Is It True That Anyone Can Write Content?

Yes. Anyone can write content, but …

But what?

Wait, let me start at the beginning.

A few years ago, I was employed full-time and onsite as a content writer for nine whole months. I often compare that confinement to pregnancy, except I was the foetus, and I couldn’t wait to get outa there! It still astounds me that I had to go into the office every day, given that content writing is one of those jobs that can be done remotely, but it was an old-school business model in a pre-pandemic world. However, I digress.

Cashew nuts vs peanuts

My boss at the time took great delight in telling me how replaceable I was. He was referring to content writers on sites like Upwork and Fiver, who work for peanuts. Their below-the-breadline rates are like a kick below the belt.

But it wasn’t only during my short-lived permanent position that I felt threatened by those who offer cut-throat rates; since I left the corporate world and started Toni-with-an-i, I have been bidding against the low-cost masses to try land jobs. It took a while to establish my expertise, to ‘prove’ that I am worth the rate I charge.

Just as I started to breathe easy, with steady re-hires and referrals, AI happened… gulp!

Cashew nuts vs AI?

For a while, it felt like I wasn't just competing with people charging a pittance per word; I was up against a rival I could never hope to match. How can a fallible human brain that lives in a body that needs to walk outside in the garden to rejuvenate possibly compete with artificial intelligence – a ‘thing’ that can write one thousand words in less than a minute? ?And unlike most low-rate writers, it doesn’t do a dreadful job.

It took time, but I eventually rediscovered my rhythm and found my place in this post-AI world.

So, answer the question, Toni, “Can anyone write content?”

Humour me. I need to add another little piece of backstory, and then I’ll answer that question; I promise.

In my attempt to ‘prove’ and ‘improve’, I added to my natural aptitude for wordsmithery by completing several editing and proofreading courses, including my latest venture into the world of academic editing. My goal was always to get better at what I did, but the result was a peek into a new line of work – I discovered that I love editing!

Two of my most favourite jobs were when I worked as an editor with a team of four or five writers. As it turns out, none of the writers were first-language English-speaking peeps, so I learned to recognise how non-native English speakers write. Not unlike AI, they each had their quirks, patterns, pitfalls, and ‘favourite’ words.

Why did I love these jobs so much? It was a wonderful opportunity for me to teach these writers how to overcome their occupational shortcomings. I was more than an editor – I was a teacher, a mentor, some said. I’m so intent on teaching people how to fine-tune their writing that I’m inclined to work myself out of a job! The work was rewarding, albeit unfeasible.

After all the editing work I’ve done, I’d rather edit something poorly written by a human than try to humanise something well-written by AI – but that’s just me. Now, let me get back to the topic at hand…

Yes, anyone can write content

Yes, you read that right. Anyone can write content. Why? Well, because there are marketers and businesses willing to pay peanuts for content, regardless, and because anyone can access writing tools with ease. Anyone with a computer and internet connection can (try to) make money creating content, adding their voice to the marketing calamity, um clamour, er chaos, I mean copy! That’s the word... copy (oh, the irony! 'Copy' also means 'to duplicate,' reinforcing the repetitive, regurgitated content we see everywhere today). And on top of it all, AI is spewing content faster than bots can analyse, more than human minds can comprehend, and too much for data clouds to hold. The wheels that churn the content machine are spinning so fast that something may well derail.

But here’s the “but”

Yes, anyone can write content, but should just anyone be allowed to? If anyone and the machine are going to create content, we need systems in place to ensure that it is true and valuable and good. After all, humans read that stuff, people, not just analytical bots!

In our content-heavy world, sorting through the mess of information takes time and skill. People’s opinions permeate posts. Fake news and misinformation make their way into blogs. Posts and blogs are quoted as news. News makes its way into articles. And eventually, unscrupulous content writers and unthinking AI use blogs as a point of reference for the content they produce.

If marketers allow ‘anyone’ to write content, society as a whole may pay the price. Clueless people may believe that taking a shower after unprotected sex prevents the spread of AIDS, that it’s necessary to take Omega 6 supplements, that vaccines cause autism, that humans only use 10% of their brain, that you can catch a cold from cold weather, etc and so forth.

Could consuming all this content hurt our ability to judge whether or not it's true?

If they’re going to let ‘anyone’ write content, then someone must ensure it is true and valuable and good. For every handful of content writers, we need a sharp editor. Content creation should follow societal laws – where there are rights, there are responsibilities. Where there are writers, there should be impartial fact-checkers and editors. It’s the only way to ensure that the human race doesn’t go extinct, thanks to the excessive consumption of questionable copy.

… ‘nuff said. But remember – quality matters.

Oh, one more thing. If you’re looking for ‘someone’ to fact-check or edit ‘anyone’s’ content, I’d be happy to help. Drop me a note. I will respond.

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