Comment by shannifin
2 years ago
In his article [1] he mentions the Internet as part of a possible explanation in terms of it being easier for amateurs to create and distribute material.
But I think the Internet also plays a huge part in the consolidation of fandom. Before the internet, the majority of us could really only share our opinions with those physically nearby, so there were less connections per each node. Enter the internet, now each node has 1000000x more connections, naturally pooling together the ranges of an opinion's influence. The spheres of influence expand while the overall number of spheres shrinks. Just a thought, anyway.
[1] https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/pop-culture-has-b...
It's easier to distribute material. But it is not - at all - easier to market and promote material. Especially not in a persistent and effective way.
That's the real difference now. People can make near-professional movies on iPhones, musicians can make professional-quality music at home, but no amateur has access to the huge industrial PR, social, and trad ad networks that the major labels/studios can roll out to promote their projects.