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Will Written Content Disappear One Day? We Don’t Think So!

The virtual world has undergone dramatic transformations in the last two decades. If you recall the older days, you would remember text-rich websites. The small bandwidth of dial-up connections made it difficult to view images. The proliferation of videos, pictures, audios, etc., was impossible.

Let’s compare it to the present. The internet penetrated remote corners of the world, cutting across continents and cultures. Technology got simplified too. It became easy to record audios and videos. So, the way people share and consume content changed.

Hence, some people have started wondering if written content would disappear altogether one day. This thought often troubles writers, as it could impact their professional lives. However, we strongly believe in the power of written content. Let us share some reasons why-

1) Transition Doesn’t Mean Disappearance

When the media went digital, some people expected newspapers and magazines to disappear altogether.

Did it happen?

Actually, no! Newspapers and magazines paved the way for TV news and digital content. But they didn’t vanish from the picture. These days, newspapers and magazines have both print and web versions. The internet somewhat helped them reach a wider audience. And it didn’t take away the jobs of journalists and writers.

2) We Are Reading More!

Thanks to portable devices like smartphones, we are consuming more written content. People are reading more, and writers are still at work!

Think of how many times you google your queries, open links, and read them. Or the articles you discover on your social media feed.  People also read how-to guides, technical literature, etc., on the internet. They can find what they want to read by entering a few keywords, fuelling the demand for written content.

3) The Search Engine Game

Search engines strongly favor written content. And they will continue to do so, at least for the foreseeable future. Search engines scan the text in the website to answer your query. Even the image and video results are indexed on the basis of the accompanying text.

That’s why business websites always need writers to help them ace the search engine results.

4) Writing is Easier

Yes, recording videos, creating animated content, etc., has become easier. But setting up a blog and writing is easier; you don’t need to fine-tune your technical skills for it. Nor you need to buy software or equipment for it. You don’t have to set-up a soundproof system or create a suitable backdrop for your writing process.

Also, proofreading and editing written content is a far less complicated process. Removing errors from a video or audio is cumbersome. Yet, if you can’t do it yourself, and you can’t find a good writer or editor around you, hiring remote writers is possible.

There is another factor that makes writing a popular form of content. The shelf life of text is much longer than that of a video. You cannot update a video after a few months or a year if you want to add more information to it. You would have to create a new video for the purpose. Compare it to a blog or an informative article. Changing a few sentences or adding an extra paragraph to keep the content relevant is a quick job.

5) Foundation For Other Content

Written content is an integral part of other content forms, whether it’s a podcast or a documentary. The first step in creating any content is writing a script. That’s why writers are indispensable regardless of which media gains more popularity.

This may not be obvious to the audience watching a movie or listening to an audiobook. But as a writer, you should feel assured as there is no dearth of work for you.

6) Enhancer to Other Content

Text content is often used to give more in-depth information to the audience. It could be in the form of a short paragraph or a link to a full-length blog.

You are trying to learn something, let’s say a new recipe from a video. Wouldn’t you like to have accompanying text to clarify doubts? The text acts as an enhancer to the video. Likewise, listeners often look for show notes in a podcast episode for more details. Many listeners also read transcripts of the episode to gain a better understanding.

7) Preference for Reading

Despite the popularity of videos and podcasts, there are still many people who prefer to read. Some people love to read instead of watching videos or audio.

Reading has a higher speed of comprehension. For instance, it will take you a few minutes to read the governor’s speech, while watching it on the TV takes longer. When you are searching for something specific, you can skim and read. But forwarding or rewinding a video to scan it is cumbersome.

The rise in literacy levels all over the world means the number of readers has only increased! English has become a global language. But the accent of spoken English varies between countries. The barrier of comprehending different accents can be overcome using written text. Similarly, written translations are useful to understand content created in another language.


8) Suitability for Some Purposes

The written content suits certain situations better, like e-commerce! You check many products to find the one you need. It would be irritating if you have to click open videos to know about each of them. Written content speeds up the whole (window) shopping experience.

Final Thoughts…

It is the power of written words that changed the course of human civilization. Words captured history and preserved tradition. Words fuelled scientific advancements, and words have propelled innovations. Audio or visual media won’t lead to the extinction of written content. Rather, they will co-exist and provide an enhanced experience to the audience.

To sum up, I would like to assure you that technology won’t steal a writer’s job. If you keep an open mind and be willing to adapt to new writing formats, you will always be in demand for your skills.


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