Why do people post on [bad platform] instead of [good platform]?
Short-form and video platforms attract more long-form content than traditional blogs because they offer higher engagement, easier monetization, lower friction for creators, and built‑in audiences, even though many readers find these formats harder to navigate and archive. Commenters contrast the control, permanence, and readability of self-hosted blogs with the reach and feedback loops of Twitter, Reddit, Substack, YouTube and similar services, noting how algorithms and UI choices shape what gets written and seen. The thread also touches on broader issues: how ADHD and perfectionism affect writing habits, how “no politics” rules and moderation can hollow out communities, and how a general shift away from reading toward video and bite-sized content may marginalize text-heavy, high‑information media.
Why Long-Form Ends Up on Short-Form Platforms
- Many posters say short-form platforms give far higher engagement (likes, replies, virality) than standalone blogs, which can feel like “blogging into the void”.
- Discoverability is a core issue: blogs need promotion, usually via the very short-form platforms critics dislike.
- Threads are seen as lower-friction: they can be written incrementally, in bursts of attention, without heavy editing or perfectionism.
- Some differentiate between “permanent record” (blogs, carefully researched and edited) and “fleeting thoughts” (social posts they may later delete).
Attention, ADHD, and Writing Workflow
- Several commenters with ADHD or similar issues say long, polished posts stall out; tweet-like chunks or comment threads are doable.
- Others argue that long threads already demonstrate capacity for long-form writing, so “can’t write a blog post” is at least partly a framing problem.
- Suggested workflows: note-taking tools (e.g., outliners) that grow into posts; writing on mobile terminals to capture motivation “in the moment”.
Platform Tradeoffs: Substack, Medium, Reddit, Habr, Lemmy, LinkedIn
- Substack praised for list ownership and simple writing experience; Medium criticized for paywalls and reader-hostile UX.
- Reddit’s subreddit model is seen as good for niches; but some say Reddit is “dead” or degraded, while others find smaller subs still valuable.
- Russian tech platform Habr discussed: one view says it declined due to “no politics” enforcement and emigration; another claims moderation is hostile to Russia. Overall, the political bias question is unresolved.
- Lemmy described as dominated by meta-discussion about Reddit/Lemmy and now waning.
- LinkedIn is widely criticized as full of low-quality “blogspam” and engagement bait.
Video vs Text and News Style
- Several note that video monetizes better: unskippable or harder-to-ignore ads, sponsorships, and length tuned for ad breaks.
- Many technically inclined readers strongly prefer text for speed, skimmability, and information density, and dislike “talking head” videos and podcasts.
- Others suggest most people simply don’t like reading; video aligns better with natural conversation and passive consumption.
- Modern news sites are criticized for burying key facts under narrative “blither”, abandoning inverted-pyramid clarity.
Readability, UX, and Accessibility
- Complaints about independent blogs: poor CSS, low readability; counterpoint that personality in design is valuable.
- Mainstream platforms (Medium, Substack, many news sites) criticized for popups, paywalls, intrusive UI, and login/app requirements.
- Some say they simply use reader mode or archive services; others argue extra friction inevitably costs readers.
Engagement Dynamics and “Bad Content”
- Likes/comments are seen as powerful motivators that push creators toward frequent, extreme, or shallow posts.
- Some argue this engagement-chasing is exactly what’s wrong with modern “content” and social media culture.
- Meta-discussion and platform wars (why X is bad, Y is better) are viewed as a “death spiral” that can kill emerging communities.