The iPod effect: how near limitless storage made content worthless

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/feb/13/the-ipod-effect-how-near-limitless-storage-made-content-worthless

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I can pinpoint the moment it all went wrong. “It holds 1,000 songs – and it goes right in my pocket,” he said. That’s when the value of digital content was irrevocably changed for the masses. No longer was it good enough to shuffle around an envelope of your five favourite albums or half a dozen mini discs. It became all or nothing.

As faster bandwidth and bigger storage have become the norm, we’ve become used to the idea of a cornucopia of content. But in the absence of tough decisions about what media to bring with us, we’re losing our appreciation of its value altogether. Without clear opportunity cost, all digital content is becoming worthless.

Until, that is, we start to run out of space again: 91% of iPhone users must now make do with the entry-level 16GB, triggering many to ask how a normal person is supposed to cope. With inevitable certainty, digital photos, apps and games have all expanded to eat more and more of whatever becomes available.

And so, we return to those tough decisions about what we can bring with us – but expectations have changed. One friend recently insisted he needs 32 games on his iPhone. His concern: “I haven’t played Fruit Ninja in a while.”

Choice is good. But unlimited choice is changing our appreciation of what it takes to create material with quality.

It may seem trivial on the surface. But in a world of 69p apps and freemium gaming goliaths, it’s already hard for creators to carve their way outside a commodity perception. If we continue to cultivate a society where even the most crafted and artisan digital items are throwaway flash sale detritus, how can we expect to continue enjoying the talented minds that create them?

Some recognise this and break free, most notably in the area of music. Here, there’s a relatively low ceiling for storage requirements and therefore it’s still the most easy commodity to hoard en masse. The ins and outs of this were recently summed up by legendary recording engineer Steve Albini.

As a result, you see more and more musicians abandon the idea of making real money from their digital music and instead refocus around live performance and merchandise. Or if you’re lucky like Taylor Swift, you can opt out altogether.

It’s time to stop all this. I’d say 16GB is fine – but that’s not really the point. This is a matter of apathy toward art, where technology’s elimination of cost has damaged our perception of value by collateral damage.

What’s the difference between what you love and what you “Facebook Like”? I’d say it’s all about loss. People complain when artists introduce albums on Spotify, only to remove them soon after – but this is tough medicine and it’s for fans’ own good.

Taylor Swift is doing more than just incentivising people to download her album on iTunes – she’s using that scarcity to make fans realise her value and, in doing so, consolidating her differentiation.

As a whole, we humans aren’t great at moderating our own consumption. As each scarce resource in human life has become more and more available, we’ve gorged ourselves until popular sentiment realises it’s time to rebalance. Just as we hit that wall with nutrition and energy consumption, I think we’re getting there with the value of art in ubiquitous digital form.

But while we adjust, we’re relying on brave creators to treat us mean and keep us keen so when we return to tough decisions, we know they’re too good to lose.

Max Tatton-Brown writes about technology, marketing and startups. He’s founding director of communications consultancy Augur. Find him on Twitter @MaxTB.