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# New Tools Always Make Bad Work Better Before Great Work
- URL: https://adjacent.media/signals/new-tools-always-make-bad-work-better-before-great-work/
- Published: 2026-07-28T16:11:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-28T16:11:31.000Z
- Description: Seth Godin observes that democratizing technologies create a temporary collapse in quality standards—desktop publishing flooded markets with amateurish layouts, and AI image generators are doing the same now with visual content.
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #signal, theme-culture, media, design, technology disruption

Source: [Seth's Blog](https://seths.blog/2026/07/the-smush/?ref=adjacent.media)

Seth Godin observes that democratizing technologies create a temporary collapse in quality standards—desktop publishing flooded markets with amateurish layouts, and AI image generators are doing the same now with visual content. The mechanism: the floor rises faster than the ceiling, so mediocrity becomes ubiquitous while excellence takes time to establish new benchmarks. The question is whether creators and institutions can maintain taste and standards during this "smush," or whether quantity and accessibility shift what gets valued.