Okay, so this isn’t actually a top ten
list, not that there is anything wrong with list styled articles, I actually
quite enjoy the format when they are well written. Unfortunately, they are
rarely well written. They use dastardly tricks to lure you onto their page.
Sometimes tantamount to lying. Many an article will feature a photo or snippet
in the description which is construed completely differently than in the actual
body of the piece, if indeed it is even present at all. And once you get to the
page, often times the writing amounts to about one page worth of text spread
over a slow loading, sixteen-page slideshow with stock photos that add nothing
to the already bland content. So why are we overrun with these types of posts?
Because ad revenue is based off of website traffic, and forcing clicks creates
the illusion of more traffic, rather than just producing quality material that
would result in returning readers. So yes, the content is usually worthless,
yes, the authors probably know that, and no, they do not really care. As long
as people keep clicking, the website keeps generating traffic, and they keep
getting paid.
It really is a metaphor for modern society
when you think about it. They took a system; traffic based ad revenue, and they
manipulated it to generate profit without actually requiring the effort of
building up veteran clientele. Really it is just optimization. It is what we as
humans do. We test a system to determine what is the minimum amount of effort
we can put into it to get the maximum benefit out. In some cases this is a very
good thing. Fuel for instance. Give me the most energy for the least amount of
fuel, the most miles for the least amount of gasoline.
In entertainment, however, it just leads
to oversaturation of unoriginal ideas and the consumer suffers. It is how you
end up with 200 channels and nothing to watch. Music labels for are another
culprit, having popular song writing down to a T. There’s a reason seasoned
musicians with a wealth of talent, a flurry of fresh ideas, and a couple
decades of practice go unknown, overshadowed by the likes of random television
actress who can kind of, sort of sing. The labels have professional song
writers that know just which three chords will get stuck in your head. They
then throw it over a catchy beat and everything else gets fixed in post.
As long as it makes money, it works in
their minds. As for me, I just do this for fun. Creativity still shines
through, because the will to create can be just as strong as the pull of money.
Some lucky talents might even get rich off of their originality. It happens
every now and again. For now, however, I have just one request. Please stop
with the clicking. If an article takes you ten minutes and thirty-five clicks
to read, it’s not worth it, no matter how intriguing that cut-off topic sentence
was.
-AMS
No comments:
Post a Comment