Web content and good writing shape the world
He’s not just a web-crawler — he reads plenty offline, too.
WITH greater numbers of people than ever spending more time online communicating via social media, and more books being sold with the Irish publishing industry enjoying its most prosperous period in over a decade, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the power of the written word.
We may have eaten more during lockdown — and some of us may also have imbibed a little over the recommended limit — but the good news is that people also found the time to do more reading in the past year.
A total 13.1 million books were sold in Ireland in 2020, almost one million more than in 2019, accounting for a whopping €161.5 million in sales (source: Nielsen BookScan).
Digital content fared even more heartily than print, with the amount of time spent on social media by the average person worldwide now up to just over two and a half hours a day (source: statista.com).
And that’s before factoring in the 306 billion emails that were received and sent last year, with this number expected to increase annually for the foreseeable future.
Never before have so many people been consuming written word content on such a scale and with such immediacy.
Telling, hearing and sharing stories is part of what makes us human. Long before Instagram and Facebook, early man was daubing the story of his life and posting food pictures on the walls of his cave.
How we consume the message may have changed through time — from parchment and carrier pigeon, through newspapers and novels, to the digital revolution of online information — but the value of good writing has never diminished.
And with the democratisation of communication thanks to such online forums as chat groups and blogs, the ability to craft a strong message that helps you stand out from the crowd is becoming an indispensable skill.
Which is why good content is still what people are hungry for.
Most human communication may be non-verbal, but as any avid reader can attest, the written word has the power to change the world around us, or create new ones; it can turn a molehill into a mountain, or fit the universe on the head of a pin.
Consider the scandal over the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data leak, and ongoing accusations of how social media platforms can be used to spread misinformation — and disinformation — that can manipulate audiences and potentially affect the outcomes of democratic elections.
This highlights only too well the persuasive force of words. But it also illustrates how important it is to be part of the process of creating informed content, too.
Because writing doesn’t just educate or entertain — it can also be a bubble bath for the soul.
A Cambridge University Study reported emotional and physical health benefits to people using expressive writing to cope with difficult experiences, with just 20 minutes a day yielding positive results. (Cambridge.org)
Just as it’s necessary to exercise the body, it’s vital to keep the mind in healthy working order. And there’s no better way to have an internal tidy-up and promote a little wellness than to transform your thoughts into a neat piece of writing.
This could be something as simple as scribbling a few paragraphs into a journal or diary, or having a bash at writing a poem or short story.
Even sending an email or social media message affords an opportunity to express yourself — all that matters is that you stretch those mental muscles to reach the right words.
Because words are power: they are the most beautiful of weapons; sometimes the bluntest of tools; but always they are at the core of who we are as human beings and the means by which we shape the fabric of our world.
So whether it’s for business or pleasure, as reader or writer, ignite your passion for words and use the gift of language to reach a wider audience today.