This is an episode about Meta's new app, Threads. It's also about Substack and Substack's new-ish feature, Notes. But really, it's an episode about what we're looking for from the category we call "social media" and how we think about achieving those ends. And perhaps what it's really, really about is how we go looking for and creating meaning in the digital sphere.

Jay Acunzo, a writer, podcaster, and public speaker who thinks a lot about online content, was one of the 100+ million people to give Threads a try over the last week. I was not. So I wanted to see how he was approaching the platform, why he joined in the first place, and maybe, just maybe, how he's thinking about making meaning online.

Footnotes:

• Find out more about Jay Acunzo, his podcast, and his newsletter
• Substack Notes
• "Threads is a mecca of Millennial brain rot" by Kate Lindsay on Embedded
• "Meta unspools Threads" by Casey Newton on Platformer
• "To quit or not quit social media: opportunity cost can help you decide" on What Works
• John Austin's How to Do Things With Words
• Performativity in the theory of Judith Butler
• "Queer Failure" by Kate Tyson

Find written versions of every What Works episode at whatworks.fyi

Love What Works? Consider becoming a premium subscriber for just $7/month. Not only do you help support my work, but you also get access to bonus episodes and other goodies.