90% of Everything is Crap

And it’s not just my opinion.
Have you ever come across a piece of content that made you question its existence? Maybe it was a poorly written blog post, a boring movie, or a pointless social media post. We’ve all been there. The truth is, 90% of everything is crap. Yes, you read that right — 90%. This isn’t just my opinion, it’s a statistical observation that has been observed in various fields. For example, the Pareto principle in the scientific community states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes, while Sturgeon’s Law in the art world states that 90% of everything is crud.
A few years ago, I watched a movie that was a bestseller everyone was raving about. I won’t reveal its name but I eagerly dived into it, excited to see what all the fuss was about. However, as I continued watching, I found myself bored and uninterested. The characters were flat, the plot was predictable, and the writing was mediocre at best. It was a decent way to spend time, but it wasn’t anything special.
I was shocked that so many people were singing its praises. Was I missing something? Did I just not “get it”? But as I discussed the movie with a friend, I realized I wasn’t alone. She felt the same way but kept quiet about it because of the movie’s popularity.
That’s when it really hit me: just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s good. In fact, more often than not, the opposite is true.
I know what you’re going to say:
“Quality is subjective. What one person considers crap, another might find valuable.”
Though quality is subjective, there are certain objective standards that can be applied to various fields. For instance, a well-written article will be more informative and engaging than a poorly written one, regardless of personal taste. Similarly, a well-made product that fulfills its intended purpose is objectively better than a poorly made product that fails to do so. Nevertheless, the majority of what we encounter falls short of basic standards of quality.
“90% seems like an exaggeration. Surely, there are more good things out there than that.”
That’s true, but it’s equally important to recognize that the vast majority of what we encounter is of low quality. By acknowledging this fact, we can become more discerning consumers of content and focus our attention on things that truly matter.
“What about the value of low-quality content as entertainment or escapism?”
Though some “bad” content can still be entertaining or have some value, it’s still of low quality and lacks value in many respects. Additionally, by focusing on low-quality content, we risk missing out on the truly great content that’s out there.
This doesn’t leave room for experimentation and the value of learning from failures.
The 90% rule is not meant to discourage experimentation or risk-taking, but rather to highlight the need for higher standards of quality in our daily lives.
Additionally, considering the sheer volume of content that is produced on a daily basis, from social media posts to movies to books, it’s simply not possible for all to be of high quality. But we can do better.
So don’t despair! Instead, let’s use this knowledge as a call to action.
I’m of the opinion that if we give people the freedom to experiment, take risks, and think outside the box, set high standards, emphasize quality over quantity, foster a culture of feedback and not herd mentality, and we invest in education and training, there would be considerably better content out there.
So the next time you’re scrolling through your social media feed, watching a movie, or reading an article, ask yourself: is this really worth my time? Is this something that I will remember or learn from? And if the answer is no, don’t be afraid to say “no thanks” and move on to something that is truly valuable.
By so doing, we can help raise the bar for what is considered “good” content and inspire more creativity, innovation, and excellence.
And remember, if all else fails, there’s always cat videos.