In an increasingly integrated digital era, subscription newsletter platforms like Medium and Substack offer an enticing promise: strong economic opportunities for professional writers. Behind this promise of economic prosperity lies a more complex reality faced by writers. This article delves into the real-life stories of professional writers striving to overcome platform limitations, income uncertainty, and fierce competition. We will take you deeper into the world behind the economic promises of subscribers, exploring how writers navigate these challenges in their efforts to succeed in the subscription newsletter world.

Frequently Hacked Paywall Security

It's no secret that when there's a story about paid platforms with good content, people become curious about what's inside. They may not want to register or subscribe; they just want one thing: to access the pro/premium content for free. Platforms like Medium, for example, engage in a cat-and-mouse game with hackers who manage to grant non-registered and non-paying readers access to pro/premium content. This, of course, harms the writers. The same goes for Substack. People often access the free version, hesitating to subscribe until they've had a look around. Readers also struggle to compare the free version with the paid one. It's like picking something from a bag; they don't know if the paid version is truly better than the free one.

Shallow Analytics

Platforms report writing performance through "analytics." How many people read, click counts, which titles are the most popular, long-tail keywords, where readers come from, and more.

The more detailed, the better. Limited analytics hinder development. Analytics serve as "insights" for writers to improve their strategies, maintain quality, and attract readers. Vague analytics that lack details pose a major problem in platforms that pay writers. Obscure analytics don't provide specifics. They only show view counts and do not reveal reader engagement statistics.

There are technical challenges here: privacy and data security.

On one hand, platforms want to protect user (reader) data rigorously. On the other hand, readers have their own security preferences.

The algorithms used by platforms to analyze writing performance can be highly complex. Revealing too many technical details about these algorithms could lead to misuse or manipulation by writers.

Creating highly detailed analytics or openly explaining mechanisms can only be done by giants like Google. And they do it by sacrificing user privacy.

Platforms are reluctant to disclose which ads play a role, in detail. They don't want to be bypassed. This is at the core of their business. Platforms also have competitors. Revealing this to users is akin to exposing their business to competitors.

Handling Distribution

How do these platforms handle distribution?

Spreading content is crucial. The more strategically it's spread, the more visible it becomes, attracting traffic.

The distribution mechanisms are often kept secret by platforms. They label it "paid traffic."

If writers know these distribution channels, they might be able to boost visibility and appear more frequently in the feeds of other members.

The reasons editors of platforms (whether human or algorithmic) choose a piece to feature on the front page remain a mystery not transparently revealed. There are clues and hints to get a piece on the platform's front page, but there's no certainty about who can be there. Similarly, SEO tutorials and official guidelines on becoming number one can be found everywhere, but the secret formula remains in the hands of the platform. Spoiler: it changes, it's never static.

Anti-Funnel Marketing

Digital marketing comes in many forms. Newsletter-based platforms like Substack don't always follow modern customer-centric digital marketing principles. Even email-based marketing doesn't conform to the "funnel" marketing principle.

What is "funneling marketing"?

In the concept of funneling marketing, there are six main stages: 1) Awareness: Potential customers become aware of the product or service. 2) Consideration: Customers consider their options. 3) Intent: Customer interest increases, and they explore further. 4) Purchase: Potential customers become actual customers. 5) Post-Purchase: Good customer service and customer satisfaction. 6) Advocacy: Satisfied customers share their positive experiences. These stages help guide customers from awareness to purchase and advocacy.

In funnel marketing, there are stages where we capture readers, initially with free content, and then they explore the main pillars of our content. They see these pillars and perceive you as an expert who can solve their problems. This is where readers are filtered into customers.

Content that was initially informational becomes transactional. That's the essence of funnel marketing.

The problem arises when you entrust customer-based marketing to the platform where you write.

Your readers buy your product or service. In email subscription-based marketing like Substack and Medium, this approach doesn't work. Your customers are ultimately the people who are on the same platform as you. Substack and Medium are not concerned with the quantity, activity, or purchasing power of their users. That's not your concern.

Opaque Monetization

It often happens: earning 32 million this month, only paid 28 million due to "Terms and Conditions." If you frequently engage in ads, this is common.

Detailed calculations only provide general information about revenue percentages, without specific details. It's like looking at your bank balance without a statement explaining deductions. Policy changes have been explained; we may not have read them carefully.

Spoiler: you can't change the "privacy policy"; you can only complain.

The problem is, you know where your income actually comes from. What comes from customers, what comes from ads, cannot be fully disclosed.

