The Future of Entertainment

Social media is clearly no longer “social.” It’s just media.

Facebook reneged on its promise to connect us with our friends, and now people have stopped casually posting. (I think it’s part of a larger trend of exhaustion with much larger implications, but let’s focus on entertainment for now).

I used to be addicted to podcasts. I couldn’t go to bed without them, walk my dog, clean my house. If I’m being honest - it felt like having friends with me. But something happened after I took a break. After several weeks I re-installed the app and started listening. That’s when it hit me:

I know, it sounds dramatic, but it’s all their agendas! I have no idea where they’re going, and so they fill up my head with all kinds of thoughts I just don’t need. I feel liberated from devoting my brain space to whatever it is they want to talk about.

This is its own form of entertainment as YouTubers like Podcast Cringe document what they call the downfall of comedy podcasts. I think they’ll go the way of late night TV.

The waves of nostalgia are not inexhaustible. There is only so much content they can pull from to do remakes. There will be occasional breakthrough hits, like the K-Pop Demon Hunters, or the movie versions of Romantic Fantasy Fiction, but most of it will just feel… meh.

Speaking of the exhaustion trend, everyone is tired of endlessly browsing through options. In a world where it’s always NOW, 30 minutes feels like a big investment.

Yes, it’s definitely a form of entertainment. It has to be. Otherwise why would we…. Oh. Yeah. It’s not. The amount of effort that goes into swiping, matching, connecting, scheduling, prepping, meeting - on top of all the energy of being charming and graceful while somehow still being authentic? All of this with an 80% chance of sucking.

Nope. It’s out.

The comedy / podcast bubbles come to an end as they implode over political differences and audience exhaustion. YouTube takes off even further as people want to feel the intimacy of a podcast but with the focus of a good rabbit hole they’re into.

The younger generation will finally get fed up with technology itself. They’ll want the physical, the sensual, thirsty for anything real. Staying off your phone becomes the status symbol. Time get filled up with, well, everything that’s not digital - Board games, dinner parties, road trips, drugs, concerts, challenges, hikes, walks.

That is, for those who achieve escape velocity. For everyone else, the future may look like Wall-E…

Musicals come back at a local level with the help of Ai-assisted song-writing and background imagery. Burnt out B-list actors and musicians realize they’re not going anywhere, so might as well try to have fun. They do it, celebrities eventually see the fun and get involved, crossing over with the cosplay / Comic-con scene. Everyone feels like they’re back in band camp, and the best musicals are picked up to become the new K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Fan Fiction goes from novels to full videos, shows and movies as people figure out ways to break through copyright entanglements. Some brands learn to take advantage of the situation by providing the tools for their fans to do so.

You won’t know about them, by definition. But they’re happening. Not the vanity of a skull and bones, nor the control of Scientology. Just small but expanding secret clubs, men’s groups, group texts turned real.

Those are mine. What do you think? What are yours?