Steve Jobs once famously pitched a device that could hold “1,000 songs in your pocket.”
And in 2001, that product (the iPod) and its marketing angle were revolutionary.
But today, we all carry full-blown video production studios in our pockets.
So anyone can record 4K footage and use AI editing tools - or extremely precise fingerwork - to produce videos that would’ve been much more challenging just a few years ago.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that today’s content supply is now at an all-time high.
Which has led to growing pains for a lot of creators, including:
Slower list growth
Lower view counts
Declining organic traffic
Increased ad costs
And the feeling that it takes more effort to get our previous results
This issue of Solo Signals examines that shift and what it means for online business owners.
⚡️ Signal #1: The rate of content creation has accelerated.
YouTube launched ~21 years ago, in April 2005. And by March 2006, they were averaging 20,000 video uploads per day (Wikipedia).
But if you fast forward to today - March 2026 - they now average 20 million video uploads per day (YouTube Official Blog). 🤯
My brain can’t even wrap itself around that number, which in part has skyrocketed thanks to new formats (like shorts), which can more easily be produced in larger quantities.
Similarly, TikTok reports 23 million daily uploads in 2025 (Buffer) compared to ~4-5 million daily uploads in 2023 (Fast Company).
(I couldn’t find reliable data for Instagram or LinkedIn. If you have anything, please send it my way.)
⚡️ Signal #2: Consumers have a fixed attention budget.
While content output has increased, the average person’s social media usage has stayed surprisingly steady over the last 6 years, at just under 2.5 hours per day. (Datareportal)
Here are the approximate global averages reported their Global Overview Reports:
2020: ~2 hours 24 minutes per day
2021: ~2 hours 27 minutes
2022: ~2 hours 29 minutes
2023: ~2 hours 24 minutes
2024: ~2 hours 23 minutes
2025: ~2 hours 24 minutes
This shows that our audiences have fixed attention budgets, yet they’re spread thinner across more content options today than they were even a couple of years ago.
⚡️ Signal #3: Discovery is no longer neutral.
In perhaps the most disruptive shift, we’re no longer just competing against other people.
We’re also competing against the distribution platforms themselves.
The strongest example is Google, which introduced AI Overviews in May 2024 as a way to curate links and summarize key answers and bullet points at the top of their search results:
Source: Google via Solo Signals
This new feature serves Google’s mission to help searchers get answers, arguably faster than ever.
But it’s been at the detriment of creators, who a) didn’t consent to having their information summarized, and b) are losing site views by as much as 15-64%. (Forbes)
Furthermore, roughly 60% of all searches are now “zero click,” which means the searcher gets everything they need without clicking on a single result.
And that affects both sponsored and organic results.
We also can’t ignore other signals, like YouTube’s shift toward prioritizing Shorts over classic long-form videos.
For example, the YouTube homepage has changed in the last few years to favor shorts and ads (Web Design Museum), and many creators - myself included - have seen views decline for both older and newer long-form videos.
There’s also the obvious growing shift from Googling to ChatGPT-ing, plus the constant talk about algorithm changes.
And all of these signs point toward the same bottom line:
In many ways, the platforms are more in control of our audience’s attention than ever.
These signals help explain why competition for attention has intensified.
But in an increasingly crowded market, most of us can’t compete on volume.
In fact, I think generic content that can be easily answered by Google’s AI Overviews will likely continue to trend downward.
Fortunately, solo business owners still have a distinct advantage:
We are real people with lived experiences and nuanced points of view.
That’s how we can create content and offers that feel fresh, thought-provoking, and human.
And in a world where surface-level knowledge is ChatGPT-able, your perspective is not.
It’s your background, your sharp takes, and your presentation style that make you memorable and trusted.
So ask yourself:
What sets your content apart?
What about your approach is singular, done in a way only you could do it?
Is your point of view clear enough that a follower could confidently recommend you to a friend or peer?
If you sharpen your perspective, you’ll cut through the noise.
You’ll shift from sharing information to interpretation.
And interpretation is ultimately what people pay for.
Thanks for reading the first issue of Solo Signals. I’d love to hear what you think! Feel to reply or leave me a comment. I welcome any feedback or ideas for future issues.
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The more experiences I can draw from, the stronger each monthly brief will be.
So here’s the first poll I’m sending out for an upcoming issue about webinar effectiveness:
Or please do hit reply if you have a suggested topic or insight for an upcoming issue. I would love to hear!