A quick note to readers. We have some new material coming, including video and (hopefully) audio content, an excerpt of the new edition of Hate Inc., and some new logistical features that should help make navigating the site a little easier. I’ll be posting a note in the next few days with details.
One other new item: we’ve created a TK Facebook page, which can be found here:
The page is among other things for releasing news of new content, but there will be other features specific to subscribers to this site, like for instance a Comment of the Week, posted with permission of course (I often feel like highlighting some of the things subscribers write in threads and under articles). I’m not looking to move discussions or content to Facebook. This is just a small additional feature designed to help distribute Substack content more quickly and easily, while also giving subscribers another way to communicate with each other, if they so desire.
Thanks, and look to this space soon for other updates.
I purposely do not have a Facebook account. Hopefully you will continue on Substack. I also never buy on Amazon but rather go directly to the dealer. In addition I try to avoid all things manufactured in China. Small acts of resistance.
I just paid for your substack a few days ago, and I've stopped using FB. If it's light promotion, fine. But if you are putting content there which is not distributed directly to paying customers, please refund my money. FB is a major accelerant of the current fuckitude and you should have NOTHING to do with it. This is bullshit. It cheapens your brand IMMENSELY.
Matt- I pretty much have agreed with what you’ve been writing and appreciate your willingness to speak the truth when few others will. I understand writing and selling on Substack is a tough gig to make money but going to Facebook is a big mistake. FB sucks. They are thieves and now they are manipulative censors. They piss on the notion of privacy and free speech. They are the antithesis if what you are trying to do. Please rethink this.
I am a conscientious objector to Facebook. Sad to see any encouragement of its use by you, Matt. OTOH, it’s the default platform for reaching many, so good luck, I guess.
Just please always keep your output available elsewhere.
I'm adding to the "Dog Pile on Matt" regarding going to Facebook. Posting to Facebook, or Instagram (oh wait, they are the same fucking company!) gives Zuckerberg the right to use your material license- and royalty-free any way that he wants to. This would mean - for example - that Zuckerberg can plaster "Exclusive content from Matt Taibbi on Facebook" and use you and your work to draw in new Facebook customers. I pay subscriptions to people like you, David Sirota, Glenn Greenwald, and Jimmy Dore exactly because I want content independent from FB and Google.
I see a lot of comments here indicating a feeling of betrayal for Matt posting on FB.
And I understand the sentiment: Due to the growing neo-McCarthyism of the Big Tech platforms, I've canceled my Twitter, Instagram, and Amazon accounts, and no longer buy from Etsy, either.
And I closed my main FB account last summer - BUT still have my even older one that I used as a newspaper reporter to engage with the local (San Diego) music community. That account is my only point of contact with a lot of San Diego musicians, and since I'm still writing about music, I keep it alive for that purpose.
We're all here, supporting Matt, because we're disgusted by the ongoing crush of Orwellian censorship, yes?
But how many people are fully aware of how bad it is? How many of your family, friends, etc., are joining you in abandoning Big Tech?
If the latest numbers are right, not many. Facebook's growth is slowing - but it's numbers aren't shrinking. Amazon is making record profits.
So, Matt can go all silo here and refuse to engage with the larger culture.
Or he can take his message to as wide an audience as possible.
Now, my guess is FB shuts him down before too long. They just shut down Project Veritas for confronting Big Tech executives about the growing censorship.
But if Matt can get people not currently thinking about the issue of censorship to make that jump and take a look at how bad it is?
Facebook? duh! never been there ever; too smart to ever have gone there ever...nor any other social platform ever...not even the ancient MSMessenger. Because I am intelligent and knew from the get go that it would all be a place to get screwed...'likes', 'retweets', how pathetic.
Matt, certainly you know better than to use FB. I would expect someone with your knowledge to be actively discouraging people from using it and not promoting it. I hope you don't need the money that badly.
