Message from the editors04.10.2018

We're Papaya.Rocks

 

We don’t pay enough attention to the content reaching us everyday. Rather than focus on key arguments brought up mid-interview, we fill our heads with clickbait. Instead of meaningful dialogue and interactions that build narrative and emotional tension, we cram our heads with mind-numbing trailers. As the flow of information accelerates, we’re getting increasingly left behind. Ultimately, we have to reconcile ourselves to the fact that more and more subjects worth our attention will elude us as it’s simply impossible to commit enough time to everything that comes across our phones and computers. Awash in content vying for our attention, we’re forced into a ceaseless process of elimination—choosing only what we consider worthy of attention and discarding the rest.

As we set out to create Papaya.Rocks, we were fully aware that the struggle for reader attention would be a difficult one. We thought long and hard about what we could offer to readers that keep coming back for content they considered fresh and inspiring.

One thing we were certain of, however, is that we didn’t want to achieve that by resorting to controversy, clickbait or mindless sensationalism that serves no actual purpose. We bet on transparency and content that paint a more multidimensional portrait of reality. We knew we could attract readers by giving them what they couldn’t get elsewhere: quality, openness, and a more approachable form. We drew on our experience in storytelling with film and enriched our message by introducing additional perspectives. We believe that every story has a protagonist, that’s why Papaya.Rocks is based on the gentle art of conversation. We want to write about inspiring people, projects, and places; those you may already be familiar with as well as those that are on the verge of making it big—because we like what they’re doing.

Some stories cannot be told within a single tweet or a brief news story, that’s why we wanted to make ample room for longform content. For a broader perspective, one augmented with film, text or photographs. We want to inform, inspire, and encourage action. We want to be timeless, while simultaneously looking to the future to what tomorrow will bring. We take a closer look at culture, technology, design, and trends. We believe that the events we’re writing about define the very essence of our reality.

Growing distrust of the media is one particularly significant problem that all outlets, not only those working in the political realm, have to contend with. We decided that the only way for us to establish trust between us and the readers and viewers is to draw up a clear distinction between editorial and advertising content. All promotional material published on Papaya.Rocks will be marked as such. We have no place here for banners and pop-ups. At the same time, we fully believe that it is possible to craft advertising content capable of bringing value to those consuming it.

We present you with a portal that we’d gladly visit ourselves. And we encourage you to contribute—set up accounts, create your own playlists, follow other users, comment freely on what we’re doing. We want Papaya.Rocks to remain open to all opinions and all points of view.