Google just announced it’s changing the search and discovery rules—again. Search will now prioritize short-form video, forum chatter, and “user-generated content.” In theory, this is about connecting people to “first-hand experience.” In practice, it’s about giving the illusion of humanity in a system increasingly written by machines.
When Google talks about “behavioral shifts,” what it means is: people no longer trust search results. They’ve learned to look elsewhere for answers that sound like they came from someone real. So instead of fixing the problem—by metaphorically getting rid of the crap—Google is training its algorithm to mimic that same mess.
For those of us who actually write and publish, this changes the field.
- Derivative content just got a second life. The algorithm now values personality over precision. An opinionated Reddit thread or a three-sentence TikTok “review” might outrank a carefully sourced article.
- • Truly original work becomes harder—but more valuable—to find. Because when everything else blends into AI slurry, distinct human writing stands out the way The Talking Heads at CBGB in the mid-70s did from disco on local AM radio.
A few years ago, we were asked to write a piece about the FTC’s proposed ban on all non-compete agreements. We started with the sinking of the Titanic, the congressional hearings into why 187 rich Americans died, subsequent Congressional hearings to ‘fix’ the problem (not enough lifeboats), and the S.S. Eastland disaster in 1915. Then we got to non-competes. It was a warning about overcorrection and unintended consequence. In SEO terms, it made little sense except for the use of SEO-approved terms. In human terms, it fing rocked.
Under these new search rules, a piece like this doesn’t automatically rise to the top. According to ChatGPT, “It’s too long, too layered, too unwilling to announce itself in keywords. But that’s exactly why it matters.” When everyone else is chasing fast takes and short clips, a story that requires attention becomes a different kind of its own kind of signal. It won’t win the algorithm’s first glance—it wins the reader’s second thought. And in a system overrun with noise, that second thought is gold.
Google’s latest shift rewards voices that actually sound human, which is why UGC content works—people who have something to say instead of trying to sound like they know the algorithm. That barely works today and is headed toward extinction in any event. Authenticity and creative signal—that is the buzz line among digital marketers that know what they’re doing. The irony here is that AI noise made real writing more visible again. Made writing great again.
