The Reading Garden: 5/30/25
What We’re Reading, and Why It Matters to Legacy Media
Welcome back to the Reading Garden, where every Friday we spotlight three pieces we're paying attention to and explore what they mean for legacy media.
Let’s dive right in…
People are disappearing from the public internet. The real questions are: Why? And, more importantly, where is everyone going?
Eugene Healy tackled this in a keynote at Snapchat’s annual conference, and it’s worth a closer look.
First of all, it really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. If you’ve set foot on social media recently (if you can still call it “social”), then you know that it’s become an unpleasant place to hang out. At every turn, we’re attacked by algorithms trying to frack our attention, which means we’re being fed content that is either (a) dopamine-optimized or (b) openly hostile. No wonder platforms like Discord have exploded; private spaces feel safer, quieter, and more human. We flagged this months ago as a growing pressure point for creators.
So, what does this mean for legacy media?
If public platforms are noisy and combative, private ecosystems offer something else entirely: fan communities built on trust, not algorithms. And in that environment, content is what thrives. Social media isn’t just about posting anymore. It’s about curating spaces where audiences actually want to stick around.
In other words: save your fans from the feed. Give them something better.
Sports has always felt like the exception, one of the few bright spots in legacy media untouched by the disruption we talk about here at Open Gardens.
But maybe not for long…
Reed Duchscher points to a wave of new soccer leagues pulling in 50–100K concurrent viewers, and they’re doing it completely differently. No traditional networks. No major media deals. Just creators, Twitch, and YouTube. For example, Miniminter (a prominent member of the Sidemen) has been steering one of the leagues in a direction that’s more geared toward its digital audience.
And if you think this is not that big a deal, try digesting this one: for the Kings League final in 2023, 92K fans showed up at Camp Nou, one of the highest attendances in the stadium's history for a non-FC Barcelona match.
We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: creators can be amazing partners to help you build something great.
We’re really excited about Monday’s long form article, which is all about the legacy media mindset in a creator world.
To set the stage for it, we’re leaving you with a quick example from Dhar Mann, someone who’s figured this world out better than most. With over 25 million YouTube subscribers and videos topping 40 million views, he’s clearly at the top of his game.
And yet? He still asks his audience for feedback—and actually shows up in the comments to engage. We can all learn from this mindset.
More to come Monday…