The digital news landscape is undergoing a seismic collapse. Publications like Wired warn of a "traffic apocalypse," while The Verge forecasts "Google Zero" – the imminent evaporation of search-driven visitors. Social platforms actively suppress external links to hoard users, and Google's AI Overviews increasingly answer queries directly, starving the very sites that supply the information. Users flocking to LLMs like ChatGPT for summaries often receive answers stripped of source attribution. This isn't accidental decay; it's the predictable outcome of enshittification – Cory Doctorow's term for the process where platforms degrade user experience to extract maximum profit, squeezing both consumers and producers.

Newsletters promised an escape route, fostering direct reader relationships. "I don’t intend to ever rely on someone else’s distribution ever again," declared The Verge's Nilay Patel. Email, as an open protocol, inherently resists enshittification through its escape hatch: users can switch providers if one turns toxic. Yet, the newsletter explosion created its own chaos. Readers drown in fragmented subscriptions buried within cluttered inboxes. Worse, platforms like Substack introduce surveillance and algorithmic feeds, pushing writers towards clickbait and compromising privacy – tracking opens, clicks, and reading habits in ways a physical newspaper never could.

What if you could consolidate your chosen sources – independent journalists, mainstream outlets, niche blogs, even podcasts and videos – into a single, private, ad-free space, read on your schedule? Platforms like Substack offer a walled-garden version, but lock you into their ecosystem and accelerate their own enshittification. The truly resilient solution lies in a venerable, decentralized technology: RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

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Caption: A curated RSS feed acts as a personalized digital newspaper, free from algorithmic manipulation.

RSS, celebrating 25 years, allows websites to publish feeds consumed by dedicated RSS readers. Unlike platform-specific apps (Twitter, Substack), an RSS reader lets you follow any site offering a feed. Podcasts already rely on RSS; the infrastructure is robust and widespread. Crucially, RSS operates as a push protocol, delivering content to your reader with minimal data flowing back to publishers, offering inherent privacy advantages over web tracking or email surveillance.

Reclaiming Your Information Flow: A Practical RSS Guide

  1. Choose Your Reader: Options abound. Popular choices include:

    • Inoreader: Feature-rich, generous free tier, web/app-based.
    • NewsBlur: Open-source, self-hostable option.
    • NetNewsWire: Free, elegant, Apple ecosystem-focused.
    • FreshRSS: Self-hosted for maximum control/privacy.

    Pro Tip: Don't overthink the initial choice. RSS is protocol-based; migrating feeds between readers later is straightforward. Prioritize checking the reader's privacy policy regarding data collection.

  2. Populate Your Feeds:

    • Paste website URLs into your reader; most auto-discover available feeds.
    • Sources are limitless: newsletters (like Citation Needed), news sites (Wired, often offering topic-specific feeds), blogs, YouTube channels, Mastodon/Bluesky accounts, even court dockets or custom search results.
    • Start small! Avoid overwhelming firehoses initially. Curate deliberately.

  3. Handling Paywalls & Feedless Sites:

    • Paywalled Newsletters: Many readers (or tools like Kill the Newsletter) generate unique email addresses. Forward newsletters here; they appear in your RSS feed, bypassing your inbox. Writers can still be supported financially while you read via RSS.
    • Sans RSS: Politely ask the publisher to enable it (many CMSes support it). Browser extensions like Feeder can often detect hidden feeds.
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Caption: Supporting writers financially while reading via RSS is often possible, preserving inbox sanity.

Beyond Aggregation: Power, Privacy, and Control

RSS isn't just convenience; it's digital sovereignty. Folders within readers function as specialized "newspapers" (e.g., "Subscriptions," "Tech News," "Food Blogs"). Reading full-text feeds within the reader blocks invasive web trackers and ad clutter. Crucially:

  • No Algorithms: Your feed shows only what you subscribe to, chronologically. No engagement-based boosting, no deboosting of external links, no rage-bait from strangers.
  • Minimal Tracking: While some link tracking can occur (especially in email-ingested items), RSS fundamentally reduces the data exhaust compared to social platforms or heavily surveilled websites.
  • Reader Control: Choose when you consume, free from disruptive notifications. Reclaim focus and peace.

In an era where platforms actively dismantle the bridges between creators and audiences, RSS stands as a remarkably durable, user-centric protocol. It empowers developers and informed readers to dismantle the algorithmic panopticon, curate based on genuine interest, and support creators directly – all while safeguarding their attention and privacy. The antidote to enshittification was here all along. It's time for a revival.

Sources & Further Reading:
* Original Analysis: Curate your own newspaper with RSS by Molly White (Citation Needed)
* Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It (Cory Doctorow)
* It’s Time for an RSS Revival (Wired)