Sorry, can't do Facebook. For many of the reasons already posted. I totally understand why you would want a proven and ready launchpad to secure more readers, but you could have taken another road, as well - expanding your own platform, as it were, beyond substack wouldn't be that hard to do, especially since your celebrity, notoriety and journalistic history is head and shoulders above the many other "newsletters" on substack today - and there are seemingly hundreds of them. And don't forget that your writing and your approach to stories and the issues of the day was what attracted most of your readers/followers.
I expect you to monitor—even participate in—corporate social media, because that is an essential part of your role. You monitor/participate so I don’t have to. But please don’t drag me there. We’re at Substack because we have rejected Facebook and Twitter.
It may be counterintuitive to someone whose livelihood depends on monetization of content, but please consider that going to FB may be the worst possible marketing strategy for you. You could actually lose readers. It may work for those writers with mainstream audiences and views, but, imho, you couldn’t choose a worst fit for your marketing media campaign. Going to FB could be your albatross.
At the risk of sounding snarky—not my intent—perhaps instead of looking for the next book to read, read (or re-read) your audience first.
All for getting the word out and your content in King, Matt. I hope you consider Minds or MeWe or other alternatives to FB. You are too good for censorship, Zuck & his Big Tech cronies. Your presence on the other platforms will help them GROW.
It's a very good thing to spread the word on FB and widen your readership, but PLEASE do not post content available to subscribers on FB only. I never created a FB account cause even back in the day it was obvious to me and a few others that it was a scam to monitor everyone. I am not going to start now.
Like others here - I deleted FB years ago. No intention of going back and kinda surprised that you're launching something/anything new there. Isn't that a little off-brand?
If anyone needs a list of reasons why they should delete FB - here's 10 I wrote back in 2018:
I don't like anything about facebook so I don't use it. Will you share what value facebook offers that exceeds it's deplorable offenses? Why do so many so often act against their best interests?
Matt, podcasts are the rage but please concentrate on written output rather than video. Text is easy to scan, can be read far quicker than the same material in a video, is easily forwarded, can be instantly referred back to and is far more likely to be consumed by a recipient to whom it is forwarded than a video because of the time investment. Text is random access, while one has to sit through a video to know all that is in it. Text is concentrated thinking not filled with pauses, "um's" and "uh's" and "like I was saying" and "you know what I mean" that are not characteristic of you, Matt, but is of too many people when they speak. Bottom line: I prefer more Taibbi per minute.
Please DON'T migrate any content or discussions to fb, you know they will delete your Page very soon. If it's just to pull in a few more readers, great, but it's NOT a place to build a presence.
While I don’t use Facebook there are plenty that do, so I think it’s great to get the truth to a larger audience because without the bodies truth will die with the few, just as the plutocracy would have it, and I simply refuse to go quietly into the night
Perhaps you shouldn't be making an effort to keep Facebook relevant? I can't tell you how much better I feel since having abandoned Twitter and Facebook. It's why I dig the Substack, actually. Happy to pay money directly to you and people like Glenn Greenwald, Judd Legum and David Sirota.
I stepped away from Facebook 2 years ago when it was clear they harvest our data. We, your readers, are trying to take the few alternate routes still available in this shrinking free world.
I purposely do not have a Facebook account. Hopefully you will continue on Substack. I also never buy on Amazon but rather go directly to the dealer. In addition I try to avoid all things manufactured in China. Small acts of resistance.
If the idea of moving to sub stack was to kick big tech in the crotch, why start a FB?
I committed FB suicide almost 10 yrs ago and have no interest in going back.
FACEBOOK!!!
What is it good for?
ABSOLUTELY NUTHIN!!!
Say it again....
👁👁
I am not sure about some or most of your customers but I dont use facebook at all. Or twitter or any of the other sites you mention.
I just paid for your substack a few days ago, and I've stopped using FB. If it's light promotion, fine. But if you are putting content there which is not distributed directly to paying customers, please refund my money. FB is a major accelerant of the current fuckitude and you should have NOTHING to do with it. This is bullshit. It cheapens your brand IMMENSELY.
FaceBook, the arch enemy of all things that he disagrees with aka censorshipKING.
Matt, ask your IT person to find a more creative outlet. Please!
