User-Generated or Curated Content, Which is Better?
Just to clarify, when I say user generated content, I mean content that is self-published, be it books, independent movies, youtube videos, etc. When I say curated content, I mean content that was chosen by a publisher to be published.
I'm going to get right to it and give my opinion on the matter right away. I feel that there are merits to both types of content, and it just comes down to the individual quality of each instead of where it came from.
Pros of curated content - When something is chosen for publication by a publisher, generally it's gone through a rigorous vetting process, so only the best will be chosen. If, say, it's a movie, then it will have a set budget, potentially a big name director with work under his or her belt to manage that budget and still build a quality product. Since it can be underneath a big brand, you can generally trust curated content moreso than something unknown. You can generally tell what you're going to get with a product like Apple.
Cons of curated content - Sometimes, the curators get it wrong. I know I've been having a major complex with it lately, but The Martian was passed up by publishers, and look where it is now. On the other end, even if it's chosen it may not be a good product in the end, look at any movie even with a big budget and name behind it that flopped (Fantastic Four).
Pros of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. There's something for everyone. If you want something, chances are someone else has filled that niche for you. User-generated content can be of the same quality as curated content. I know that my books aren't on par with the bestsellers, but I've had them edited heavily, and at great personal cost, to ensure the quality was good. Originality is no longer a stifling block. This kind of goes in with the first point, but if a publisher has no say in what is published, there's going to be more variety, whereas if something becomes a hit publishers want to find the next most similar product to cash in on it (Twilight and Paranormal Romance derivatives.)
Cons of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. Just because someone wants to write a novel or produce a movie doesn't mean they can. Quality isn't a precursor to user-generated content, and most of the time you can't tell something is bad by looking at it. There's also a lot of this type of content, too much sometimes. It's hard to find what you want and to find something of decent quality.
These are by no means completed lists, it was just all I could come up with on the top of my head.
As I stated at the beginning, I feel that ultimately it comes down to individual quality of the product. If you took 5 great self-published novels and 5 great professionally produced novels you probably couldn't tell the difference between them.
All in all, it's a nice time to be a consumer because there's more choice than even, and more quality content than you could ever read in a lifetime.
I'm going to get right to it and give my opinion on the matter right away. I feel that there are merits to both types of content, and it just comes down to the individual quality of each instead of where it came from.
Pros of curated content - When something is chosen for publication by a publisher, generally it's gone through a rigorous vetting process, so only the best will be chosen. If, say, it's a movie, then it will have a set budget, potentially a big name director with work under his or her belt to manage that budget and still build a quality product. Since it can be underneath a big brand, you can generally trust curated content moreso than something unknown. You can generally tell what you're going to get with a product like Apple.
Cons of curated content - Sometimes, the curators get it wrong. I know I've been having a major complex with it lately, but The Martian was passed up by publishers, and look where it is now. On the other end, even if it's chosen it may not be a good product in the end, look at any movie even with a big budget and name behind it that flopped (Fantastic Four).
Pros of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. There's something for everyone. If you want something, chances are someone else has filled that niche for you. User-generated content can be of the same quality as curated content. I know that my books aren't on par with the bestsellers, but I've had them edited heavily, and at great personal cost, to ensure the quality was good. Originality is no longer a stifling block. This kind of goes in with the first point, but if a publisher has no say in what is published, there's going to be more variety, whereas if something becomes a hit publishers want to find the next most similar product to cash in on it (Twilight and Paranormal Romance derivatives.)
Cons of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. Just because someone wants to write a novel or produce a movie doesn't mean they can. Quality isn't a precursor to user-generated content, and most of the time you can't tell something is bad by looking at it. There's also a lot of this type of content, too much sometimes. It's hard to find what you want and to find something of decent quality.
These are by no means completed lists, it was just all I could come up with on the top of my head.
As I stated at the beginning, I feel that ultimately it comes down to individual quality of the product. If you took 5 great self-published novels and 5 great professionally produced novels you probably couldn't tell the difference between them.
All in all, it's a nice time to be a consumer because there's more choice than even, and more quality content than you could ever read in a lifetime.
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