Disclaimer: This blog post and image was created, written, and designed without AI

After reading the essay “Content is King” by Bill Gates from 1996, I found the concept of a past prediction of the importance the internet would have on content particularly interesting. Gates throughout the essay discuss the importance of tailoring content to fit the effort the user goes through to access the information. Gates first discusses how the print media needs to properly adjust its content to fit into the overstimulating medium that is the internet, so it is not lost in the shuffle of an internet surf. “If people are to be expected to put up with turning on a computer to read a screen, they must be rewarded with deep and extremely up-to-date information that they can explore at will. They need to have audio, and possibly video.”

I also found it interesting in today’s day and age to see Bill Gates cover the topic of advertising on the internet. “In the long run, advertising is promising. An advantage of interactive advertising is that an initial message needs only to attract attention rather than convey much information. A user can click on the ad to get additional information-and an advertiser can measure whether people are doing so.” as we know today, we are constantly inundated with ads on the internet, no matter where you go on the WWW (World Wide Web). I found it interesting when you think of the business of social media marketing and the recent development of influencers. Rather than a stark image popping up as you enter a website, today we are interrupted by a real person on the other side of our screen, actually touching, feeling, and using the product. People have even begun to make millions and lifelong businesses off this idea. When looking back to the late 90s it’s interesting to skepticism around advertising online when it’s one of the most popular and sought-after jobs today.

Sources:

Evans, Heath. “‘content Is King’ – Essay by Bill Gates 1996.” Medium, Medium, 28 Oct. 2017, medium.com/@HeathEvans/content-is-king-essay-by-bill-gates-1996-df74552f80d9