- Tough competition from video and music
Been thinking a lot over the holidays. Words are too plentiful and can only generate deep engagement with a small percentage of people. As culture continues to converge, we are surrounded by media much more engaging than words on a screen. With a strong push by an increasingly SMS dependent culture, we are consuming words with shorter and shorter attention spans.
It's really no surprise that micro-blogging has become so successful. With Pinterest, we've reduced micro-blogging to a caption and a title. The photo replaces the text. I pity the fool that is hoping to earn a living writing words for screens, because all signs point to ADD-centric populous.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting the death of words or reading. Technology, especially one that has been with us for over 500 years, never dies. No, the fate authors face is much worse, it's irrelevance. that's what happens to technology, it becomes irrelevant, that is, unless it has some un-reproducible value. What quality does a book have that will keep it relevant?
It's really no surprise that micro-blogging has become so successful. With Pinterest, we've reduced micro-blogging to a caption and a title. The photo replaces the text. I pity the fool that is hoping to earn a living writing words for screens, because all signs point to ADD-centric populous.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting the death of words or reading. Technology, especially one that has been with us for over 500 years, never dies. No, the fate authors face is much worse, it's irrelevance. that's what happens to technology, it becomes irrelevant, that is, unless it has some un-reproducible value. What quality does a book have that will keep it relevant?
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