Amateur Focus

Online writers, if they want to gain recognition and attract customers, need to put in extra effort beyond just writing. We've all seen how a traditional book author talks about their book that's about to be released or has just been published.

Professional writers have an "agency." They write. Just writing. Everything else is done by the agency and publisher. There's an editor, a cover designer, a distributor, a salesperson, a schedule manager, book signings, reader meetings, and more. They sit down and write monographs for their readers.

Amateur writers work differently. They often have to lobby publishers, who are often not professionals. Publishers who have no data on their readers, what they're most interested in, feedback, purchasing power, and, as a result, they work on books with guesswork. It's not uncommon for writers to have a say in cover design. They create marketing campaigns, participate in sales events, and build a fan base. They may even pool resources with the publisher for printing and distribution costs. They also handle sales on their social media profiles.

The problem that arises? Online writers who earn from email subscription systems often find themselves playing the role of an amateur like this. They become editors and content marketers who frequently share links. Their focus on writing and creativity is divided due to additional tasks.

More Hard Work

If you want to succeed, you can write high-quality content. Regularly. On a consistent schedule. Engage with readers. Actively promote your content. Share it widely. Deal with the pressure to stay motivated, face criticism, or rejection.

Believe me, writing online is not as easy as people imagine. Planning and executing a long-term writing career can take years.

Other Challenges Persist

Intense Competition. Writers must capture readers' attention. Building an audience is the main challenge in their marketing efforts.

• Uncertain Earnings. More precisely, unstable earnings that fluctuate depending on the number of subscribers and cancellations. "Just $5/month, you can cancel anytime."

• Writing depends on loyal readers. Building a loyal reader base is a must. Retaining loyal readers is the key. Readers can easily switch to other writers. These difficulties also apply to attracting new customers. Reputation and reach need to improve continually.

• Lack of income diversification is another problem. Writers' income depends entirely on revenue from subscribing readers. Fluctuations within the platform make it more vulnerable.

• It's very challenging to identify which marketing strategies and tactics are working. Today, your subscribers increase by 100 people. Is it entirely because of your latest engaging content? Not necessarily.

When you write on a platform, you are building a house on someone else's land. It's not yours. It's not your home. [dm]

Day Milovich,,
Webmaster, artworker, writer live in Rembang and Kota Lama Semarang Indonesia.

To talk about orgasm is to talk about the passage of life, and that means female orgasm. On the YouTube channel, Deepak Chopra explains, with a video simulation, how the process of sperm fertilizing the female eggs, in just a few seconds, has an amount almost equal to the number of stars in one galaxy. Orgasm, like the human brain, is an amazing masterpiece.

Dr. Kristen Mark theorizes that the female orgasm is related to the way men adapt.

As we know, women have the only organs in the body whose function is only one: receiving a pleasure stimulus. The organ of the body is the clitoris. Mark’s next theory: female orgasm develops to attract opponents. If so, then women actually do not need a man to achieve orgasm (not satisfaction), he can use emotions and dominate men.

Jalaluddin Rumi in a poem says, “the beloved is the master of the loving.” Objects actually dominate the subject.

If women use Facebook when waking up, can make the man angry and jealous. Women, therefore, are indeed spiritual hermaprodhyte beings, but require the role of men to run the cosmos of the universe.

Knowledge of women over their own bodies, shaping the occurrence of culture and spiritual leadership on the ancient religion. Humans practice death, by experiencing the “ little death “ that occurs during orgasm, at that time, the heart stops for a few seconds, consciousness experiences the threshold: there is and nothing, alone and together, within seconds.

But the universe is historic in its own way, so is the human body.

Scientific evidence, found by John Hawks, an anthropologist from the University of Wisconsin, said that 1000 years ago, nobody was blue-eyed because the OCA2 gene, which causes blue eyes, has not yet formed. We are different from the 400 previous generations of human beings. The story of the God of the blue-eyed Era, has not existed before.

Not all cultures have the same speed. Africa is slower than America. Africa uses adaptation and survival methods related to weather and food, much more stable, than people in parts of Asia, Europe, and America, which are more often mal-adapted in survival in their environment.

In addition to the environment affected by changes in weather and geographical conditions, changes in the anatomy of the human body are also influenced by food.

Orgasm, not something once-so. Orgasm involves formation (emotion, mind), body (congenital), and the body is formed from food, changing little by little because of consumption patterns. If you download pornographic videos, or browse classic literature, paintings, and reliefs, try to look at “deviations” or changes.

