Response: "When Writing Becomes Content" by Lisa Dush

When Writing Becomes Content: Article Review

Author, Lisa Dush, wrote an article discussing how “writing” has become “content,” and how “professional writers” have become “content creators.” She argues that in our modern world, technology is dictating how a writer can succeed in the workforce. It is a battle between what the individual writer wants, and what the content machine needs. Being a writer was once considered an art form and is now moving toward what welders and mechanics know as grunt work.

“This contemptuous coinage is predicated on the assumption that it’s the delivery system that matters, relegating what used to be called “art”—

writing, music, film, photography, illustration—to the status of filler, stuff to stick between banner ads.” – Tim Kreider

Modern-day editors and gatekeepers use the talents of a great writer to attract an audience for clicks, but regulate their creative abilities using Content Management Systems (CMS) that use algorithms and analytics to narrow down keywords, phrases, and topics. Of course, these analytics have made it easier for the author to get material to their specific audience, so there is a bright side. But Dush is still worried that companies focused on profit can hurt the artistic side of being a writer, and can downgrade its importance to life and society.

“Writing is connected to many things we value, and perhaps even love: books, authors, pens on paper, memories. Not so content.” - Lisa Dush

Writing is connected to our lives in many ways, whether you are a reader or an author. The author can find meaning when they tell a story, write a piece of poetry, or put together an inspirational speech that would inspire a crowd to make a difference in another person's life. The reader can find purpose in a story, joy in poetry, and motivation in a great speech. There is meaning to life within the artistic side of writing content, and it is not just a means to make a living, though that is important too. Writing speaks to the soul.

I agree with Dush when it comes to writing, bringing value to our lives. However, I do not believe that writing has changed to “content” universally. I split writing into two categories: business and artistic. The first, business writing, where I think the definition of content is more fitting, is an environment where you are writing content to bring in customers to buy a product or service. My field of public relations (PR) fits this category well. PR content consists of writing promotional/informational pieces such as press releases, media advisories, company fact sheets, memos, feature articles, and much more. Practitioners write for specific audiences and must write succinctly. Students of PR are taught to write and include particular keywords and phrases so that algorithms will pick up the content for more clicks.

In contrast, The Artistic side is where the genuinely creative authors put together the award-winning poetry, literature, fiction, Broadway shows, and screenplays that we all enjoy. It’s the business tycoons who pour money into the industry that gives us entertainment and imaginative writing. Authors do not have to work for the company that will limit their talent to the needs of the content machine, but instead, they are free to write and imagine as they please. I believe if we look back in time, we would see business owners that wrote to make a buck and authors who wrote for the human soul.

Let us continue this thought and compare Dush’s assessment of Karl Marx’s definition of value to my two categories of being a writer (Dush, P. 6). Marx says value comes from human need and the exchange of profit.

“use value—value based on how well a thing meets human needs—and exchange

value—value based on profit.” – Lisa Dush

In the business world, there is more value for people who want to write content for a company to sell products and services. In the entertainment and scholarly world, there is value in artistic writing to inspire individuals to be active in civic duty and entertain the masses. Both are valuable, and both can make a profit.

In conclusion, I reject the notion that the artist-writer is dead, and the content creator has taken the throne. If we look at the progression of writers and create two categories of business and art, we see that the artist-writer is alive and well in the scholarly and entertainment world, inspiring us with plays, movies, fiction, and non-fiction stories. And the content creator is filling the spaces between the ads to sell products and services that make our lives more comfortable and enjoyable. Both serve a purpose in contributing to human needs.