Simplicity is the solution for the future
My new online strategy"
In July 2025 I wrote The simplicity of the past seems the solution for the future. Meanwhile, I feel confident replacing seems with is in that title. Also, I am no longer sure that simplicity is of the past. It might be the future (for me). In the past simplicity was by necessity. Today it is a choice.
Back then, I wrote that I would rather not have any online presence at all, yet that such absence is, de facto, impossible. It’s expected (and at times valuable) in my profession as a strategic advisor and interim manager. Still, I also want an online presence: I have opinions about almost everything, some expertise in a few things, and I simply enjoy writing. I want my ideas and reflections to be out there. That paradox remains, but my current setup strikes a workable balance even if a few final steps still await implementation.
Since that earlier post in summer, I have phased out my two Substack newsletters, closed my old website, and turned my own minimalist site rzondervan.eu into my main publication platform and repository. Interoperability between platforms remains a challenge, so not everything has been moved there yet.
Even before that post, I had already left mainstream social media out of boredom and irritation with their enshittification. Mastodon became my new social medium. My reach and impact shrank, but the gain in quality easily outweighs the loss in numbers. The only mainstream platform I still use is LinkedIn. In consultancy, that is explicitly expected. I continue to struggle with it and quietly hope the platform’s ongoing decay hastens its downfall. Recently, I added a Now page to my website, so I am ready to abandon that platform anytime.
Overall, this new minimalist approach to online platforms and presence works well.
The timing also feels right. Current geopolitical dynamics and big tech’s role in them and beyond, should give everyone reason to reconsider their dependency, both technological and mental, on these companies.