Re-Organizing the World’s Information: Why we need more Boutique Curation

Re-Organizing the World’s Information: Why we need more Boutique Curation

In a world where information is abundant and easily accessible, the need for effective organization and curation becomes increasingly important. The current state of information platforms, with their overwhelming supply and irrelevant filters, has made it difficult for consumers to find valuable and trustworthy content. While privacy protection is often touted as a selling point, it is not enough to convince the majority of people to leave platforms like Google, especially if it means having to pay for a service they are accustomed to receiving for free.

The initial intention behind organizing the world's information was noble, but it has evolved into a business model that prioritizes monetizing clicks to support advertisers rather than enhancing the search experience for users. As a result, there is a growing trust gap between consumers and these platforms due to ethically questionable design choices. Curation, which should be at the forefront of organizing information, takes a backseat to featuring advertisers when platforms rely heavily on ad-based revenue models.

Vertical search aggregators have their place, particularly when users know exactly what they are looking for. However, the starting point for most users is often uncertainty or a desire for discovery. This presents an opportunity to assist overwhelmed consumers with better content discovery and curation throughout their search journey. The focus should shift from the content itself to the structure of curated content feeds, allowing users to find the content they want on their own terms rather than being dependent on when the curator decides to publish.

Ben Evans wisely said, "All curation grows until it requires search, and all search grows until it requires curation." The sheer volume of information being created requires dedicated individuals or platforms to filter, organize, curate, and index that information. Unfortunately, many curation sites fall into the trap of scaling with crowdsourcing and scraping, resulting in a decline in the quality of their recommendations over time. This is when vertical search aggregators like Yelp become more appealing due to their greater utility.

However, the ad-driven model that many platforms rely on leads to a competition for attention between advertisers and content producers. Consequently, these sites often feel more like marketing blogs rather than trustworthy sources of curated content. While subscription-based models can be a viable solution, they are not always effective, especially when the use cases are infrequent. This is where nascent token-based business models show promise. By giving ownership to stakeholders and allowing subscribers to benefit from future upside, startups can overcome the initial challenges associated with starting a new platform.

In a study that analyzed data from 2,074 testers, the effectiveness of Bionic Reading was examined. Surprisingly, the results showed no evidence of positive effects on reading speed. In fact, participants read an average of 2.6 words per minute slower with Bionic Reading compared to traditional reading methods. Although the difference is minimal (less than 1%), it is clear that Bionic Reading does not impact reading speed significantly.

In conclusion, the need for boutique curation and better organization of the world's information is becoming more evident in the face of overwhelming supply and irrelevant filters. Platforms must prioritize the search experience for users rather than solely focusing on monetization through ads. The structure of curated content feeds should be designed to cater to users' goals and preferences, allowing them to find content on their own terms. While challenges exist, such as the decline in quality as platforms scale, token-based business models offer potential solutions. Additionally, Bionic Reading, despite its promise, does not seem to have a significant impact on reading speed.