Leaving Twitter? Chat with your fellow nerds here.
The Long Take now has its own chat on the Substack app.
Ever since I committed to learning the craft of film and television criticism, I have spent a lot of time on Twitter. It’s the primary place critics and fans react — often immediately — to all the shows and films I watch. And within the Star Wars fan community specifically, I’ve made so many new friends, primarily communicating with them via Twitter.
the founder of one of the best television review Substacks, , just wrote a great piece reflecting on how much “TV Twitter” has positively influenced his development as a media scholar and critic. A lot of what he describes resonates with the experience I’ve had so far.In recent weeks, though, I’ve seen an increasing number of folks on my timeline fleeing Twitter like rats jumping from a sinking ship. Yes, there are other social media platforms. I’m also on Instagram and in the event Twitter becomes a ghost town will likely spend more time there. But the text only, conversational flow of Twitter is unique.
This is by no means a salve for the discursive hole that the Twitter we once knew may leave behind, but I thought now might be a good time to offer up The Long Take’s subscriber chat as a place to connect with like-minded fans and discuss the latest episode or film that has everyone buzzing that week. I’ll try to start new threads for the remaining two episodes of Andor, for example. I’ll likely start one for Wakanda Forever as well. Feel free to stop by, share your thoughts, ask questions, or just chat with fellow subscribers about whatever. This is exclusively for subscribers; it’s kind of like a group chat or live hangout.
To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app (messages are sent via the app, not email). If you don’t get too distracted by push notifications (like I do), you can turn them on so you don’t miss a chance to join conversation as it happens. I’ve been meaning to write a post to encourage readers to download the app anyway; it’s a really easy way to find other Substacks about Star Wars, Marvel, House of the Dragon, or whatever else you’re into. Plus, I’ve noticed that reading articles on the app is visually a very pleasant experience; I sometimes find it easier to read on there than on a web browser. All the Substacks you subscribe to create a feed of new posts, which is great for reading while drinking a cup of coffee or waiting for the train (which is what I often do).
I hope to see you there!
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but chat is coming to the Android app soon.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
I’ve already started my first chat thread so come on over and say hello!