The Super Bowl Is the Last Event That Doesn't Need Content Farms

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The Super Bowl Is the Last Event That Doesn't Need Content Farms

The spectacle of the Super Bowl is too great to require the internet to even exist.

The Super Bowl is the ultimate content. It is viewed by the most people, on the most screens in America. It's like a Youtube livestream, embedded on the televisions of basically every American. It's been that way for fifty Super Bowls. Would you believe that even before the wire that is the internet grew to what it was today, televisions were the 'it' medium of the times?

Since then, the internet has tried to find a way to insert itself into the Super Bowl conversation.The process of the internet's biggest content farms attaching itself to highly televised content has been inefficient even since 'Netflix binging' went mainstream. You'd think the Super Bowl was a content farm harvest, like a blue/brown dress or clock kid. Highly viewed commercials 'get people involved' on Twitter [via hashtags]. Content farms post the commercials weeks before the air. Also, there is plenty of sports coverage with the usual analysis, statistics, and 'takes' that bros must consume to be ready for the game.

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When a spectacle is as big as the Super Bowl, is there really a demand for more content, or is it so large that a content vacuum is created? In this vacuum, content isn't actually adding to the spectacle, but instead meaninglessly existing in a portal for souls who are ultimately just killing time before/after that spectacle? People still want to see the game on their flat screen tv, without much interactivity or scrolling text alongside it. They want a personal experience with the spectacle.

Does the Super Bowl even need supplemental internet content?
Is there any point in content farms generating notable stories tangentially related to the Super Bowl?
Is there any true incentive in content farms covering the 'big game' unless they are somehow tied into a larger advertising deal with a sponsor?

At times, I am looking for relief from the world as interpreted by content farms. I am looking for events, trends, and notable people who don't require the multiple angles of coverage provided by the internet content surplus. The Super Bowl seems to inspire some of the most inspired tangentially related content for any topic, and none of it enhances the Super Bowl experience.

Do any of these supplemental content types even 'work' to enhance the experience??

Content for sports bros who want 'insider' perspectives

Sports content farms are for fans of every team, giving support for every possible argument. There was a time when the internet allegedly gave the internet sports bro more perspective for their watercooler conversations. That time is now gone. On a successful content farm, you'll find support for every possible interest in the game. But that's before any game, not just the Super Bowl. Insider analysis, snark, and statistics are things that sports fans who trust the internet want. They already have it all the time, not just for this special event.

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Advertising/marketing analysis content.

As someone who has watched commercials his whole life, I'd like to consider myself an expert on the topic. I know what works, what doesn't. I know what makes waves, and what flops. I know how to reach the coveted demographic that I am in, and how to reach the other coveted demographics that I'm not in. I'm basically great at watching things, and determining if I am into them. I'm not afraid to ask around and see if other people saw what I saw and gauge their reactions. Sometimes that reaction is good, other times, it's bad. This is basically the job of the content farmer covering Super Bowl commercials.

Nostalgic/historical Super Bowl content.

In 2016, nostalgic content was seeing its bubble burst. Oral histories on popular pop culture moments had all been done. Thinkpieces tying contemporary content to 80s and 90's content had all been done. But then David Bowie died, and the legacy-fueled historical content that taps into nostalgia came back in full force.

If the Super Bowl is something 'we've been watching for years,' content farms attempt to connect with the common fan by recalling these memories. They remember that even non-football fans are seeking cultural fulfillment in a widely-watched event. They've been looking for this for years, trying to find a tale of our culture in the Super Bowl. That's why nostalgic content is perfect for those who want to relive the quest for 'something more' they've been on, whether they are staring at a television screen, a computer screen, or a smart_phone.

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Gimmicky SEO question content.

The spectacle of the Super Bowl is so grand that it makes people want to optimize their experience. They need to know specific details of the game that can't actually be found from their television. It's like looking up the address and hours of a restaurant. Sometimes, the internet guides us to the answers that aren't immediately available. Then you jump to a 'related link' that preys upon your interest in any aspect of 'the big game.'

Let's face it, no matter how 'enriching' content that supplements the big event is, remember that content farms aren't there to enrich your life. They're there to minimize the misinformation on the internet (this is not the same as simply providing information) while capitalizing on the misdirective tendencies of search engines, social media, and the sharable nature of internet pages.

The forgotten duty of the big box content farm is to convince the internet reader that the internet is the most comprehensive source of information available to an avid fan of anything. While this may or may not be true, the spectacle of the Super Bowl is too great to require the internet to even exist. So whether you are genuinely enjoying the Super Bowl 'for what it is' or searching for the Super Bowl to be 'something more' with supplemental internet content, take a moment to think about what modern experience you are really seeking in your content consumption.

All of this supplemental content doesn't add anything to the spectacle of the Super Bowl, which already signed a lifetime contract with virality. You can't piggyback off the ultimate Content Bowl.

Life on the Content Farm is a weekly column about internet media written by the last relevant blogger.