Thank you for taking the time to put together and share this thought-provoking article Erik Fritts. It poses some serious questions I’ve been asking myself for a while now.
Why is there such a concerted global and corporately driven push to get people into creating content??? Social Media, Smartphoneography (Making Films with your smartphone), YouTube/Vimeo, Live Broadcasting to Facebook/YouTube/Instagram… all made easily accessible.
Just 20 or 30 years ago, content creation was all but the exclusive domain of huge Government or Corporate backed Film Studios or News Media Conglomerates. The equipment needed to produce content was effectively priced out of the reach of the average human being with a story to tell. Back then would-be storytellers seeking the opportunity to share their stories audio-visually, had to seek employment at any one of these Big-Budget Corporate entities. Alas, the story they ended up telling was usually not their own, but a script hand picked by the Corporation. Fast-forward to today, everybody can be a storyteller. Powerful camera technology has filtered down to easy reach of the masses via Smartphones. Even the prices of advanced cinema cameras continue to drop. You don’t even need to pay TV channels exorbitant fees to have your content aired; you can have your own YouTube channel, Facebook account and broadcast Live to the world virtually free of charge.
At first glance, one is tempted to see this as a sign of progress, and yes for those making ‘conscious’ use of the now availed platform(s), the possibilities of what can be achieved, are numerous. But there is need for caution; a need to ensure you delve into this with all 3 eyes open, so that you don’t find yourself being corralled along with another herd of sheep after just escaping one. Why? Well, that’s because I see history repeating itself somewhat. In the Dark Ages in Europe, the masses were forbidden from owning books including the Bible. The elite protected their status above the masses by keeping them ignorant and illiterate. Those of lower classes caught with books were punished severely or even killed. Today however, everyone can access books/information easily, the internet makes it even more so. However, having easy access to books/information also exposes one to the risk of receiving deliberately prepared misinformation (the Bible being a case in point).
Back to the subject of The Content Creation Craze… Why is The Establishment, previously hell-bent on keeping out of circulation every story which differed from their own, suddenly falling over itself to devise new ways, platforms, technologies, etc., to encourage everyone to devote their time, resources and creative energy to producing and sharing their stories??? What is the real end game here? What are they harvesting the creative energy, thought processes and memories of the world’s population for?