Views: Would you like some humanity with your content sludge?

Christian Harrall-Baker, Head of Content Strategy at Two Circles, considers the role sports has to play in using storytelling to break through the content sludge…

What’s your favourite type of content sludge? Is it the ones where Grand Theft Auto V cars go slowly down a bridge accompanied by an approximation of a human voice reading a Reddit post? Is it someone chopping something – usually soap? Or are you like me, and fond of the one where a bowling ball smashes glasses full of various paint? You know the ones. And if you’re not familiar with these then be thankful for your clean social media feed.

Content sludge – aka videos featuring repetitive movement, designed to tap into the most basic form of endorphin release in our brains – is slowly filling the feeds of millions of users across the globe as it continuously optimises.

While that optimisation cycle offers a bleak future – fuelled by AI making it easier to lift, overlay and publish to platforms who want you to stay with them – the sports industry is perfectly placed to either contest, or at the very least, breakthrough the sludge with human stories of endeavour. 

Sport is about stories. Stories of success, stories of beating the odds and overcoming adversity, stories that connect tribes behind a shared goal and value. Instead of sludge, I’ve had tears forming as Rob Burrows delivers poetry in the face of death, as ‘grasscutter’ Dougie MacIntyre fought back his own tears to celebrate his son’s first PGA Tour win, or how the indomitable Andy Murray continued to put everything towards finishing his career on his terms. None of this is new, none of this is a surprise. The battle stays the same – connect humans with stories of other humans – make them feel something, solve a problem for them. The only thing that has changed is the battlefield.

This is no slight on AI. At Two Circles we have already explored all the great things it can do – and will continue to do so – to help us super serve our fans better. It’ll be a democratising power in content creation and a powerful aid, but content sludge is the worst exemplification of what it can be used for. It prioritises optimisation above everything else, it’s easily consumed, easily forgotten, formed from (usually) lifted content. It’s the Mr Beast-ification of the everyday.

It feels almost like a cardinal sin to be critical of the most subscribed YouTube channel in the world, but Jimmy Donaldson, aka Mr Beast, has described having a ‘personality’ as a limitation to his growth. His sole focus is optimisation, grabbing attention at the cost of everything else. We can all take lessons from this – from thumbnails and opening frames to unique story hooks – but the sport industry’s biggest strength isn’t going to be found in de-personalising, it’ll be found by bringing personalities to the fore. Telling the stories of athletes, the teams, the culture and more to bring fans in. Standing out in a world of sludge. Personality, personalised to fans, at scale.

This human-focus is important. We’re already seeing the green shoots of what I think is the start of an anti-online movement. Searches for ‘Social Media Addiction’ and ‘Social Media Controls’ is trending ever upwards.

Tech companies are responding to this consumer trend with ‘human friendly computing’. All designed to limit blue light and too many distractions – an implicit acknowledgement that maybe the endorphine-triggering approach of the last decade may not be good…

We’re also seeing consumers demand more human experience. While the echo of the pandemic remains, searches of – for example – ‘Running Clubs’ is increasing exponentially, something not lost on investors based on ASICS’ near all-time high stock price. Additionally, Governments are beginning to act globally. From the UK Online Safety act, to Spain announcing a social media ban for under-16s to curb smartphone use, all of this points to a world where quality will win out against volume. Where making people feel something and bringing them together will see brands win, and no one is better placed than sports organisations.

This is the power of sports, and knowing how to connect to your audience on their terms, with your athletes, with your sport, with your IP is where we will see organisations win. Leaning into great content that is less sludge and more human. Less soulless AI voice on Subway Surfer, more Rob Burrow and Dougie Macintyre.

Want to see how we could help with that? Get in touch at christian.baker@twocircles.com.