Has the quality of content gone down in recent years? Judging from current television, magazine, and media trends, it looks like it has.
The constant stream of online content has trained people to expect round-the-clock updates. In many ways, this has created a culture of quantity over quality. Brands worry about the number of “clicks” their posts receive, instead of whether their content is worthwhile. Too often, it seems that quality content is pushed out by derivative, error-ridden material.
“When you’re working online, more is more. If you have the cojones to throw up everything, more or less regardless of quality, you’ll be rewarded for it — even the bad posts get some traffic, and it’s impossible ex ante to know which posts are going to end up getting massive pageviews.”
Unfortunately, consumers have become used to this lower-quality content. In a push to keep up with the stream of amateur material across the web, even respected publications have lowered their editorial standards.
This trend presents challenges and opportunities for professionals. In a world where anyone with an Internet connection can be a publisher, there’s more competition for attention than ever. Some people will automatically view professional content as less authentic than amateur content.
But professionalism has not lost the battle. Top quality content, delivered in a way that allows it to reach people through the sea of lesser work, stands out now more than ever.
As professionals, we must redouble our efforts to create quality content, even as we work to create the quantity of content that the digital age demands.
Photo Credit: Werni via Pixabay
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