I'm not sure when the word started gaining popularity, but it's hard to get anywhere online anymore without seeing or hearing the term "content".
Produce content.
Release content.
Consume content.
Make content.
What if I just wanted to make art? What if I just wanted to write or produce or share something and not have it be content?
It's a catch-all word, something you make to get people's attention, ultimately to gain something from them, whether monetarily or in popularity.
So does it actually mean anything anymore? Is there an actual reason for me writing some blog post, or am I just producing more content in a sea of content?
Perhaps I'm being overly pedantic, but for the most part, blogs and channels and feeds have all turned into some kind of advertising, fueled by content. Maybe it's not new, but it's slightly depressing when you can't even look up a simple answer to a question without a life story attached to it.
Content, algorithms, SEO, growth hacks.
Is this blog post content?
Probably.
So what's the big deal?
I took a photo today and wanted to share it because I liked it. I paused momentarily because I didn't want to just put a photo someplace just for the sake of adding to the noisy pile of content.
I ended up putting it on Instagram because I have a few friends there who have told me they enjoy the photos I post.
I challenged myself to take a moment and wonder why I have such a reaction to the concept of "content". Is this just a thing I do because of the popularization of a word, or does it actually matter how we feel and how we talk about things?
If I'm being honest with myself, I think the extreme commoditization and monetization of words, images, art, or any type of pure human expression has me a bit worn out.
The ones who seem to win are the ones who "make content", while so much hidden and unknown beauty stays mostly hidden and unknown.
The pop artists with good agents get the Grammys while the busker with the voice of an angel sits unnoticed on Grafton Street.
Or maybe I'm just too damn cynical.
Either way, maybe it's good to take a pause and wonder to ourselves why we're making what we're making, the true purpose behind the art, the prose, the...sigh...content.
I'm probably just too damn cynical.