Matt- I pretty much have agreed with what you’ve been writing and appreciate your willingness to speak the truth when few others will. I understand writing and selling on Substack is a tough gig to make money but going to Facebook is a big mistake. FB sucks. They are thieves and now they are manipulative censors. They piss on the notion of privacy and free speech. They are the antithesis if what you are trying to do. Please rethink this.
I deleted my Twitter account last year and deactivated my FB account this year. I won't do anything to empower Silicon Valley Censorship.
I am a conscientious objector to Facebook. Sad to see any encouragement of its use by you, Matt. OTOH, it’s the default platform for reaching many, so good luck, I guess.
Just please always keep your output available elsewhere.
i know you need to make a living, but is driving traffic to a capitalist spy network really necessary?
No. Bad idea.
Or at least, do not host conversation on f***book. Use it only as a link to here.
Umm ... unless you're expecting to dial your honesty WAY back, your new page on FB is already on the clock toward shutdown ...
Love you Matt, but why on earth would you start a Facebook page? Fuck Facebook. Never, ever had an account and very proud of it.
Guys, if you don't have Facebook, you can just...not go to Facebook. You don't get a special challenge coin for letting us know.
I won't be using FB for your content Matt. But thanks anyway. I recommend, as others have, Zuboff's Surveillance Capitalism for your book review.
I'm adding to the "Dog Pile on Matt" regarding going to Facebook. Posting to Facebook, or Instagram (oh wait, they are the same fucking company!) gives Zuckerberg the right to use your material license- and royalty-free any way that he wants to. This would mean - for example - that Zuckerberg can plaster "Exclusive content from Matt Taibbi on Facebook" and use you and your work to draw in new Facebook customers. I pay subscriptions to people like you, David Sirota, Glenn Greenwald, and Jimmy Dore exactly because I want content independent from FB and Google.
That is fine if the information is sent to us in another form, as I don't do Facebook and am not going to start now!
I see a lot of comments here indicating a feeling of betrayal for Matt posting on FB.
And I understand the sentiment: Due to the growing neo-McCarthyism of the Big Tech platforms, I've canceled my Twitter, Instagram, and Amazon accounts, and no longer buy from Etsy, either.
And I closed my main FB account last summer - BUT still have my even older one that I used as a newspaper reporter to engage with the local (San Diego) music community. That account is my only point of contact with a lot of San Diego musicians, and since I'm still writing about music, I keep it alive for that purpose.
We're all here, supporting Matt, because we're disgusted by the ongoing crush of Orwellian censorship, yes?
But how many people are fully aware of how bad it is? How many of your family, friends, etc., are joining you in abandoning Big Tech?
If the latest numbers are right, not many. Facebook's growth is slowing - but it's numbers aren't shrinking. Amazon is making record profits.
So, Matt can go all silo here and refuse to engage with the larger culture.
Or he can take his message to as wide an audience as possible.
Now, my guess is FB shuts him down before too long. They just shut down Project Veritas for confronting Big Tech executives about the growing censorship.
But if Matt can get people not currently thinking about the issue of censorship to make that jump and take a look at how bad it is?
Power to him.
Facebook? duh! never been there ever; too smart to ever have gone there ever...nor any other social platform ever...not even the ancient MSMessenger. Because I am intelligent and knew from the get go that it would all be a place to get screwed...'likes', 'retweets', how pathetic.
Matt, certainly you know better than to use FB. I would expect someone with your knowledge to be actively discouraging people from using it and not promoting it. I hope you don't need the money that badly.
Sorry, can't do Facebook. For many of the reasons already posted. I totally understand why you would want a proven and ready launchpad to secure more readers, but you could have taken another road, as well - expanding your own platform, as it were, beyond substack wouldn't be that hard to do, especially since your celebrity, notoriety and journalistic history is head and shoulders above the many other "newsletters" on substack today - and there are seemingly hundreds of them. And don't forget that your writing and your approach to stories and the issues of the day was what attracted most of your readers/followers.
I deleted FB last November can’t justify anything that gives Zuckerberg benefit. I’ll stay abreast via email :) thx.
I'm sorry to see you enabling the biggest censor of all.
