4 ms·

It is tempting to discuss demographics, however it is still true there is a group of people, that still enjoys reading, and this part is left behind by social m

It is tempting to discuss demographics, however it is still true there is a group of people, that still enjoys reading, and this part is left behind by social media. Since you can not link from insta and tiktok, you can not share longer meaningful articles. And even if you do, external links are ranked lower by social media platforms. Maybe, authors should create videos, however it seems people who have important things to say shy from video form. The question is if really video is the right choice for valuable content, or is not. Personally I think it is not a right medium for valuable content, therefore social media lacking features supporting text are just forcing not only enthusiastic readers, but also new demographics to consume brain fast-food. And it really is sad considering how much value has the Internet. I am thus glad that this place still exists.

nicbou 6y ago
There are still places to share those links, places that didn't exist before, and that reach a larger demographic. Blogging is getting a smaller share of a much larger pie, but in absolute terms, it's not going anywhere.
graeme 6y ago
Pretty much everyone I followed as a blogger circa 2006-08 is still writing. Generally they’ve moved on to greater prominence. A substantial chunk of them are on substack now. You don’t have blogrolls anymore nor a blogosphere, but the writers are all there. It’s just those of us who follow that are now a tiny fraction of users. But the rewards to that kind of writing have actually increased.
Bakary 6y ago
I don't think it's a zero-sum game where people would consume quality, in-depth content if not for the existence the shallow sort. These authors you describe could try to change the format for a broader audience, but their work would still be fundamentally uninteresting to the latter. Even if there were very few alternative options available, most people would still not generally pursue an interest in such content. The current torrent of content that they do like just turns what is already a very unlikely proposition with perfect conditions into a near impossibility. The underlying mechanism is that the group you describe as still enjoying reading doesn't have much use for social media to begin with. It's not just them being left behind, but rather having better options elsewhere for what they want to experience. I would go as far as to say that social media is probably anathema to them as it runs against many of their core ideals and instincts. But let's be honest: most content defined as high-quality in direct opposition to what is found on social media is often not that insightful or actually helpful in shaping lives for the better. I believe it is a trap to consider HN as better than brain fast-food, to name one example.

nicbou 6y ago

There are still places to share those links, places that didn't exist before, and that reach a larger demographic. Blogging is getting a smaller share of a much larger pie, but in absolute terms, it's not going anywhere.

graeme 6y ago

Pretty much everyone I followed as a blogger circa 2006-08 is still writing. Generally they’ve moved on to greater prominence. A substantial chunk of them are on substack now. You don’t have blogrolls anymore nor a blogosphere, but the writers are all there. It’s just those of us who follow that are now a tiny fraction of users. But the rewards to that kind of writing have actually increased.

Bakary 6y ago

I don't think it's a zero-sum game where people would consume quality, in-depth content if not for the existence the shallow sort. These authors you describe could try to change the format for a broader audience, but their work would still be fundamentally uninteresting to the latter. Even if there were very few alternative options available, most people would still not generally pursue an interest in such content. The current torrent of content that they do like just turns what is already a very unlikely proposition with perfect conditions into a near impossibility. The underlying mechanism is that the group you describe as still enjoying reading doesn't have much use for social media to begin with. It's not just them being left behind, but rather having better options elsewhere for what they want to experience. I would go as far as to say that social media is probably anathema to them as it runs against many of their core ideals and instincts. But let's be honest: most content defined as high-quality in direct opposition to what is found on social media is often not that insightful or actually helpful in shaping lives for the better. I believe it is a trap to consider HN as better than brain fast-food, to name one example.