Hi folks, Erica here!

I hope you have a cup of tea (or coffee) on hand because, for this update, I'm going to answer a question that Christina and I have heard a lot since we announced The 418 which is:

Why a zine? Why not some other medium?

Zines have a long and rich history to them, going back as far as the 1940s. My introduction to them as a concept was through a book I was reading a few years ago on the riot grrl movement that began in the early 1990s and lasted until the 2000s.

Zines were a significant part of the riot grrl subculture, allowing for the discussion and circulation of ideas coming from folks who felt excluded from the broader punk music scene that was male-dominated. Zines were often the only way to publish these ideas as the topics being discussed were ignored by more mainstream publications at the time.

The creation of zines was in line with the do-it-yourself (DIY) ethic that permeated the punk scene, and that ethic also exists in our tech industry today. They also helped create a sense of community that crossed geographic boundaries, giving people a platform to engage in a broader conversation about the state of the industry.

Given this culture around zines - the DIY ethic, the sharing of ideas that don’t necessarily have a mainstream platform, and the building of community - this medium felt like the right fit for the motivation and goals of The 418.

We also felt that a physical zine (with digital options for those where mail delivery is difficult) conveys that while we do a lot of working and living online, we also find joy in interacting with the physical world around us.

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Until next time!

Erica and Christina

P.S.: If you like what we're building at The 418, please share it with your friends! They can subscribe for updates like these here.