Oh well..
I appreciate this is good for you Matt, but never going to use facebook or instagram
I have to agree: Facebook would be my LAST choice, bar none.
Yeah, I deleted my FB account in 2017 and not going to make a new one. But you need to advertise, so do what you must.
A disappointing decision; I thought Matt was onboard with hating Facebook.
I expect you to monitor—even participate in—corporate social media, because that is an essential part of your role. You monitor/participate so I don’t have to. But please don’t drag me there. We’re at Substack because we have rejected Facebook and Twitter.
It may be counterintuitive to someone whose livelihood depends on monetization of content, but please consider that going to FB may be the worst possible marketing strategy for you. You could actually lose readers. It may work for those writers with mainstream audiences and views, but, imho, you couldn’t choose a worst fit for your marketing media campaign. Going to FB could be your albatross.
At the risk of sounding snarky—not my intent—perhaps instead of looking for the next book to read, read (or re-read) your audience first.
Facebook? Not me.
Facebook as Doomsday Machine. I don’t participate. Your Substack was specifically part of that resistance.
Facebook and/or Twitter are the last places I ever expected you to be.
I must say I'm disappointed.
This makes sense only on April 1
Matt — FaceBook? Sleeping with the enemy?
All for getting the word out and your content in King, Matt. I hope you consider Minds or MeWe or other alternatives to FB. You are too good for censorship, Zuck & his Big Tech cronies. Your presence on the other platforms will help them GROW.
I wonder how long it will take to get banned and deleted?
Alternately, you could eschew Facebook entirely. Some people don't use it, and there is no need to pander to the unhappy ones who do.
It's a very good thing to spread the word on FB and widen your readership, but PLEASE do not post content available to subscribers on FB only. I never created a FB account cause even back in the day it was obvious to me and a few others that it was a scam to monitor everyone. I am not going to start now.
Like others here - I deleted FB years ago. No intention of going back and kinda surprised that you're launching something/anything new there. Isn't that a little off-brand?
If anyone needs a list of reasons why they should delete FB - here's 10 I wrote back in 2018:
https://dan-munro.com/2018/03/26/top-10-reasons-to-delete-facebook/
I don't like anything about facebook so I don't use it. Will you share what value facebook offers that exceeds it's deplorable offenses? Why do so many so often act against their best interests?
Damn Disappointing
Matt, podcasts are the rage but please concentrate on written output rather than video. Text is easy to scan, can be read far quicker than the same material in a video, is easily forwarded, can be instantly referred back to and is far more likely to be consumed by a recipient to whom it is forwarded than a video because of the time investment. Text is random access, while one has to sit through a video to know all that is in it. Text is concentrated thinking not filled with pauses, "um's" and "uh's" and "like I was saying" and "you know what I mean" that are not characteristic of you, Matt, but is of too many people when they speak. Bottom line: I prefer more Taibbi per minute.
Not a fan of FB! We should NOT be supporting be supporting FB. They are too big for their britches!
Vote no on Facebook. Assuming I have a vote, of course.
Please DON'T migrate any content or discussions to fb, you know they will delete your Page very soon. If it's just to pull in a few more readers, great, but it's NOT a place to build a presence.
A clear reading of Matt's news does not indicate leaving the current site, but with Facebook as a supplement, correct?
What's sad about this is that it implies content creators can't be successful without Facebook.
While I don’t use Facebook there are plenty that do, so I think it’s great to get the truth to a larger audience because without the bodies truth will die with the few, just as the plutocracy would have it, and I simply refuse to go quietly into the night
Perhaps you shouldn't be making an effort to keep Facebook relevant? I can't tell you how much better I feel since having abandoned Twitter and Facebook. It's why I dig the Substack, actually. Happy to pay money directly to you and people like Glenn Greenwald, Judd Legum and David Sirota.
FACEBOOK ??? Sorry, but I don't believe in negotiating with terrorists. Especially electronic ones.
I stepped away from Facebook 2 years ago when it was clear they harvest our data. We, your readers, are trying to take the few alternate routes still available in this shrinking free world.