Digital Environmentalism + Contribution vs. Pollution

Hi friend,

Today, let’s talk about being a digital environmentalist.

Avalanche’s content department convenes in our lair (which looks weirdly like a recurring Zoom meeting) twice a week. As with every other marketing department on the planet, the role of AI has been a frequent topic in these meetings lately.

We’re not averse to using AI by any means. However, we started using the term “digital environmentalism” to describe our approach to content in a post-ChatGPT world.

Being a Digital Environmentalist

By digital environmentalism, we’re referring to the concept of not just spitting content out for its own sake. We don’t want to just show Google we have content, but that it’s valuable to humans.

I had some former colleagues express frustration after Google’s helpful content update went live late last year. Why wasn’t their content getting the same amount of traction as it did before the Great Algorithm Update of 2023? I have a theory.

When Does Content Turn from Contribution to Pollution?

The key to avoiding needless pollution of the digital landscape is creating meaningful content.

It’s one thing to write about some of the hottest topics in your industry. You could be adding new blog posts three times a day, using AI all the way to develop the content.

But if you aren’t adding anything valuable to the conversation, you could be contributing to the pollution. Whether or not you use AI tools to help you create content in any way, your content needs to be meaningful and designed to help the people you serve, even in some small way.

Whether that means having one of your experts write a piece directly or just reviewing it, answering your visitor’s questions is the key to success.