I started out thinking I would write a post questioning the evolving definition (and dilution) of the word “curation”, but ended up wondering if it is I who has been operating under the wrong definition all along.
I’ve always thought of curation as a great notion. In today’s media-soaked environment, regardless of what your interests are, there are simply too many stories, blog posts and videos generated every day to possibly visit, and we all get the sense that we are missing the good stuff. A curator fills an important role, not in generating more content to add to the mix, but in taking the time to review that content and, based on personal taste and life/work experience, selecting items that may be of particular interest or are thought-provoking, perhaps adding some context or analysis along the way.
Curation appears to be a growth industry, and much as one might follow a movie reviewer that they tend to agree with, people are searching out curators that can add value and help them get the most out of their limited media consumption allowance each day.
When I hear “curated” in regards to the web, I tend to assume that the person doing the curating is actually reading the content under review and, based on those taste/experience factors, selecting it for me. Yet, is that what is happening today?
