The Google SEO algorithm is being effectively gamed, and this hyper-focused race for the sacred "first page" is ultimately unsustainable. It's creating a swamp of weirdly skewed content, focused only on metrics and clicks, not meaning. As more time is invested in this pursuit, the actual value of what is written diminishes.
This is why the economy of language and the deliberate editorial choices in print media feels like a relief. While content is certainly king, these necessary and intentional selections of what not to include preclude the exhausting, algorithm-driven search for that viral unicorn.
As more sites chase this SEO bait, we lose the core human compulsion to narrate—to view the world as a collection of stories. What remains online are isolated islands of keyword-stuffed articles and clickbait designed purely to extract data and attention.
Fortunately, we are witnessing a resurgence in niche publications, specialized books, and dedicated articles—content an audience will pay for because they deeply value the substance or the authentic voice of the person writing it. I consider myself a ‘Digital Colonial’, belonging to the generation that existed before the internet became an omnipresent monolith. We had to actively seek out our interests, which fostered a strong, sometimes tribal, sense of identity linked to subcultures, be it grunge kid, manga fan, or bookworm.
For us, cultivating a niche interest is deeply comforting. It allows a sustained focus, a temporary refuge from the tidal wave of options the algorithm constantly pushes. This deliberate limitation is the antidote to the debilitating choice paralysis that occurs when there are simply too many roads to take.
For my part, I choose to write what I want to write, utterly unconcerned with SEO, traffic numbers, or transient digital metrics. I frequently decline collaborations—unless I actively use and believe in the product or service—because life is simply too short to be beholden to anyone for clout or a slight boost in views. I will continue to chug along, offering my pop culture ramblings and occasional long-form essays, until the impulse fades. Until then, I invite readers to savor the quiet comfort of the niche.
LINK: For the Niche of Videogames Magazines
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK: Summer, Fireworks, and My Body
LINK: A Nightmare on Elm Street Boxset - Cult Movie Review
LINK: The Power of Stories and How They Are Manipulated
LINK: The Message by Ta-Nahisi Coates - Book Review (and Some Thoughts)
LINK: The Anxious Generation: Book Review (and Some Thoughts)
LINK: Utopia for Realists- Book Review
LINK: Toxic: Women, Fame and the Noughties- Book Review (and Some Thoughts)