As we look toward the horizon, three major trends will define the next decade of popular media.
Ironically, as production value for movies and TV shows has skyrocketed, attention spans have plummeted. Data shows that 87% of viewers use a second device (a phone or tablet) while watching primary entertainment content. This has forced writers and directors to change their craft. Dialogue must be expository and loud; visual cues must be exaggerated; plot twists must be frequent. Media is no longer something you watch; it is something you monitor while doing something else.
To understand where we are, we must look at where we began. For most of the 20th century, entertainment content and popular media operated under a "gatekeeper" model. Major studios, record labels, and broadcasting networks (the "Big Three" in the US: ABC, CBS, NBC) decided what the public would see, hear, and discuss. hegreart140816marcelinafirstsessionxxx hot top
Key characteristics of this era:
This era produced monolithic cultural moments: the final episode of MASH*, the "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger on Dallas, and the global phenomenon of Thriller by Michael Jackson. Popular media was a unifying force—a collective vocabulary spoken by almost everyone. As we look toward the horizon, three major
Today, a 19-year-old in their bedroom with a ring light and a smartphone can generate more daily engagement than a cable news network. These creators (a term that didn’t exist in popular media lexicon ten years ago) have blurred the lines between entertainment, advertising, and social connection.
The most powerful force in popular media today is not a studio executive but the TikTok "For You" page algorithm. It decides what trends, what dies, and what becomes a global meme. This has accelerated the pace of culture to breakneck speed. A song can go from obscurity to number one (see: Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road) purely based on user-generated dance challenges. This era produced monolithic cultural moments: the final
Why does this matter? Because entertainment content is rewiring our brains.
As entertainment content becomes more immersive and accessible, researchers are studying its effects on the human brain and society.