When everything is content, it’s hard to know what’s worth saying
By Lottie Owen-Jones •
Working in marketing means you spend a lot of time thinking about what should be said next.
What should we post? What should we react to? What conversations should we join? What trends are worth paying attention to before they disappear again a week later?
There’s always something happening somewhere: a global news story, a cultural moment, a viral conversation, an awareness day on the calendar that suddenly appears in every brand’s content plan at once.
And if you spend enough time inside that cycle, it starts to feel like the internet runs on a kind of constant expectation that everyone should have something to say about everything.
Lately we’ve been thinking about that pressure a lot.
Because sometimes the honest answer is that we don’t really know what to add.
Not because we’re not paying attention (quite the opposite). The more you work in communications, the more of the world you end up absorbing every day. You read headlines from multiple countries before breakfast. You watch brands try to respond thoughtfully to complicated issues in real time. You see the internet collectively process things that are sometimes genuinely difficult or upsetting.
And in the middle of all that, you’re still meant to be thinking about content.
Sometimes that feels strange.
The strange pressure to respond
One of the quieter shifts in marketing over the past decade is how quickly brands now feel the need to respond to cultural moments.
When something happens, there’s often an instinct, sometimes spoken, sometimes unspoken, that a brand should acknowledge it. Show awareness. Show values. Show that they’re part of the conversation.
Sometimes that instinct leads to thoughtful work. Sometimes it sparks genuinely meaningful campaigns. Sometimes it just creates more noise.
Posts written quickly because a calendar says something important is happening. Messages that feel well-intentioned but slightly detached. Content that appears for a day and then quietly disappears from the feed again.
None of this is malicious. It’s usually the result of people trying to do the right thing, while also operating inside a system that rewards constant visibility.
But it does raise an interesting question.
Does everything require a response?
Living inside the global feed
The internet has done something remarkable: it’s collapsed the distance between events happening anywhere in the world.
A story unfolding thousands of miles away can appear on your phone within minutes, alongside posts from people you know, brands you follow, and the occasional cat video that the algorithm has decided you need.
For people working in communications, that creates a strange kind of proximity to everything.
You’re expected to be aware of it all. To understand the context. To decide whether it’s something your organisation should acknowledge publicly.
And sometimes that responsibility sits slightly uncomfortably next to the reality that most of us are just…people trying to make sense of things ourselves.
Which is where content fatigue starts to creep in.
Not just for audiences, but for the people creating the content too.
Maybe the internet doesn’t need another opinion from us today
So recently we’ve been asking ourselves a slightly different question.
Instead of asking what should we say about this, we’ve been wondering whether sometimes the more useful thing is to step back from commentary altogether.
While the internet can make the world feel enormous and overwhelming, the places we actually live in are much smaller.
We, CoLab Marketers Founders, are based in Hove and South West London.
Both places are full of organisations doing the kind of work that rarely trends online but quietly makes a huge difference to the people around them.
Food banks. Community groups. Local charities supporting people who need practical help.
The kind of work where support doesn’t come in the form of a post or a statement, it comes in the form of time, money, donations, or simply showing up.
A few organisations close to home
So instead of adding another voice to the internet this week, we thought we’d share a few organisations close to where we live that are doing genuinely important work.
If you’re nearby, they might be worth knowing about.
If you’re somewhere else, maybe it’s a reminder to look for similar organisations in your own community.
Sometimes the most meaningful response to a complicated world isn’t a perfectly worded post.
Sometimes it’s just finding somewhere local where you can help.
Hove / Brighton
Off The Fence is a Brighton & Hove charity supporting people experiencing homelessness, poverty and social exclusion.
Through programmes like Antifreeze (for people sleeping rough) and the Gateway Women’s Centre, they provide practical support, community and pathways back into stability.
Brighton & Hove Food Partnership
Brighton & Hove Food Partnership works across the city to make sure everyone has access to healthy, sustainable food.
Their projects range from community cooking and food education to supporting food banks, community gardens and affordable food initiatives.
Together Co is a Brighton & Hove charity tackling loneliness and social isolation through befriending, volunteering and community connections.
Their programmes match volunteers with people who would benefit from regular conversation, support and social contact.
South West London
The Lunch Club is a local charity providing freshly cooked hot meals to people in need across Streatham and the surrounding area.
Alongside tackling food poverty, it also creates a welcoming space where people can connect and avoid social isolation.
Glass Door supports people experiencing homelessness across London through emergency winter shelters, advice services and long-term support.
Their work focuses on practical help, from shelter and meals to employment support and housing advice.
South London Refugee Association
South London Refugee Association supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants navigating the UK asylum system and rebuilding their lives.
Based in South London, they provide practical support, advocacy and advice to help people access services, housing and opportunities for a more stable future.
Ways to support
If one of these organisations resonates with you, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Even small contributions can make a meaningful difference. You might consider:
- Donating financially to support their ongoing work
- Volunteering your time or skills
- Donating essential goods or supplies
- Fundraising within your workplace or community
- Simply sharing their work so more people know they exist
Sometimes the most useful thing we can do isn’t add another opinion online, it’s helping the people already doing important work on the ground!