Thursday 19th October: How to fix the internet

Good morning! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Esther.

Thinking about what impact AI could have on your business or the opportunities it could provide to transform publishing? Come and join us at Mx3 AI, a new event we’re putting on with Media Makers Meet to come and learn, discover, and discuss use cases with fellow professionals.

This long read by Katie Notopoulos puts a finger on something I too have felt with my time online over the past year: something is shifting. “For the first time in years, it feels as though something truly new and different might be happening with the way we communicate online,” she opens. “The stranglehold that the big social platforms have had on us for the last decade is weakening.”

Notopoulos takes us through the history of communities and behaviour online, from the anticommercial early culture to the commodification of attention. My favourite excerpt is in her conclusion, where she talks about what could come next. There’s a really valuable lesson in here for publishers or anyone who really values their audiences:

“We, the internet users, also need to learn to recalibrate our expectations and our behavior online. We need to learn to appreciate areas of the internet that are small, like a new Mastodon server or Discord or blog. We need to trust in the power of “1,000 true fans” over cheaply amassed millions.”

Apple’s latest iOS release has included an adjustment to how automatic downloads work on podcasts. It’s a little change which could have a big impact on download numbers. Could is a key word here - nothing is confirmed yet. But if you’ve got half an eye on podcast stats, this is one worth looking out for. Generally, anything which gives a better idea of people who are actively listening to podcasts is a good thing, but there may be a short-term jolt.

Ladbible has acquired US women’s media brand Betches for $24m, with up to a further $30m dependent on revenue and profitability targets. Given Ladbible’s audience skews male, the acquisition of Betches, whose audience is reportedly 86% women, will give LBG Media a nicely-rounded portfolio.

I hate including stories about X as it seems to be a regular drumbeat of terrible ideas badly implemented. If this rolls out further, I’m curious how many of you (if you’re still on it) would actually pay up as it’s less about the amount of money at the moment, and more how utterly ridiculous the whole situation has become. Not to mention bad actors will be fine coughing up enough to keep the chaos rolling.

More from Media Voices