Porn videos now, managed to introduce a squirter, gang bang , multiorgasm , vulgar game publicity, including the coercion of men who resulted in the deviation of female orgasm. We know that in temple reliefs and in Serat Centhini (encyclopedia of javanese culture in a novel form) for example, it has introduced threesome scenes, but some video findings indicate the existence of new things that have not been touched by the discourse of modern human sexuality.

Nutritionists tell how the state of food can affect the vitality and quality of female orgasm. Orgasm is formed from blood pumping and triggering heart rate, as well as emotional and mind resilience. Food plays a big role. Consumption of vegetables, beans, olive oil, etc. accompanied by healthy stamina, may increase the quality of orgasm. Unfortunately, the food consumed by the public, mostly not as healthy as food in the 1950s. Increasingly, the consumption of food is getting more instant, more addictive substances, and unknown labels like what they are actually making. It affects the quality of female orgasm, also affect the problems that exist around female orgasm.

Secretly, the human body changes because of changes in consumption patterns and types of food. Slowly also, culture is changing rapidly.

Are milk and cereal good for the body? Are plants raised with high concentrate fertilizers still good for the body? Is delicious fast food healthy? Does a grandchild and grandfather consume the same food? Does the current generation of female bodies change as the female orgasm changes as well? Is the way we reach orgasm is different from the way the ancient people reached orgasm?

Has orgasm become part of food and social life? [dm]

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Mostly because it's unrecognized as symbolic violence. Bourdieu's concept of "symbolic violence", examples we often see, and how to address it.

Where there's conflict and media, there's inevitably symbolic violence. Symbolic violence can lead to physical violence, decision-making errors, social chaos, and cultural shifts.

People often get trapped in determining "who" or "which" is right, being permissive about freedom, yet on the other hand, longing for social change without violence. It's crucial to understand the inherent side of media and conflict, inseparable from "symbolic violence".

This article discusses what "symbolic violence" is, its impacts, why it happens, and 45 examples of symbolic violence in media, as well as how we can reduce it to the lowest level.

What is "Symbolic Violence"?

According to Pierre Bourdieu, it is a form of violence that doesn't use physical force but employs symbols, language, and cultural representation to exert power and influence over individuals or groups in society.

The negative impact of symbolic violence is evident in the thoughts, behavior, and identity of an individual or group and can be an instrument in maintaining a group or class's dominance in society.

Symbolic violence occurs when different social forces clash in society, and the stronger force uses symbols and language to maintain its position.

Symbolic violence operates through the hegemonic discourse symbols over the dominated object.

It often operates covertly, unrecognized by both perpetrator and victim. When recognized, symbolic violence is considered "correct" (necessary), with negative consequences.

This violence is prevalent everywhere, including in families, like between parents and children.

An example of symbolic violence in families: Under the guise of educating, disciplining, or guiding towards affection, parents often steer their children towards a singular path. Unwittingly, parents force children into specific opinions, behaviors, or attitudes. They're not given the chance to express themselves or consider alternative options. Ultimately, whether through dislike, irritation, or reluctance, they tend to follow the parental narrative out of obedience and fear of being labeled disrespectful. In such relationships, both parents and children are unaware of being in a cycle of symbolic violence.

Differences Between Symbolic Violence and Physical Violence

Here are the differences between symbolic and physical violence:

Symbolic Violence

• A non-physical form of violence manifested in power differences between social groups.

• Operates through the hegemonic discourse symbols over the dominated object.

• Mainly operates in and through language, and more broadly in and through representation.

• Doesn't physically harm the victim but causes deep emotional hurt and lasts very long.

Physical Violence

• A form of violence involving physical actions causing injury or damage to the victim's body. Examples include hitting, stabbing, shooting, or burning.

• A cruder and more brutal form of violence, physically, compared to symbolic violence.

• Can cause serious physical injuries or even death.

Both have serious impacts on the victim. Symbolic violence can cause severe psychological and emotional damage, while physical violence can cause serious physical injuries or even death. Both forms of violence are antithetical to a peaceful society.

Bourdieu's Thoughts on Symbolic Violence

I'll summarize Pierre Bourdieu's thoughts on symbolic violence:

• Symbolic violence represents a type of non-physical violence manifested in power differences between social groups.

• It functions to legitimize domination.

• Symbolic violence is hidden violence that operates primarily in and through language, and more broadly in and through representation.

• It blurs the lines between material and spiritual, power and law, body and soul.

