I have been a content creator for Odyssey for a year, and I was hired as the editor-in-chief for the UNCW community seven months ago. In case you are not familiar with our platform, it is one of the fastest growing online and mobile social content platforms among millennials, with more than 30 million unique monthly visitors. Readers are at freedom to discover and share a chorus of millennial voices, amplified organically through people sharing with friends. Our content blooms with every page view.
Writing is my passion, and Odyssey has allowed me to channel that passion every single day, which has been extremely rewarding. I can sing a thousand praises to Odyssey, but others, particularly on Twitter, have a different opinion about Odyssey. I’m writing this piece to set that record straight.
Some think that as Odyssey content creators, we have no good ideas, that all we care about is our sororities, our boyfriends, finding the best Spring Break playlist, and writing endless listicles. In reality, we are freelance writers contributing to a national content platform, writing about what lights our fire. We work to meet deadlines, we edit, we revise, and we communicate, just like any other writer. And get this -- we are actually literate. Bethany Showers, a content creator for UNCW states, “Odyssey online is an important news source, because it has such a wide variety of voices and opinions that are not dominated by biases and political opinions that other new sources might have. With all the research and personal thoughts that go into articles, the experience feels more genuine.”
For a long time, I lost my voice as a writer. I found myself tangled in a war of whether or not I could be both a social worker (my second passion), and writer at the same time. Odyssey helped me realize that I did not have to limit myself just because I was going into another major. We don’t just pull “basic white girl” topics out of thin air. We brainstorm and come up with topics that the world is up in arms about. I constantly have content creators writing about political campaigns, LGBTQI rights, mental health concerns, activism, and more. Whenever a tragedy strikes, such as the Orlando shooting or the death of Christina Grimmie, it only takes a matter of minutes before a content creator texts me asking to write about it and telling me their angle.
Our content creators care about current issues, they are well-informed, and they put a passionate spin on events. Taylor White, a content creator for Odyssey at UNCW adds, “Writing for Odyssey is something that gives me a sense that I have a voice. Being someone from a marginalized group, I sometimes feel like I am screaming into the void and no one is listening, but being able to write really helps me.”
Articles written by Taylor and our network of content creators have resonated deeply the public. Just take a peek at some of the comments on viral articles. Odyssey also breaks the all-female writer stereotype by actively finding talented male writers who are passionate and have unique perspectives and inviting them to join their local Odyssey community.
This platform is not just about writing listicle after listicle -- it’s about giving millennials a voice to speak up and be heard. Odyssey continues to grow as a national media platform, and most people cannot scroll all of the way through their newsfeed without seeing an Odyssey article. Whether or not you like it, Odyssey is here to stay.
And the fact that it has ruffled so many feathers already just means it's working.
