One Billion Creators
Whenever I tell the story of building Brand Tags, I explain that I finally decided to launch the stupid thing because I was feeling guilty about not having blogged in a while. (In the post where I introduced the idea I opened by explaining that, “In lieu of actually writing something interesting (which I haven’t done in a while), I’ve decided to release a 70% done project.”)
Just today I was feeling it again as I looked at the last time I wrote a “full entry” (which is what I call those things on the left side of the blog). It was December 31st, which is over a month ago and that post is hardly an insightful or interesting piece of writing, it’s just a list of a whole bunch of blogs I steal ideas from.
None of this is to say much, except that I think it’s funny that in the 21st century we have the luxury to worry about things like whether our blog audience is feeling as though we’re paying an adequate amount of attention to them. In some ways it’s incredibly egotistic, as if there’s a whole bunch of you sitting around waiting for me to write something (which you are obviously not). In another way, though, it’s the flip side of the whole “attention thing” people love talking about (I refuse to call it an economy).
As a content creator, albeit a small-time one, I feel constantly on the hook for finding interesting things to share with all of you. I scour the internet daily, looking for tidbits and ideas that are worth of your time and attention. It shapes what I read and, maybe more importantly, how I read it, as I am constantly reading with a critical eye towards insights.
I guess the point is that too little attention is paid to the effects of so many of us being content creators, since the consumption part is the topic-du-jour. Just think about how it changes the way you look at everything, even if you’re only a creator amongst a tiny group of friends or family. Look at how differently you judge photos that are going to the web or how you’ve learned to describe experiences on Twitter.
Pretty soon we’ll have a world with a billion-plus publisher/editor/creators and only focusing on the mass of content they create is probably missing the larger cultural impact of them all being this other thing that puts content out into the world.
Hi, I'm 
Not true. I am always loitering around here looking for something new to read.
This is the exact thought I had in my head, “I wish I blogged regularly. Let me see what’s new on Noah’s blog.”
I find it interesting that when I blog, it is usually a reaction to something that has moved me enough to blog about it. But when it comes to twitter, I usually have the publisher POV, always thinking about how something I see/read/experience might be responded to in twitter/facebook.
It is cool that the blog has influenced you so much that you’re driven to read new stuff to bring it here. That’s awesome.
I fear I just don’t read enough.
it’s an interesting story for the content creator:
-one gains an audience for content, likely because of its originality.
-with that popularity, one becomes married and siloed to their audience (to your point, in terms of content read and written)–losing originality.
I like your point at the end–pretty soon everyone will be finding or making cool stuff for our friends. I’d even say, to some degree, that it’s already happening on Facebook via the ubiquity of status updates.
BTW–do the lack of posts suggest that you’re working on a new project?
‘As a content creator, albeit a small-time one, I feel constantly on the hook for finding interesting things to share with all of you. I scour the internet daily, looking for tidbits and ideas that are worth of your time and attention. It shapes what I read and, maybe more importantly, how I read it, as I am constantly reading with a critical eye towards insights.’
That’s exactly what I TRY to do. The good thing though, is that I really feel I look at things more critically, always trying to mine that insight. That’s a good thing, surely? I wouldn’t feel bad that I don’t come up with epic opinion pieces. Small bites are fine, as long as they are insightful.
Hi Noah
I especially like the bit:
As a content creator, albeit a small-time one, I feel constantly on the hook for finding interesting things to share with all of you. I scour the internet daily, looking for tidbits and ideas that are worth of your time and attention. It shapes what I read and, maybe more importantly, how I read it, as I am constantly reading with a critical eye towards insights.”
Perhaps that’s a great way, or at least a good a way as any, to be asking the questions: is it interesting? is it relevant? is it widely appealing?
I like the idea of filters. When we were kids someone directed our attention towards what they thought was relevant. As adults we need to set our own criteria.
Dude, I’m hangin out over HERE waitin for you to write something… ;-)
And this post is a good example of why.
Interesting post Noah. It kind of backs up Jaron Lanier´s quote “Reciprocity takes the form of self-promotion. Culture is to become precisely nothing but advertising”
Or?
Although I see his point I see it from another angle, mainly WHY and WHAT drives peoples creation of content: http://aresonance.posterous.com/reciprocity-takes-the-form-of-self-promotion
PS. Comments on buzz should also be published here…
Noah, do you think those feed aggregators are somehow killing content creators? Content we read these days are not so much as original.
It’s interesting how more and more people (but you’re right– it’s a luxury) are integrating creating media/content/fun stuff online into their daily lives. I like to imagine it’s like elementary school, where everyone did art and creative writing. Everyone was EXPECTED to be creative. Because everyone is, to some extent, and why would we want to give that up as grownups?
hells yeah it does brother!
being any kind of maker of thoughts or words or music or magic changes forever how you understand that process. i think/
this is the essence of the shift to participatory culture i feel. the pressure TO CREATE SOMETHING> all the time!
because – and I believe this to be true – the stuff you make / write / do isn’t just identity reflective – it’s constitutive – it makes you who you are.
love fx