• Symbolic violence applies to all forms of "soft" domination that have been tabooed from being played out.

• It occurs outside consciousness and is always present in various human social practices.

• Symbolic violence is latent, unrecognized, and unfelt, both by the perpetrator and the victim.

• All forms of educational action are symbolic violence as far as cultural imposition is concerned.

Identifying Symbolic Violence (with Habitus, Field, and Capital)

To identify a form of symbolic violence within a structure, Bourdieu introduced key concepts that can explain how social practices are made possible: habitus, field, and capital.

HABITUS

• A concept referring to patterns of behavior, habits, and perspectives internalized in a person as a result of their life experiences.

• Habitus means an internalized way of looking at something that can affect a person's perception and actions toward an event or phenomenon.

• Understanding habitus helps comprehend how a person's perceptions and actions are influenced by what is portrayed in the media.

FIELD

• A concept referring to a structured social realm with specific rules governing behavior and social interactions.

• Fields are social realms with certain rules that affect a person's perception and actions toward an event or phenomenon.

• Understanding the field helps us grasp how certain rules in the media influence a person's perceptions and actions regarding what is shown in the media.

CAPITAL

• A concept referring to the resources a person possesses, whether economic, cultural, social, or symbolic.

• Capital means the resources a person has that can influence their perception and actions toward an event or phenomenon.

• Understanding capital helps us understand how a person's resources influence their perception and actions regarding what is shown in the media.

Identifying Symbolic Violence

Steps in Identifying Symbolic Violence:

• Observing how the media exploits symbolic violence to convey messages to society.

• Analyzing how specific media rules influence a person's perception and actions regarding an event or phenomenon.

• Examining how a person's resources affect their perception and actions regarding an event or phenomenon portrayed in the media.

Media's Tools in Symbolic Violence

The media employs stereotypes (double standards, biased views) to enact symbolic violence. For example, labeling Person A as religious based on ancestry and appearance, or Person B as nationalist for being a member of a nationalist party. However, labels like "religious" and "nationalist" aren't limited to such attributes.

Practices of Symbolic Violence in Media

Symbolic violence in media can take various forms:

1. Discrimination against minorities, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices.

2. Reinforcing divisions through continuous news, biased reporting, and unbalanced coverage.

3. Directing public opinion, especially through the "justification" of expert opinions.

4. Forced objectivity, focusing on a single perspective without considering context.

5. Victim blaming in cases like sexual assault or domestic violence.

6. Thought imprisonment, limiting diversity of thought and perspective in reporting.

7. Spreading hoaxes, as they are a clear form of symbolic violence.

8. Selecting sources based on convenience, access, or advertising, potentially creating symbolic violence.

9. Creating a common enemy, often impersonal issues like injustice, poverty, or corruption.

10. Gender discrimination, focusing on physical appearance or reinforcing gender stereotypes.

11. Using derogatory language or imagery towards certain groups.

12. Strengthening negative stereotypes about specific groups.

13. Ignoring or silencing certain voices or key facts.

14. Reinforcing the views or interests of dominant groups.

15. Distributing false or inaccurate information about certain groups.

16. Exposing private matters and highlighting negative aspects for sensationalism.

17. Emphasizing political, economic, or religious viewpoints.

18. Misrepresenting facts to sway public opinion.

19. Objectifying women and reinforcing gender biases.

20. Sensationalizing violence or crime without adequate context.

21. Overblaming victims, causing long-term trauma.

22. Attributing irrelevant characteristics to sources.

23. Bullying individuals or institutions.

24. Emphasizing sensational and vulgar aspects.

25. Encouraging readers to blame victims.

26. Reinforcing negative stigmas against victims.

27. Presenting facts incompletely to alter public opinion.

28. Subordinating based on social, economic, gender, or racial status.

29. Engaging in body shaming and verbal harassment.

30. Stereotyping and prejudice leading to negative public perceptions.

Media Can Improve Symbolic Violence

I'm optimistic that symbolic violence can be minimized through:

• Providing balanced and accurate event representation.

• Avoiding stereotypes and prejudices.

• Listening to marginalized voices.

• Holding perpetrators accountable.

• Ethical guidelines promotion, including sharing this article.

What you read today may not be free from "symbolic violence". Whether intentional or not, we can reduce it to the lowest level. Eliminate symbolic violence in the media. [dm]

Day Milovich,,
Webmaster, artworker, writer live in Rembang and Kota Lama Semarang Indonesia