.

You don’t need to think of Substack as social media to get value from it. Many people come to the platform simply to publish and receive posts, and that works just fine. But when Substack also functions as a network—as a place where people gather—it offers a cultural counterweight to the endless-scroll platforms.

Here, you have a media ecosystem with a different set of rules that serve you . This is a place for real human relationships built around stories and culture. The feed is designed to lead you to deeper experiences. Meaningful connection—not shallow attention—is the fuel for the whole machine.