We’ve never had so much content at our fingertips—and yet, it’s never felt so worthless. We used to value content because it was scarce, costly, and required expertise. Today, it’s cheap, mass-produced, and often mindless. Who is responsible for this shift? The answer: all of us.
What is content?
Content is anything that teaches, entertains, or informs—from books and blog posts to YouTube videos, memes, and podcasts. It shapes how we think, feel, and interact with the world.
Content is anything that teaches, entertains, or informs—from books that shape our understanding of the world, blog posts like this one that spark conversations, YouTube videos that teach us new skills or make us laugh, social media posts that inform or engage, podcasts that dive deep into niche topics, movies and TV shows that transport us to different realities, and even memes that reflect and shape internet culture.
Whether carefully crafted or spontaneously created, content surrounds us every day, influencing how we think, feel, and interact with the world.
What is the value of content?
As its formats and distribution methods have evolved, the value of content has also changed.
The value of content is still determined by two key factors: the cost of its creation and what people are willing to exchange for it—whether that’s money, time, or attention.
Creating high-quality content requires an investment of resources, including money for production, time spent researching and refining, and the effort and skill required to make something truly engaging or insightful.
A well-researched investigative report, for example, may take weeks or months to produce, involving journalists, editors, and fact-checkers. A Hollywood film requires an entire industry of professionals working behind the scenes. Even a seemingly simple YouTube video can take hours of scripting, filming, and editing.
And on the other side of the equation is what people are willing to give in return.
Traditionally, content had a clear price tag—books, movies, and music were products people purchased. Today, with the rise of digital platforms, money is no longer the only currency. Attention has become just as valuable.
Content creators now monetize their work through ads, sponsorships, subscriptions, and donations, relying on engagement metrics rather than direct sales. However, with an overwhelming amount of free content available, the perceived value of individual pieces of content has diminished. If something is cheap—or worse, abundant—people tend to take it for granted.
The challenge today is not just creating content, but convincing audiences that it is worth their time, money, or mental investment.
When did it start losing value?
The decline in content value arguably began with MP3 file sharing. Suddenly, music—once sold on physical CDs—was free to download. That same trend spread to movies, articles, and now, AI-generated content. As tools to create and distribute became easier to use, the barriers to entry disappeared.
Platforms today reward quantity over quality. High-quality documentaries or investigative journalism still take time and money, but low-effort content—tweets, reels, AI articles—cost almost nothing.
Attention is currency
So, there has been a shift from paying with money to paying with attention. Content may seem free, but in reality, you’re paying for it with your time and focus. Everyone wants to sell you something—and most of the time, it’s not directly related to the content you’re consuming, but rather to a profile some tech company has built based on your behavior. You keep using these platforms, so you must trust them, right? Today, we trust social media more than we trust our own governments.
Another issue is that we have lost all gatekeepers over contect – Before, editors and publishers filtered content. Now, anyone can publish anything instantly.
Who is to blame?
The creators are to blame. When they devalue their own work by giving it away for exposure.
The platforms are to blame. For prioritizing engagement and quantity over depth.
The consumers are to blame. Because we consume mindlessly, reward clickbait, and resist paying for quality.
How can content regain value?
AI-generated content has started flooding our feeds. Everyone is asking: If everything is free and abundant, how can content creators survive? But the truth is, this shift has been happening for the last 25 years—and most people have just been too slow to notice.
So, what now? I want to end on a relatively non-pessimistic note.
AI-generated content isn’t going anywhere. And honestly, I don’t believe there’s any future where we don’t use these models to our advantage. While some content will still need to be created by humans—especially for legal and copyright reasons—the line between human and machine-made will only get blurrier. But even as the tools evolve, the human element won’t disappear. These models aren’t autonomous; they still rely on us for direction, intent, and judgment.
There’s going to be a shift. Low-quality content will get better. High-quality content will get better too. And people will keep consuming in much the same way: scrolling through feeds filled with increasingly polished nonsense, while still paying to see the latest blockbuster in theaters.
What do you think?