You may be thinking, what does this business term have to do with creating content? Well, that is because you need to see content creation as a business and from a brand standpoint, leveraging your engagement and followers for brand sponsorships and advertisements, but most important, because documentation makes creating content TOO EASY!! Bear with me, it will all make sense soon
If you're a fan of movies or Hollywood, you may have heard the jab that there are no original ideas anymore. This is why, most movies are adaptations of either; novels, comics, games, biographies or autobiographies, or even Myths, this is the answer and key to beating idea block as a creative, nothing is original: it is either improved upon, re-imagined and retold or if you're just not so creative... copy and pasted.
No experience is totally new, it may have variations, but the core experience or result is more or less the same. If you read any historical records; myths, religious books, or history books, you find a man in all cultures wrestling with the same core questions; the reason for existence, the afterlife, purpose, money, and status. This is why documentation is important.
What is documentation? It is defined as any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system, or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance, and use.
To highlight some key words communicable material like all forms of media can be audio, video, pictorial, written, etc. Documenting can also be just recording an event, in plain terms.
I have always believed America has perfected the art of media and storytelling, no example greater than the westernization of Africa and other nations. They love the American style, and accent even their artists and actors are one of the most globally recognized, their award shows and programs are viewed worldwide till the evolution of the internet and the birth of platforms like Netflix, HBO, Amazon, and the like. There's a reason the name Michael Jackson is amongst the 3 most popular brand names right alongside Coca-Cola. This is not a post praising them, but just highlighting the power of documentation. They can create more compelling stories, because they record and document information, history, and human experience as well as psychology, or at least make use of the records, even those of other cultures.
Minus the fact documentation serves as a guide or referral in the future in case you forget your goal, task, or vision, it can be repurposed. Let me give an example: we see this every day because it is the basis on which social media platform and the internet runs.
A media company interviews a star/ politician etc. The interview is streamed live, or recorded on their page and shared on social media. They can in the future, take clips of those interviews for a referral about those issues they spoke on then, OR one of these blogs can edit the full interview, give it a creative or mischievous caption to get reactions and clicks, OR one producer can take few seconds audio out of it and make a beat that gets people laughing while dancing. One content is used in 3 different ways by different pages, creating content for each of them and fresh engagement, and this is just one form.
I believe if you are serious about creating content, even if it is make-believe, you should take documenting seriously. This is why America has created a larger-than-life media presence for itself. Even the most imaginative work had its foundation in truth and reality. The same reason why most people get annoyed when someone lies blatantly without remorse or try to mix small truth is that we crave familiarity. This is how we are wired as humans, and if you say, no, we go to watch media to escape from reality, most skits, movies, and songs still have the essence of human reality; enjoyment, mischief, joy, and being sly. That is why we can connect or relate and understand it for us to then enjoy it. So if you want to make content, look around you, because life is the ultimate representation of documentation, but if you want to create truly great content and stand out, learn from Marvel, create your universe, with interconnecting stories, linking to each other that takes your audience on a journey that you completely control and have made.
This post is not to discredit or take away from other cultures their achievements and advancements, it just highlights a country that is a world power and people can easily recognize and relate to.
DOCUMENTATION: THE SECRET CHEAT CODE TO EASILY ...
By
Oluseyi Vandy