More’s Law of Content?

I’ve been thinking a lot about content lately.  In particular, the value of it.   Digital Technology has enabled an abundance of content to be published, and the Internet has enabled that content to be distributed.  There is certainly economic value to be created in the sheer scale of what is going on.  Or to put it another way, it seems likely that new business models will emerge to match the shift in how content is being created and consumed.

But what of this content? As I browse the web I think to myself: there must be limit to how much content can actually be consumed.  Forget about the bad content, I’m just focusing on the good stuff, screw that, even the Great stuff.   You can’t even get through all the great stuff on the internet!

I have a hypothesis that the rate at which great content can be  made is faster than the rate at which it can be consumed.

For example, I am a regular reader of the New Yorker magazine.  A publication that has maybe 3 or 4 long-form articles and number of shorter ones alongside that.  I’m a committed reader, and I rarely get through the whole magazine each week.

Now take a look at what’s going on with the Internet:  It’s the New Yorker at exponential multitudes. There’s everything from long form to tweets and a whole lot of interesting dada in between.

This doesn’t mean that the content shouldn’t be created, just that the same factors, such as luck and the right connections, will continue to play out in the world of digital distribution as they did in analog.

I guess at the end of the day (or whenever you choose to consume)  more Great Content creators will be able to make a living of their creations.  And there ought to be a value in having more great content in the world.

//Potential Next Post//

And further, and perhaps the next post topic, if more Content and be supported by direct consumer payment as opposed to advertising, there could be some interesting side effects for the Brand advertisers.   If Brands no longer rely on commercial advertising, they will need to rely more on Product Quality rather emotional value / bond to the product. And that might lead to better quality overall.  Something to Ponder.