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When computers were first invented, people realized their incredible potential to speed up productivity. And for a while, this is how computers were used: tools to enhance productivity and efficiency. People used computers to actually DO something, to CREATE something.

And then something began to change.

Instead of being used as a tool to enhance the creation and production of “stuff”, they have predominantly become a tool to consume “stuff”. iPod’s, iPhone’s, and soon the iPad are all tools that allow one to consume. You can consume video, movies, blog posts (like this one), video games, text messages, and status updates. But in each of these instances, you are not creating anything. You are just consuming.

I have an iPod. I’m not against consumption. I love consuming my favorite songs while cruising on my bike and working out. But what I have noticed is the incredible imbalance between content consumption and content creation. There are far more consumers of internet content than there are producers of internet content.

I should clarify that there are plenty of producers of content on the internet, but the only problem is that most of it is JUNK. When I speak of JUNK, I mean terrible writing, boring videos, false claims, and incoherent thoughts. It’s even worse when this is all combined with an ugly and fragmented website design.

There is another contributor to the amount of junk on the internet. I was speaking with a librarian who told me that 80% of the content that is cached by Google is consumer driven (I don’t know if this is true, but based on my own search results, that seems about right). This means that when you search for anything, 80% of the results will try to figure out how to sell you something. For example, if you Google “math practice problems”, approximately 80% of the sites that point to this phrase are trying to sell you something. I just typed “math practice problems” in Google, and the first 3 sites all have a store that attempts to sell you something (Great SEO work by these companies, by the way. If you don’t know what SEO means, look it up.) But a website doesn’t need to be selling anything to be consumer driven. What is the biggest way that websites “sell” to you? Through their advertisements. That long list of blue and white text that is often displayed to the side of a webpage (or right in the middle for the really lame websites, like here math.com) is a list of links that have paid to advertise on that website.

I am not criticizing those who get paid by putting advertising on their website. But I think many people aimlessly meander through the internet, not realizing the incredible bias/tendency towards getting you to buy something, to consume something. And I think this bias is intimately connected to the amount of JUNK on the internet.

So while there are plenty of websites out there, a lot of it is very low quality. The internet is a lot like Goodwill: most people throw into it a bunch of junk, but if you look long enough, you might find some gems. This is why I no longer expect things to be free on the internet. I have come to the conclusion that, if they are asking me for money or a monthly subscription, they probably are legit and will actually help me out. People talk about the web being “open”, but it is foolish to think that it can be both “open” and “free” and “valuable” at the same time. There is a cost to quality, and someone has to assume that cost. Or, no one assumes the cost, and you get a bunch of low quality start-ups trying to push their product and get recognized. The Internet is filled with low quality, no-name start-ups who are in desperate need of attention. And their terrible websites are KILLING me.

Here is the little secret that is known by any content producer who uses the internet: If you want to get something done effectively and efficiently on the internet, expect to pay for it. If you don’t pay for it with cash, you will end up paying for it anyways because whatever company you use (for free) will make you pay with pop-ups and endless advertisements. The cost must be paid, and you will always assume part of the cost. Why not pay with a few dollars in cash instead of a few thousand pop-ups, bad customer service, and poor results?

But most people don’t know this little secret to the internet because they are more concerned about consuming than they are about producing. Most people don’t use the internet to “make things happen”, they use it to consume “stuff”. Again, I have no problem with this consumption, but it is clear that the consumption continues to increase and the production of quality content continues to decrease. As more users shift to devices that are inherently designed for consumption, this imbalance will continue to grow.