As it happens by now for certain forms of visual art that are closer to literature than what the current society would let us think, the
contemporary value of writing is subject to a general depreciation. It's not about the mere economical aspect, the discussion of which would cause a sad and indefinitely extended digression, but rather the functions assigned to written text in the context of digital consumption, and the perception of the job in itself. The change in medium is one of the reasons why 30 years ago, claiming to be a journalist had a completely different gravity than any similar claim made today.
One thing is having to cope with a publication's editorial policy in order to create, within those boundaries, an intimate lens through which facts shall be presented. Another thing is letting the audience shape that lens, then having to write according to its sudden and often erratic transformations over time. Consequently, Web writing presents two attributes at first: a reporting one, which is OK as long as it has some vague stylistic flair to it, and one of opinion, mainly sentimental in nature. In both cases, it is rare to find any effort into examining the contents and genuinely understanding their impact and teachings. A content becomes impactful when it creates clamour within its own community, maybe even in outside communities, only to inevitably hand them back to their initial stillness. In the circularity of this process we pinpoint a third attribute of Web writing, instrumental in feeding engagement and all of the mechanisms hinged upon it.
From a writer's point of view, the stressing stimulus caused by this setup can be motivating: if you're able to create constantly, within the deadlines and over or above the required engagement thresholds, you might feel smart and on top of the job.
Nonetheless, it's important to keep this feeling of self-efficacy from creating confusion between expert writing and useful writing: the latter is usually driven by different conditions and aims, a distinction that not every insider seems to acknowledge or take into account.
Useful writing is not just about describing a fact and framing it graciously: it gives context to the fact, ties it to other events and investigates its causes and effect to the best of the writer's abilities. The search for sources, the creation of comparisons through personal experience or studying activity, the achievement of conclusions that actually exceeds the premises by giving them new meanings, all of these methods and objectives stands in open contrast with the digital requirement of immediacy. Instead, their fulfillment requires the author to put himself in a mental state of relaxation, openness and exploration. The intellectual obstacles emerging from such an activity carries much more depth than those posed by the audience's feedback, and a much greater chance to turn into opportunities rather than walls. The impact of useful writing isn't measured by the clamour it generates, but rather the contribute it brings to the interpretation of its subject as a consequence of an authentic thought process.
As much as the economics associated to the Information Age favours certain kinds of writing, it would be wrong to assume that it doesn't bring help and opportunities to those more interested in the other approach. What really makes the difference in the end is the kind of trace one intends to leave through his editorial efforts.