Let’s say you’re a young writer/journalist/content creator type. You know, like on Girls. You haven’t found a steady job, because companies are less and less likely to hire full-time employees anymore. So, you freelance, writing for a bunch of different publications and trying to cobble together a living. But it’s pretty difficult to do that by freelancing, especially when you have to spend half your time finding outlets that have gigs available.

That's where Contently comes in. It's founder, Shane Snow, is a past and current freelance writer, and he came up with a site designed to match freelancers to companies, organizations, and brands that want content producers. It sounds simple, and for the most part, it is. But the rise of Contently actually reveals some surprising things aboutour gig-economy, and the future of online content.

For freelancers, it’s the best of times AND the worst of times.

It’s the best of times because more and more media outlets and brands are looking for people to write cool content that might go viral. Snow says that, if you can make it work, you can make more as a freelancer than you could make in-house. (Like Dickens, freelancers are paid by the word.) But it’s the worst of times because a huge number of writers are competing for jobs, and it’s tough to stand out.

Pepsi and GM are the types of companies looking for content.

The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York Magazine - even media companies without New York in their name - are all looking for good, interesting stories. But the real growth is in branded content. Stories that are half-ad, half-actual story. Which doesn’t necessarily mean a piece about how the oil spill in the Gulf wasn’t that bad, sponsored by BP. Instead, this new breed of stories would take their cue from magazines like Details and Cosmo, whose writing is already focused on brands and consumerism; branded content would just cut out the middleman. According to Snow, "there’s no reason that Armani or some fashion brand couldn’t do just as interesting editorial work that’s in the fashion and entertainment space.”

There are ethical concerns to this new media ecosystem

“I don’t want Chevron bringing me my news on the war in Afghanistan, or the future of oil and gas,” admits Snow. He's more OK with having lighter, entertaining content sponsored by brands, as long it's clearly pointed out that the story is sponsored by a company. However, this doesn’t always happen, and as branded content becomes more and more a part of the media we consume, it's something we might all want to worry about.