The Content Treadmill is a concept coined in Against Posts, which refers to the constant need to feed the content machine lest your social presence is forgotten online.

This is in contrast to the true spirit of writing, where words are eternal, if they're good enough to be referenced by others in the future.

Content online is ephemeral, and even if something has the ability to have permanence (for example, if it's a work of artistic beauty) is is likely to be lost in the sea of content noise. 

The content treadmill can sometimes reward the production of infinite garbage, versus the production of less but better. I contend that the content treadmill is pornographic, forcing users to disclose far more than what they wish to as a dignified human whose "secrets" are progressively disclosed to those who are closest to them.

Perhaps this actually wasn't originally coined in Against Posts, it looks like others have written about this too.[1]

References

↑ Busy Creators: Here’s Why You Can’t Escape the Content Creation Treadmill