The "content glut" (over 1,000 scripted TV series in 2022, up from 200 in 2010) leads to decision paralysis and anxiety. The endless scroll is designed to be unsatisfying, keeping you searching rather than satisfied.
Mid-budget dramas (think The Firm or Jerry Maguire) have vanished. The market is bifurcated: Blockbusters ($200M VFX spectacles) and Indies ($5M horror or A24 art films). The $40M romantic comedy or political thriller is dead, pushed to streaming where it is algorithmically buried.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend tested the waters. Future popular media will be a game-show hybrid, where the audience’s choices determine the plot. This turns passive viewing into active participation. Freeze.24.05.03.Lia.Lin.When.Shaman.Calls.XXX.1...
To treat this phrase as subject matter, we can approach it via several overlapping lenses.
One of the most profound shifts in entertainment content is the loss of human curation. Gone are the days of the powerful radio DJ or the influential newspaper critic. In their place sits the algorithm. The "content glut" (over 1,000 scripted TV series
Platforms like TikTok and YouTube have perfected the "For You" page, a bottomless well of content tailored to your exact neurological triggers. This has democratized popular media in one sense—a teenager in rural Ohio now has the same distribution power as a Hollywood studio. However, it has also created feedback loops.
Algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, not enlightenment. Consequently, we see the rise of "rage-bait" and hyper-specific niches (from ASMR to "speedrunning" old video games). The algorithm ensures that entertainment content is never boring, but it often rewards the outrageous over the nuanced. The result is a popular culture that moves at a breakneck pace, where a meme can be born, go viral, become obsolete, and ironically revived in the span of 72 hours. Mid-budget dramas (think The Firm or Jerry Maguire
Expect even more specialization. While Disney+ and Netflix fight for mainstream hits, niche subscription services for everything from K-Dramas (KOCOWA) to classic horror (Shudder) will thrive. Entertainment content will be bundled and unbundled repeatedly.
Popular media has become a social currency. To avoid "spoilers," viewers must watch The White Lotus on Sunday night so they can participate in the Monday morning water-cooler (now Twitter) conversation. This pressure creates appointment viewing even in the on-demand era.