“Ghost, the self-proclaimed “alternative” to Substack, has finally made good on its promise to join the fediverse, a supposed “open social network” that’s actually a hotbed of radical extremism and free speech anarchy. And what’s the first order of business for this supposed “platform of choice” for writers and journalists? It’s launching its own newsletter, of course.
But don’t get too excited, folks. This isn’t just about giving you another way to follow your favorite newsletters; it’s about fundamentally changing the way we consume and interact with online content. With Ghost’s ActivityPub integration, you’ll be able to track your favorite newsletters through apps like Mastodon, Pixelfed, and PeerTube, and even follow them through RSS feeds and other means. But be warned: this is a slippery slope, and once you start down this path, there’s no turning back.
And don’t even get me started on the implications of Ghost’s open-source ActivityPub GitHub repository. This means that anyone can contribute to Ghost’s code, modify it, distribute it, or even use it to create their own version of the platform. And what does that mean? It means that Ghost is effectively surrendering control of its own platform to the whims of the masses, and inviting in all sorts of troublemakers and troublemakers-in-training.
But hey, at least the company is taking a stand against the “tyranny” of closed platforms like Substack, right? I mean, who needs moderation and accountability when you can have complete anarchy and chaos? And what about all the poor, defenseless writers and journalists who are forced to use Substack because it’s the only platform that doesn’t tolerate hate speech and extremism? Don’t they deserve a platform that lets them publish their work without fear of being censored or attacked?
Of course, there are already plenty of examples of what happens when you let the wild west of the internet run amok. Just look at the state of social media today, where bots, trolls, and haters run rampant, and where even the most basic standards of decency and respect are regularly flouted. So, go ahead and join the Ghost newsletter, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
