Although “monoculture,” entertainment consumed by a broad, shared audience, is disappearing “rapidly” as algorithms increasingly feed people different content, this summer suggested otherwise, according to The Wall Street Journal.
People still seem to crave the shared experience of watching, celebrating and talking about the same thing at the same time, whether it is the World Cup, The Odyssey, Spider Man or Taylor Swift’s wedding.
“It really does feel like, for most of this summer, we’re all having the same conversation, in a way that I really don’t think we’ve seen since Covid,” pop culture commentator Hunter Harris said.
The WSJ also notes that this year’s World Cup drew in new fans who previously had little or no interest in football.
There was no guarantee that everyone would want to join the same conversations, and it may have been a coincidence that these events attracted such widespread attention. But once people were reminded how enjoyable it is to experience something together, they seemed to want more of it, The Wall Street Journal writes.
There are still areas where monoculture is struggling. It is unclear whether there was an undisputed “song of the summer,” while no scripted TV series managed to capture everyone’s attention.
Still, this summer suggests that people are looking for shared experiences, despite the broader shift towards more individualised entertainment.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
