Sifting Through the Noise
The Delicate Art of Omission
The 90-9-1 Revolution
On the internet, the unspoken rule of 1% has typically played out like this: only 1% of users actively create content, 9% contribute occasionally, while a staggering 90% simply observe. This pattern, seemingly modest, was sufficient to spawn the "content shock" phenomenon, as theorized by Michael Schaefer in January 2014. He anticipated that, by 2020, the amount of content produced would far outstrip our capacity to consume it.
However, Schaefer didn’t account for the emergence of generative AI, which is set to exponentially escalate this content shock — perhaps by billions. Picture a world where individuals, equipped with AI, become prolific content creators, generating in seconds what previously took hours of human effort. And it goes even further: just consider the lightning-fast speed at which these generative AIs evolve and improve...
UGC on steroids
If you still have reservations about the scale of this transformation, take a look at the accumulating evidence. Comments, a cornerstone of user-generated content (UGC), serve as a perfect illustration. They often mark the initial steps in online self-expression and, on occasion, serve as a launching pad for more substantial creative endeavors.
Recently, brands have been increasingly using comment sections for their strategies. Thus, platform features are rapidly evolving, with Instagram experimenting on integrated polls in comments, Youtube testing new options to allow Shorts creators to create response videos to comments on other people’s channels, and LinkedIn seeing a rise in the popularity of collaborative articles.
At times, significant changes occur unexpectedly. Consider, for instance, a mother dissatisfied with the available bedtime stories for her son. Instead of accepting the status quo, she turns to artificial intelligence, Sudowrite, originally designed for writers, to craft her own adventure tale. This phenomenon highlights a dual-speed world emerging: while some creators, such as journalists, scriptwriters, and artists, resist AI, seeking to protect the essence of their artisanal creations, a fresh generation of readers may enthusiastically embrace it as a tool to precisely shape the stories they desire, heralding the advent of Selfpressionism.
This observation leads me to a broader reflection.
In curation we trust
Navigating through the extensive, diverse, and overwhelming sea of content is no small feat. However, in today's context, staying informed is not just important; it's essential. It serves as the key to reacting promptly and making well-informed decisions at any given moment. Modern leaders must, now more than ever, stay attuned to the zeitgeist. As Eric Hoffer aptly stated, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists”
In line with this imperative, Capsule emerges as a platform dedicated to tracking trends, spotting emerging signals, and uncovering the stories that shape our world. Its mission? to provide an alternative viewpoint and broaden horizons by addressing the pivotal question, "In which direction is our world heading?" Capsule goes beyond the typical headline aggregator, promising to unearth hidden insights. These insights could be buried in a lengthy 10,000-word article, a thought-provoking Instagram comment, a statistic that prompts reflection, or an idea exchanged in the world of private messaging apps.
How does it manage to do this? Each day, about thirty "capsules" emerge, covering a wide spectrum from mainstream media to niche content. They are selected by a team of curators spread across the four corners of the world. Beyond the detection of macro-trends, the importance often lies in the ability to adopt a unique perspective - that of thinking something that no one has yet thought of something that everyone has seen. It is this particular mindset that allows them to detect weak signals. Thus, these curators navigate with finesse, capturing the essence amidst the cacophony
I had a conversation with Arthur de Villemandy, co-founder of Capsule, during which I inquired about the tricks employed by his curators. He responded with remarkable clarity, stating, "Curation isn't about accumulating; it's about the art of non-choice. What truly matters is the overall coherence of the selections." This shift from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to NOMO (Necessity of Missing Out) could be the key to more mindful and conscious information management in the age of information overload. NOMO, fundamentally, isn't about deprivation; it's about liberation. Choosing is accumulating. Omitting is freeing.
MD