How Do We Choose What to Teach?

Creating educational content, especially in the fast-paced world of social media, requires careful thought. When it comes to teaching techniques for solving problems, what drives a content creator’s choice? How do they decide what technique or tool to focus on? In an age where trends can dictate choices, are we really helping learners understand the best way to solve problems, or are we merely chasing popularity?

Imagine this: there are two ways to solve a problem. One method involves creative thinking—a simple, outside-the-box approach that can be explained in a matter of seconds. The other is a more complex, trendy approach using popular tools like Power Query, dynamic arrays, LAMBDA functions, or Excel Tables. So, if you’re a content creator on YouTube or another social media platform, which approach do you choose?

On one hand, the creative-thinking approach is concise and might fit neatly into a short video, a quick, insightful solution. However, it doesn’t contain the buzzwords or “trending” topics that attract clicks and engagement. Without Power Query or dynamic arrays in the headline, it may struggle to capture the interest of viewers who are accustomed to seeing these terms as marks of advanced content. In contrast, a 5-10 minute video featuring trending tools in the title has a much higher chance of getting views, likes, and subscribers—essential metrics in the social media space.

This need to follow trends creates a bias toward showing techniques that are often more complex than necessary. Instead of simple solutions, viewers are shown the “high-currency” methods that may be unnecessarily convoluted or even inappropriate for the task. The result? Audiences may be misled into believing that complex techniques are always better, even when simpler solutions exist.

This trend impacts training courses, too. A solution that works well in a limited, controlled environment may not scale, but because it’s flashy or aligned with trending topics, it’s often promoted without consideration of whether it’s truly effective on a larger scale.

For content creators, the choice is often between clarity and clicks. But for learners and professionals who want to build a deeper understanding, this choice can create a divide between popularity and practicality.

This is a podcast by Hiran de Silva. Narrated by Charlie.