What the Hell Is Metadata?

The internet has been ringing with ‘Metadata’ lately. Ever wondered what it is about? Let’s find out!

If a video was posted without a title or a brief on any medium, would you still have a look at it? Would you be able to decipher what it is about? Absolutely not! The only way you could you figure it out is by investing a few minutes of your time to watch it and learn. But how about a title that depicts what it is about? This is exactly why we need metadata.

What Is Metadata?

Metadata is data about data. Tricky? Let me explain. Metadata summarizes the information of the data produced. When it is created manually, it is more accurate and easy to access. The synopsis you find under every video you stream on OTTs is called metadata. And, it is not just that. Whenever you Google for latest headphones in the market, it is the metadata that redirects to an accurate result. Just how content has become the king, metadata is the queen that a king can’t assess sans her.

With the rise of internet platforms and OTTs, the importance of metadata has simultaneously gone higher. Without metadata, finding something becomes as hard as finding a needle in the haystack. Not only does it make it easier and accurate, but also helps the businesses grow. How?

We’ve always been biting ears about the internet spying on our data. Suspicious much? Yes. Whenever you see an ad about Breaking Bad themed T-shirts on your social media after watching an episode of it must have left with a 'how?', right? This is where metadata comes to play. They show you the most relevant content based on your searches and interest.

Metadata is mostly in use with video platforms like OTTs. They give an accurate title and description to every scene making it possible to find a single scene or episode among a pile of content. How do you think it’s always one tap away?

It also saves a fortune in movie production. The crew shoots thousands of scene and hundreds of takes. How to find any of it once all of them are archived? Well, metadata! It becomes easier when every scene is given a title, the names of the actors in it and whatever the additional data that is required to find it when required.

Even the article you're reading right now is tagged with needed metadata. The last search you made on Google, the last video you streamed and the song you've heard on Spotify are all associated with metadata and are utterly impossible without it. Now tell me, what can we do without metadata?