The Commodification of Life-Part 1
Everything about life can now be packaged in small, digestible audio and visuals. Everything can now be monetized!
Content
I am sure there will be times when children would question their guardians if life came first or content. There is no particular definition for the word ‘content’. After scraping on the Internet, I found some with relevance.
“What a communication is about.”
“Subject-matter, substance.”
“A graphic representation.”
To put it simply, anything and everything that plastered on the world-wide web can be considered content. There is no content police or content rule-book that your supposed content won’t abide by. Apart from of course, the occasional commentators that can tear you down for your content.
And sometimes, well, that content is your entire being and life.
Public Figures
As the name implies, these are people with not much of a private life. They could be considered public figures because they have a certain influence on the general masses but also because the general masses have a significant influence on them. Hence they are also called influencers. This means that that people at large have a sense of connection to them just because they see them on the screens of their mobile phones. Without ever directly communicating to them, they have a sense of knowing the person and the individual actions in their private lives have a direct consequence on the lives of the public.
Niche
Niche is different from skill, passion or talent. Niche is that particular aspect of yourself you can find that is worth being sold into the market. Is your niche already saturated in the market? Why don’t you find a more unique aspect of yourself to be sold?
The public figure’s niche is their entire life. Sometimes an individual becomes passionate about their niche and decides to go public about it. In the process, all aspects of his personality are reduced to that niche. That in turn, becomes their life and the purpose they live to fulfil. You have to sell your niche. Remember to write your niche next to the gift card you’re giving to your loved one. Your niche is your identity.
Unfortunately, it has become very common for people on the internet to fake their identities.
Authenticity as a Selling Point
Selling a perfect lifestyle and showing only the bright, positive aspect of one’s life has become very saturated in the market. People find the fallacies in the representation of a perfect life. Surely, life is not as smooth as they see on the screen. They are tired of perfection and want to see more reflections from the miseries that perpetuate in their own lives.
Human vulnerability is a brand new niche that sells wondrously because it has an instant connection with the public. They can see themselves in such content and that is why appreciate such creators even more. The creators are transparent about the hurdles in their lives. They often aren’t afraid to cry on a screen and speak of their trauma. The consumers appreciate that their influencers are being honest to them. They consume their lives and feel consolidated in the fact that someone else too is suffering.
Trauma
One can now sell their own suffering. It is so fascinating and innovative that your miseries can simply be bought off at a price. But do be careful that you don’t run out of them. As stated above, the positive-all-good-vibes market is already too saturated. Be aware that even if your trauma in actuality might not have enough relevance, you must make it into something larger that connects with a larger audience. You must express yourself both emotionally yet reservedly. If you say everything in its raw, graphic reality it would trigger your audience.
Make sure to make your traumas your niche and in turn your identity. People will have nothing to relate to if you are healed.
