There’s Too Much Damn Content

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the author's perspective on the overwhelming amount of cultural content and the obsession with engagement metrics in the media industry. It explores how the push for engagement has led to a proliferation of low-quality, mass-produced content, and how this has impacted the author's ability to keep up with the latest trends and recommendations.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Overwhelming Amount of Cultural Content

1. What are the author's views on the current state of cultural content consumption?

• The author feels overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cultural content (movies, TV shows, podcasts, etc.) and is unable to keep up with the latest trends and recommendations.
• The author describes how a typical conversation about cultural content goes, with the author always responding that they will "add it to the list," when in reality, there is no such list.
• The author used to have time to consume this content, but something has changed, and they no longer have the capacity to do so.

2. How does the author attribute this change?

• The author blames the push for engagement metrics, driven by greedy boardroom executives, venture capitalists, and the shift from consumer value to shareholder value.
• Media companies are now focused on volume over quality, throwing "enough shit at the wall" to see what sticks, with the goal of maximizing engagement and increasing company value.

3. What are the consequences of this focus on engagement metrics?

• The author describes the content as "mass-produced, mass-engineered and mass-released at a scale never seen before," with an abundance of reboots, cameos, and nostalgia-baiting content designed solely to generate engagement.
• The author feels overwhelmed and paralyzed when trying to choose something to watch, often ending up choosing something they've already consumed or choosing nothing at all.

[02] The Impact on the Media Industry

1. How has the focus on engagement metrics impacted the media industry?

• The author notes that the obsession with engagement metrics has had an unexpected consequence, with many platforms now struggling.
• There are too many streaming platforms and too much content, leading to mergers and acquisitions as they try to survive.
• The film industry has cannibalized itself, with most films being sent to digital or streaming within weeks to drive engagement, which is killing the box office and movie theaters.
• The podcast industry is also highly saturated, with only a small percentage of podcasts gaining visibility and success.

2. How has the author responded to this overwhelming amount of content?

• The author has decided not to sacrifice their health, time, or social hours with friends and family to keep up with the constant stream of cultural content.
• The author has accepted that this tidal wave of content is passing them by and is okay with being "that weird guy who hasn't seen your favorite show."