Mastodawn

Clive Thompson Sep 30, 2023

"Let's Stop Calling It 'Content''

I first starting noticing the word "content" in the late 90s

Companies looking to put writing, animation, video or art on their web sites would call it "content"

It flattened innumerable forms of culture into a sort of *goo*, extruded from a tube

25 years on, the term "content" has metastasized, eating whole the way many people talk about -- *think* about -- culture.

Let's stop now

My essay: https://clivethompson.medium.com/lets-stop-calling-it-content-8410bf5f94a9

A free link: https://clivethompson.medium.com/lets-stop-calling-it-content-8410bf5f94a9?sk=7a2668c44c31a4359876cfcd25a5f2d0

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Tim Carmody Sep 30, 2023

@clive I totally disagree! I think we need to change the contexts where we use the word “content” and yes, specificity when possible is better. But it’s a one hundred percent useful word in the proper context (usually when contrasting with the equally capacious “form” or “design”) and often the only word that will do!

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Clive Thompson Sep 30, 2023

@tim

I think if we need one word, call it “culture” — that’s what it is!

Like I said at the end of the piece, though, the best thing is to be specific about the specific forms of culture we’re talking about

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Tim Carmody Sep 30, 2023

@clive no! Content isn’t culture! Content is the stuff inside the boxes! The interplay of form and content is what all art, design, architecture, creation of any kind is all about!

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Clive Thompson Sep 30, 2023

@tim

Sure! But in talking about the interplay of form and content — when we’re talking about design, say — we’re interested somewhat equally in both things

The way “content” is used quite often these days is, to my mind, rather specifically to swish its value away away; to situate the value of <waves hands at human expression> mostly/purely in the networks in which the content resides

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Tim Carmody Sep 30, 2023

@clive so @karenmcgrane tells me she often compares the word “content” with the word “food.” There are lots of other words for “food.” If it’s at a fancy restaurant, you might call it cuisine. In a store, you might call it groceries. There are fruits and drinks and meats, entrees and side dishes, French and Indian food. But nothing is demeaned and so much is gained by calling them all “food.”

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Clive Thompson

@tim @karenmcgrane

Hmmmm interesting!

Let me think about that one. I’m not immediately persuaded the parallel is a good one, but I need to think more about why

(Apart from the obvious one, which is that there are fewer corporate forces intentionally using the word “food” to reduce the specific value of “Italian food”, the way that streaming execs use “content” to (rather specifically, I think) devalue the nature of scriptwriting, acting, production, etc)