These days, there’s so much content on the Internet to experience and enjoy! But when I think of all the content I’ve engaged with over the years, I believe there’s no greater content creator than Jane Austen. Her content wasn’t even optimized for SEO keywords or inbound/outbound linking, and it’s still so good!
She may not have known it at the time, but Jane Austen was an expert with cross-platform shareability. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey—they all went beyond readability to become major motion pictures that people could watch with their eyes. Some of Jane Austen’s novels even went on to become heartwarming GIFs! It’s amazing to think what she might have been able to accomplish if she had her own YouTube channel!
Jane Austen’s content is a huge inspiration to me. Sometimes it even keeps me from scrolling though Facebook because I’m bored, and nothing else does that except baby otters and baby bats and baby pandas and really thoughtful articles in The Atlantic. I wish I could give each paragraph of her content an individual glowing review on Yelp! Five stars all around! Eight stars for Mr. Darcy!
You see, ever since I read Pride and Prejudice in middle school, I’ve always dreamed of being a content creator. Sure, other content creators like Charles Dickens or Gwyneth Paltrow may have had an impact, but nobody makes me want to sit down and produce 250 to 400 words of sharable content like Jane Austen.
In fact, I vow to create some content right now, just as soon as I Instagram this photo of my notebook and pen next to a cup of coffee, and then Google what’s trending so I can ride the zeitgeist for maximum viral clickage. Aren’t I so Austen?
Jane Austen, I know you’re dead so you can’t read my status updates but I want you to know right now that when I die, all I really want to do is meet you and hang out and create some shareable content together. I actually was thinking about doing an afterlife podcast, and you’d be the perfect first guest. I know a guy who can help us with tech stuff. If you can’t, that’s cool. But you gotta know: You’re my favorite content creator ever and I’m not afraid to say it on Facebook and Twitter.
