There are too many ways

It used to be just the one. The blog post. If you wanted to put content on the internet, out there into the world, you started a blog. A crude website. A few posts. And pictures with terrible resolution.

Things have changed.

We now have an endless number of platforms and ways to publish content. When I hit the plus sign on the WordPress app today, I realize that they have something called story posts as well. Basically, it’s something akin to the feature on Instagram.

And guess what? Every platform has a version of shorts, tiktok or reels or whatever else you want to call it.

I’m not a boomer. I’m 40. But it’s still overwhelming.

What’s probably even more overwhelming is that each platform has a different medium. What I mean is some are videos, some are audio, some are photos and writing… you get the point. The problem with keeping up with all these is that you lose focus and sight of what you wanted to do in the first place.

What I find increasingly interesting though is that audio-visual content is what’s now getting the most attention. And content that very short. So, think TikTok and Reels again. I find this interesting because it would seem that people are losing their ability to focus. If you write a blog post that’s longer than a 2 minute read, I feel like you’re losing your audience.

People are constantly distracted. And you know what? I don’t really blame them. For someone who knew how to focus through all kinds of distractions, even I find myself being consistently distracted. There’s so much to look at. There’s so much content to consume. And the moment I finish reading half a page, I feel like I’m done.

It’s sad. I love reading and I love reading what other people have to say. Yet, because you have the option to move seamlessly to another article, you don’t really care if you read half of it and move on. Unless the writer can really compel you to read the entire post, you know you’re just going to be scrolling through and moving on.

And in the spirit of keeping it short and moving, I should probably end this post here.

Have a lovely weekend!