Generative AI (Sora, Midjourney, ChatGPT) will soon produce full-length movies, personalized soap operas, and infinite video games. Soon, you may ask your TV: "Generate a rom-com set in ancient Rome starring a cat as the lead." The bottleneck will shift from creation to curation.
What comes next? The next frontier for entertainment content is generative AI and spatial computing. delphinefilms230309laurenphillipsxxx1080
To understand the present, we must look to the past. For most of the 20th century, popular media was a one-to-many broadcast model. Three major television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) and a handful of movie studios dictated what America watched. Radio played the same top 40 hits on repeat. This "gatekeeper era" meant that entertainment content was homogenized; everyone watched the MASH* finale or listened to Michael Jackson’s Thriller because there were no other options. Generative AI (Sora, Midjourney, ChatGPT) will soon produce
The first seismic shift occurred with cable television in the 1980s and 90s. MTV, ESPN, and HBO introduced the concept of narrowcasting—targeting specific demographics. Suddenly, entertainment content fragmented into genres: 24-hour news, reality TV, and prestige dramas. However, the true revolution began with the proliferation of broadband internet and the launch of YouTube (2005), streaming services (Netflix’s pivot in 2007), and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and later TikTok). The next frontier for entertainment content is generative
Today, popular media is defined by decentralization. Anyone with a smartphone is a studio. The line between "producer" and "consumer" has blurred into a new entity: the prosumer.
Passive viewing is fading. Video games (Fortnite, Roblox, Genshin Impact) have become the highest-grossing sector of entertainment content. Furthermore, interactive films (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) and live-streaming (Twitch, Kick) allow audiences to influence the narrative in real time. Augmented Reality (AR) filters and Virtual Reality (VR) concerts are bridging the gap between digital and physical reality.
While visual media dominates, audio has staged a comeback. Podcasts offer deep-dive, long-form popular media that counterbalances the brevity of TikTok. From true crime (Serial) to celebrity interviews (Call Her Daddy), audio content creates an intimate parasocial bond that video often cannot replicate.