### Taylor Lorenz Leaves The Washington Post to Launch Independent Platform on Substack

Taylor Lorenz, a tech culture columnist, has decided to embark on a new chapter by leaving The Washington Post to start her own publication via the Substack platform. The new venture, named User Magazine, will focus on technology from the user's perspective, delving into issues of power dynamics and internet culture. Lorenz aims to provide an interactive and autonomous space for her reporting on tech and internet phenomena.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lorenz expressed her desire to depart from traditional media institutions, which she believes are not conducive to the type of internet-focused reporting she wishes to do. "I feel like it's just really, really difficult to do the kind of reporting that I want to do on the internet within these kind of older institutions as a primary job," Lorenz said. She emphasized her preference for a highly interactive relationship with her audience, something she finds challenging within legacy media roles.

Lorenz is critical of how older media entities cover the internet, arguing that they often shy away from engaging with it meaningfully. She notes that her writing often revolves around the attention economy and the content creator industry, areas where she seeks complete autonomy. "I write about the attention economy ... and I just want complete autonomy to write and do and say whatever I want," she stated.

User Magazine will kick off as a solo operation but Lorenz plans to introduce additional contributors and expand into other media formats over time. The publication aims to offer a mix of news, features, analysis, interviews, and in-depth reporting. Readers can expect coverage of influential figures and movements in tech and internet culture, unusual online phenomena, emerging trends, platform changes, policy updates, and the forces shaping the digital landscape.

The tech columnist is not new to the world of media, having previously covered internet culture for The New York Times and The Daily Beast before joining The Washington Post in 2022. Besides her reporting work, Lorenz is also a content creator, producing videos for YouTube, sharing content on Instagram, and hosting the podcast Power User for Vox Media.

Regarding her choice to utilize Substack for User Magazine, Lorenz praised the platform's ease of use and significant user base. "Substack is just far and away the best platform for getting up and running really quickly and for free," she said. Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack, also commended Lorenz, highlighting her independent mindset and reporting prowess.

The decision to go independent follows an incident that surfaced a month ago when NPR reported that The Washington Post planned to review a photo she shared on Instagram. Despite this, Lorenz maintains that the idea of going independent had been on her mind for a long while, and she felt the timing was finally right.

User Magazine represents a new and exciting endeavor for Lorenz as she seeks greater control over her journalistic voice and the opportunity to engage more directly with her readership.