Experts and Anybodies
The Good and Bad Ways “Expert” Culture and the “Anybody Can Do It” Can Affect Business
"Expert culture," and the fact that new technology and accessibility seemingly allow anyone to become a photographer, videographer, or designer, can have significant implications for businesses, resulting in positive and negative outcomes.
Diverse content creation can be helpful to businesses. The proliferation of amateur photographers and content creators results in a wide array of visual content available through stock and on-demand content creation. This diversity allows businesses to tap into various creative perspectives and cater to different audience segments. But while accessibility democratizes photo, video, and design, it also produces a wide range of quality– some very poor. Businesses might be challenged to maintain consistent visual standards and struggle to convey professionalism.
Professional photography, video, and design services can appear expensive when you look solely at the cost of the service. Affordable equipment and user-friendly editing tools offer businesses cost-effective solutions to create visuals without breaking the bank. However, the prevalence of amateur content might reduce the perceived value of professional photo, video, or design services. This perception can affect how customers view a business's products or services.
The rise of smartphones and social media has made it easy for customers to generate content related to a specific brand—user-generated content (UGC). Encouraging UGC fosters engagement and provides authentic and relatable content that resonates with audiences. On the other hand, lacking brand consistency could prove challenging for businesses to uphold a cohesive visual identity when relying on content from multiple sources. This inconsistency can confuse audiences and dilute brand recognition.
User-generated and amateur content often exudes authenticity and relatability, enhancing the emotional connection between businesses and customers. Using photos from various sources could lead to copyright infringement and ownership disputes. Companies must exercise caution to ensure they have the right to use the content.
Suppose you are working with an entity or agency that devotes time to your project as if they were an in-house member of your team. In this case, the influx of visual content comes from a team that shares your vision, and not just churning out content for the sake of content.
The intersection of "expert culture" and the accessibility of amateur photography, videography, and design has transformed how businesses approach visual content. While it can provide cost-effective options, authentic engagement, and diverse perspectives, it also poses challenges related to quality, consistency, and maintaining brand value. To navigate this landscape effectively, you can work with someone in-house, or outsource the work to an agency like Peripheral View Media, that embraces your unique brand guidelines and develops and produces strategic content curation.
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