“One of the effects of living with electric information is that we live habitually in a state of information overload. There's always more than you can cope with.” – Marshall McLuhan, Born Jul. 21, 1911.
If you're not someone who can be a creator of new information, your best bet to survive in the future (until we abolish money, Star Trek style) is to become a creator of META information.
Meaning, you create information ABOUT other information.
You organize, sort, rank, reject, elevate, and commentate upon information from other sources, for purpose of benefiting people who are interested in a given subject, but would otherwise DROWN in the reams of new information created daily.
I mean, look at that last sentence. It could choke a horse. Someone needs to break that shit down into something that makes sense to non-nerdy humans.
But this is an easy position to occupy. It's an easy claim to stake. You are not the creator of your chosen niche. You're not an innovator or a boat rocker. That's fine.
Just become a journalist, a reporter, a reviewer, a critic.
Help people find the good shit and avoid the bad. Help them find the hidden treasure in the niche, and avoid the booby traps they would otherwise blunder into.
Because the constant firehose of information isn't going to stop. It won't slow down. More information gets posted to the Internet every day than was created in entire centuries of human history in times past.
Someone has to sort that mess or else everyone else is going to miss out on the good bits.
Do a solid for humanity. Get your pan and start sifting for gold. Toss out the turds. Show people what you find that's good.
That's what I do. Good money in it. Few hassles.
Literally the entire freelance side of my work boils down to:
1. Talk to people who know or have done things.
2. Write down what the say.
Can confirm. Good money it.
Very valuable!
Kevin Kelly wrote a post about how to create value in an internet universe where there are unlimited copies. His number 8 thought:
8) Findability – With infinite copies and production finding the right item is valuable. (E.G. curation, personal shopper.)
This creates value and one can charge $ for it.
His other thoughts:
1) Immediacy – Getting something sooner than everyone else.
2) Personalization – Generic for everyone, personalized for a few. (Combine with #6)
3) Interpretation – Support and Guidance
4) Authenticity – Signed, numbered, bought from the creator.
5) Accessibility – Not ownership but accessible. (Rent it if it floats, flys, or for fun.)
6) Embodiment – Digital free, in-person expensive. Live performance, personal appearance.
7) Patronage – Fans want to be part of the creative process. (See Renaissance.)
Do you still get stuck in your writing? Many people dread the experience while others believe it’s just one of those things that happens on the journey,