According to Dictionary.com, content refers to "something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing or any of various arts"[1] for self-expression, distribution, marketing and/or publication.
In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, content creation was defined as "the material people contribute to the online world".
[2] News organizations, especially those with a large and global reach like The New York Times, NPR, and CNN, consistently create some of the most shared content on the Web, especially in relation to current events.
[6] Academic institutions, such as colleges and universities, create content in the form of books, journal articles, white papers, and some forms of digital scholarship, such as blogs that are group edited by academics, class wikis, or video lectures that support a massive open online course (MOOC).
National libraries and state archives turn historical documents, public records, and unique relics into online databases and exhibits.
[13] In 2013, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) joined the asteroid mining company Planetary Resources to crowdsource the hunt for near-Earth objects.
Motivations for creating new content may include the desire to gain new knowledge, the possibility of publicity, or simple altruism.
However, researchers caution that in order to be effective, context must be considered, a diverse array of people must be included, and all users must participate throughout the process.
[27] Some teens use this to become content creators through online platforms like YouTube, while others use it to connect to friends through social networking sites.
The feature of user-generated content and personalized recommendation algorithms of digital media also gives a rise to confirmation bias.
Digital media writers often use a conversational tone, personal anecdotes, and multimedia elements like images and videos to enhance the reader's experience.
For example, the veteran populist anti-EU campaigner Farage's tweets in 2017–2018 used a lot of colloquial expressions and catchphrases to resonate the "common sense" with audiences.
[29] At the same time, digital media is also necessary for professional (academic) communicators to reach an audience,[30] as well as with connecting to scholars in their areas of expertise.
[33] A focus on cultural identity has helped increase accessibility, empowerment, and social justice in digital media, but might also prevent users from freely communicating and expressing.
The 2011 Egyptian revolution was one example of content creation being used to network protestors globally for the common cause of protesting the "authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and North Africa throughout 2011".
Social media outlets allowed protestors from different regions to network with each other and raise awareness of the widespread corruption in Egypt's government, as well as helping coordinate their response.
[34] Examples of recent social media protest through online content include the global widespread use of the hashtags #MeToo, used to raise awareness against sexual abuse, and #BlackLivesMatter, which focused on police brutality against black people.