Because while the technology changes—from cave paintings to VR headsets—the human need for story remains the same. We seek to be moved, to be thrilled, to be understood. The platforms and algorithms are just the delivery system. The magic is, and always will be, in the itself.
Popular media is the primary vector for information—and misinformation. AI-generated video (deep fakes) is now so convincing that it is becoming impossible to distinguish real news from synthetic entertainment content . This poses an existential threat to factual reality. MetArtX.21.05.27.Oceane.Learning.Yourself.2.XXX...
This was the age of scarcity. Three major television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) and a handful of radio stations controlled what the public watched and when they watched it. Popular media was a one-way street. Content was curated by gatekeepers (studio executives, editors, record labels). Audiences were passive consumers. If you missed The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, you simply missed it. The magic is, and always will be, in the itself
In a fragmented world, "franchise" is king. It is no longer enough to make a good movie. The movie must sell toys, lunchboxes, theme park tickets, video game skins, and soundtracks. Disney, Warner Bros., and Sony are no longer studios; they are intellectual property (IP) factories . This poses an existential threat to factual reality