If you go too far off the beaten path of algorithmic consistency, you risk never being heard. You may never get enough cultural momentum to exist in any meaningful way. That is a real problem. But if you're too good at algorithmic optimization, you risk building a large audience without saying anything particularly original or important. Not to men... See more

Media, and arguably most of culture, is oriented around the new. (Dad-voice: "That's why it's called 'the news!'") The VC dollars swirl like dust devils. Social media platforms rise and fall. Magazines are founded and folded. While I, the wizened crone of the newsletter world, remain happily focused on my next step.