[cuddlybacon]

> The whole point of Substack, specifically, is that people can sign up to get your writing via email, no?

I think Substack certainly thinks that. And because I believe they think that, I don't think this qualifies as a dark pattern.

But as a user, I don't get that model at all. Why send me an email when I already have the article in the Substack app? The app can already show me the latest posts from the authors I follow. It will notify me if someone responds to my comments. For me, the emails are just extra work that produces no value.

[bastawhiz]

I vastly prefer my email app for consuming information over someone else's app. Put it all in one place.

[goldfeld]

That makes it even less of a "dark pattern", because you can host Substack on your domain and can download list of both free and paid subscriber and move elsewhere, so that, by using email, Substack habituates readers to THE WRITER, and not to their platform specifically, which would be the case if delivery was standard by their own app only.

[mertd]

Substack has an app?