This era had distinct advantages: quality control and a shared cultural experience. When M A S H* aired its finale, over 100 million people watched the same screen. When Michael Jackson released Thriller , everyone heard it simultaneously. The gatekeepers—studio executives, editors, and producers—acted as filters. They decided what was worthy of the public’s attention.
Tools like Sora (text-to-video) and Suno (text-to-music) mean that a single person can now produce what once required a crew of 100. This is terrifying and exhilarating. www wwwxxx com
However, this model was also exclusionary. If you were a filmmaker in Ohio or a musician in a garage, your chances of breaking through were statistically negligible. You needed a middleman. You needed capital. The barrier to entry was a concrete wall. The arrival of Web 2.0—specifically social media and streaming platforms—demolished that wall. Suddenly, entertainment content and popular media became democratized. YouTube launched in 2005, proving that a teenager in a bedroom could garner more views than a prime-time talk show. Spotify and Netflix shifted the model from ownership to access. "Going viral" replaced "ratings." This era had distinct advantages: quality control and
Similarly, now traffics in hybrid forms. We have video essays that are 4 hours long about a single video game. We have podcasts that function as long-form journalism but are released like episodic television. We have "unscripted" reality shows that are more meticulously produced than traditional sitcoms. This is terrifying and exhilarating
The "infinite scroll" eliminates decision fatigue. You do not choose what to watch; the algorithm chooses for you. This leads to a unique type of media consumption known as "context collapse"—jumping from a war report to a cat video to a political hot take to a recipe in the span of 60 seconds.
Today, we are oversupplied with content but starved for connection. The platforms have mastered the science of the click, but they are still failing at the art of the story. As we move into the age of AI and synthetic media, the most radical act you can perform is to pay attention—deeply, quietly, and intentionally.
This shift fundamentally changed the nature of content. In the old world, content was an event. You waited for Thursday night for your favorite show. In the new world, content is a commodity. It is always there, always rolling, always competing for a fraction of a second of your attention.
