Content

Content versus Information
Content is sometimes thought of as a synonym with information. While information is one important component of content - even experiences meant purely for entertainment contain information in them - a given piece of information may or may not be experienced as content if it is not presented to an audience appropriately. For example, information can be stored in any number of ways and delivered and displayed in any number of forms and formats. Each use of information may create its own unique value for a specific audience in a specific context. Thus the ability to deliver a specific piece of information by a specific technology does not necessarily guarantee its value as content. The often cited examples of information overload are a way of stating that the availability of information does not necessarily mean that it is useful content. Thus the information industry, which is focused primarily on the creation and delivery of digital information, is not synonymous with the content industry, which focuses on creating value for audiences in contexts that can be realized often as money, attention or other forms of reward via the value of content.