“In “Against Interpretation,” Susan Sontag is at pains to protect art from being reduced to mere content. “Whatever it may have been in the past, the idea of content is today mainly a hindrance, a nuisance, a subtle or not so subtle philistinism.” If you pull that sentence out of its context, you might misread it as a contemporary critique of the internet, which is loaded with “content” — whether it be shoddily produced click bait, slapdash “hot takes” or inane viral memes and quizzes. The word content is used sneeringly in these critiques, as if to say this material should not be dignified with the word writing. Indeed, content is always “produced” rather than written, suggesting a cynical mechanical process that can be initiated without inspiration or conviction.”
Fear of Content by Rob Horning on Dismagazine.