Have we lost the art of appreciation when it comes to content?

As I finished my workout, I was getting CC'd in messages about a project that my team are currently working on. For whatever reason, it was at this time, 7 years into this business I'd realised just how much effort we put into what we do. Not just me and my team, but those who create, in all forms. It begs the question, are we now no longer able to appreciate content due to the fact we are metaphorically, drowning in it?

Some of us may be lucky enough to remember life before Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Before the iPhone when the walkman was cool. I remember going to HMV to buy CD's (and occasionally using limewire!) to get hold of my favourite artists latest work. Albums would come out once a year, sometimes even less frequently, and appreciated when they did come out. Exhibitions of artwork would happen once every so often, and raved about, however now with the implementation of social media into our daily lives - and how far technology has come - we are now able to access content like never before.

The capabilities of our pocket computers is incredible, we can create films, take stunning images and more. Editing processes that would require sitting at a desk for days to produce, can be done in a few clicks. When it comes to how we share this content however, the formula itself is measured entirely different now. Videos are created in the hope of going viral and images to get the most "likes". Whilst this isn't a bad thing, the way we view content is becoming increasingly a challenge.

Artists work is reviewed within a day of it being shared. Streaming means people will listen to it for a couple weeks, then complain asking when the next body of work is coming. Never would this have been the case a few years ago. Photographers images are liked online and forgotten about an hour later, due to being inundated with content from all angles.

Brands are struggling to create memorable campaigns online, that stick in people's minds the same way that TV ads did in years gone by. I am sure we can all remember many an advert that's stuck in our minds since first seeing it, or hearing about it. With it being so easy to create good content, the bar has been pushed increasingly higher. We now live in an age where we see stunning images through our phone from anywhere in the world. We simply like the image, we might share it, but often we just keep scrolling to the next piece of content. In an hour we've forgotten all the content that we've liked; that in most cases has taken thought, planning, execution, production and then promotion.

The true appreciation for content, images and video has been lost due to the fact we are overexposed to it in a way that years ago was simply not possible. I've worked on campaigns with brands throwing hundreds of thousands of pounds into the budget, yet it seems the struggle is to make content stick in people's heads for a long time like it once was the case. For me, less has always been more. I try to set myself a standard and if it doesn't surpass that, it doesn't get shared. People nowadays are posting daily, or multiple times a day, hoping one image sticks. They have set times they believe content will get the most likes, and often go out just in the hope of "getting content to post". How is that sustainable for viewers to be exposed to so much content?

So the next time you see a brilliant piece of content online, though the way we view it is entirely different, the time and effort that has gone into it remains the same.. appreciate it as such!