The majority of the people on this site are 40 or older. As such, we are the generation who has experienced the exponential explosion of content first hand.
Gone or dwindling are the days of:
- 3-4 TV channels
- A handful of radio stations
- The daily newspaper as the primary source of news
- The cinema as the primary source of watching movies
- Brick & mortar stores
- Using the postal system to send letters
Content was controlled. While for nostalgic reasons or otherwise, most of us can remember significant details about music we heard for the first time, a movie we went and saw, what was on prime time TV. Since there wasn't a great deal of new content to digest, we generally focused on what he had and spent more time with it. I went back to the theater and saw Star Wars a pile of times. I wore the grooves out of the first albums I purchased. I had books with worn spines. I watched re-runs on TV.
I'm sure my experience was the same as many here. And over the years, a wonderful thing happened: access to content increased and so did its demand. We had cable tv, we had audio CDs (and reissues), we had VCRs, we had Blockbuster, we had Barnes & Noble. In fact, we has "media stores" that sold books, movies, CDs, used items, etc. Nobody complained - that I remember anyway. Was this the actual "golden age of media" from the 1980s through the 90s?
Then came the internet.
Oh, don't let me wrong. I'm no Luddite. I embraced the internet. Who needs a landline for phone calls? I have AOL. Why run around at the local used CD store when I can shop online? Holy crap, there are message boards dedicated to my interests? What is this YouTube thing? I wish I could watch the videos without my internet buffering.
But some odd 15 years later, we find ourselves fully adapted and addicted to the internet. Many of us have smartphones, which I use 10x more for internet access, music, games, texting, and emails more than I ever use the actual phone. How does that even happen?
We now find ourselves in the age of content overload. Gone are the days of 3 TV channels, now we have:
- 100s of TV channels and streaming services
- Thousands of radio stations, TV playlists, internet radio, YouTube, and illicit sources
- Websites, news feeds, and Facebook blog sharing (unfortunately) as the primary sources of news
- Movies channels, streaming services, YouTube, illicit sources, etc.
- Amazon
- email and texting
As such, we are simply bombarded with content that it no longer has much value. There is more music, movies, tv shows, and other information that I could ever digest in my lifetime. I can't even choose sometimes as there is a paralysis that sets in occasionally, overwhelmed by my options.
Great music that I have discovered fights for attention with everything I discovered last year, my old favorites, and everything that awaits. I have seen fantastic TV shows like Breaking Bad, that I would have watched a few more times over the years, but I don't. It's not only too much of an investment, but the "next great thing" is already demanding my attention. Same thing with movies.
We are bombarded with media that is even arguably designed to be disposable. Reality TV, 24 hour news, and social networks, are designed to keep us engaged - but only for that moment to keep our interest in the next "new thing" or "controversy". But there's so much of it, it's almost instantly disposable because the next day or next week, there will be something else.
Honestly, I was thinking about the recent discussions in various threads about music having less value. Well, it's not just a music problem. And I think the overload of content coupled with the unprecedented access to it is the greatest contributor to its lack of value - or staying power.
So what does this all mean? Nothing really. This is just my contribution to the overload of content (and a long post).
Tell me what you all think of how the change in the amount of media produced and its access have affected your perceptions over the years because I do think it's somewhat unique that most of us here have lived through 3 distinct eras.
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