Take some time to consider what you're currently consuming as content. Ten years ago you may have read a 3,000-word essay on a very specific subject. Today, it's much more common to skim a thread, watch a 60 second video or let AI summarize a book.

There is a fragmentation of the human mind that is taking place at a rapid pace in our days. The old web was text-based: blogs, articles and forums for sharing concepts. However, as algorithms got increasingly more adept at manipulating our dopamine cycles, text started to fall out of fashion for short-form video and instant-gratification media.

Not only is the written word changing, it is in crisis. If we are to not lose deep, authentic human communication, we must radically transform the online culture of the value of writing.

The Dopamine Trap of the Modern Feed

The dominant model of the digital economy is straightforward: get a user of the machine to stare at a screen for as long as possible.

To satisfy this, major platforms created algorithms that promote outraging, hyper-stimulation and superficiality. Deep analysis takes time to read, and time spent reading a single page doesn't equal the number of ad impressions a user can get in mindlessly flipping through 50 short videos.

Consequently, creators have to be subjected to a content treadmill:

The Clickbait Epidemic: There is always the sense of an eye-catching headline that is sensationalized, with the aim of getting a knee-jerk reaction.

Modern feeds are punishing nuance, so complex issues are broken down into polarized sound bites.

Deep focus is getting harder for humans, how we've lost it, according to The Attention Tax. The average attention span has sunk to a new low, and long-form ideas are less likely to cut through the digital “noise.”

If the platform is the owner, the culture is that of the platform. Optimization for distraction is the current culture.

Decentralization: Giving Ownership Back to the Writer

People don't dislike reading so much as the economic model of the traditional web has an adverse effect on independent thought. To be completely dependent on programmatic ad networks to pay bills, writers are at the absolute mercy of corporate algorithms.

That's where the true magic of Web3 swings into action.

The blockchain-based publishing platforms alter the publisher-consumer dynamic by eliminating the middleman:

Direct-to-Community Micro-economies: Writers can receive a direct payment from the individuals who appreciate the work directly, in the form of an instant peer-to-peer micro-tipping, instead of ad views based on fractions of a cent.

When content is served via decentralized networks, there is no quiet deletion or de-indexing or shadowbanning by a few Silicon Valley executives who don't like the point of view.

Verifiable Ownership: Writers have complete ownership of their intellectual property, and their means of distribution are not suddenly gated by a platform's paywall.

Moving Beyond the Scroll

The future of media is not one won through attempting one's best to beat the algorithms. It would be hard to get educational text to out-fight-engage entertainment videos.

Rather, it's about creating ecosystems with high signal and close proximity. The web is increasingly dividing into smaller, more targeted digital communities where it's okay to be slow, it's okay to be deep, it's okay not to be polished, it's okay to be authentic.

The platforms that will live and flourish over the next decade will not capture the most eyes, they will be the ones that will give individuals the ability to own what they say, their thoughts and their communities.

Join the Discussion!

Are you having trouble reading longer text lately, or are you trying to find more in-depth and slower websites? Let's talk about it in the comments below.

If you like human written, algorithm free advice like this, consider a tip below. Tips on Publish0x are free for you and from a shared pool so you can support creators and get some crypto at the same time!