#81 A Slow Sunday Scroll ☕️
changing media industry vibes...
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I’m writing to you from a hotel lobby in Rye. I’m tucked away in the corner, sitting in a comfy armchair at a small table by the window, where I can see people outside walking their dogs in the sunshine.
Just as I begin editing a new section of my book, there’s a commotion: a wedding party walks in. The groom is enthusiastically hugging his family, a man with best-man vibes is holding a beer, and a woman has a large pink flower in her hair. A nephew asks his grandad if he wants to sit down (“because you’re old”), the grandad says “eff off” playfully. There’s a lot going on. It’s only 11.59am. Suddenly I’m aware that I’m the odd one out: the woman in the corner on her laptop.
I realise this is often the position of being a writer—you’re often observing, watching, hopefully in a non-creepy way. You’re frequently on the periphery. Both things can be true: that you’re perching on the edge of things while also being the main character in your own life.
I am staying at The George on the high street, a few steps from The Rye Bookshop. The restaurant is modern and welcoming—I had fish and chips with a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary on my first night. Mornings start with an iced latté from Apothecary Coffee House. I picked up a Frida Kahlo plant pot on a whim from The Green House, then wandered to St Mary’s Church, where the garden was glowing with pink and red flowers. These quiet days pottering around on my own have been a true reset; nothing restores me quite like it.
I’ve also been thinking about the changing landscape of the media industry this week…
Anna Wintour has stepped down as editor-in-chief of Vogue. The role no longer exists it seems—as she is now “chief content officer”. I think Miranda Priestly would shudder at the thought.
Apparently Yale is offering a course for future Substack writers called “Writing for the Web”. (via
). Does this mean this is now a real job?Remember when podcasts were just audio? When I started Ctrl Alt Delete in 2016, that was the norm. Now, even Michelle Obama and Amy Poehler (love them both) have shows with slick production and ad reads—and everything’s filmed for clips on Instagram and YouTube. I left the space just before this “pivot to video.” Call me (very?) old-fashioned, but I still prefer listening to a podcast on a walk, headphones in, no visuals needed.
Anyone can start a Substack, but not everyone will succeed. Noted in an episode of one of my favourite podcasts: