I would argue that this reaction — one in which readers grasp the quality and thoughtfulness of the content that they are reading/watching — is precisely why publications like the New York Times, The Economist, and The Atlantic have been able to build devoted audiences.

While significant traffic may funnel to publishers like Upworthy or Elite Daily (particularly because of their “clickbait” headlines), I would argue that such upticks are only temporary in nature. Sure, volume may drive significant advertising growth in the short term, but readers — or even Facebook — will eventually learn to filter out content lacking unique a unique voice or perspective.

That said, consumers with the greatest regard and value for content — the very consumers whom publishers MOST value because of their frequent clicks and their greater tendency to pay for subscriptions — will ensure that impactful content, content that makes us “feel”, will continue to have a paying audience. So, counterintuitively, the most devoted readers may find themselves benefiting from a publishling landscape where the bar must rise to serve this narrower audience that demands quality content. Perhaps these more thoughtful and financially invested readers — not those consuming the 50th derivation of the same story — will be the one driving the course of media going forward. Perhaps these more thoughtful readers have not yet reached a point where the “peak content” issue is — in actuality — an issue.

This is certainly an issue that we all are turning over in our minds!