was curated by a handful of gatekeepers: major studio executives, network television anchors, and record label A&R reps. They decided what was "popular."
This is a golden age of abundance. Never in human history has so much entertainment content been so accessible to so many. However, it is also an age of fragmentation and attention warfare. X-Angels.13.11.28.Dila.XXX.1080p.WMV-iaK
The shared cultural reference point is dying. Super Bowl commercials and the Oscars remain rare exceptions, but for the most part, popular media has become a billion tiny islands. To be "popular" now means winning a specific niche, not the whole world. Part II: The Algorithm Is the New A&R How do we discover content now? We don't. It discovers us. was curated by a handful of gatekeepers: major
Today, there is no "water cooler." There are millions of micro-coolers, each curated by an algorithm. One household might be obsessed with a niche Korean dating show, another with a 10-hour retrospective on a defunct PlayStation 2 game, and another with ASMR baking tutorials. All of it qualifies as entertainment content. However, it is also an age of fragmentation
Because in the end, the best entertainment content doesn't just distract you. It changes you. And no matter how fast the algorithm evolves, that human desire remains the most valuable IP of all.