Cultural trends

Tribes are the future of fandom (and that may or may not be a good thing)

Cover image for Tribes are the future of fandom (and that may or may not be a good thing)
Mark Mulligan
At MIDiA, we spend a lot of time exploring the fan economy and how new forms of fandom are redefining media businesses. The most significant underlying dynamic is the fragmentation of fandom: the dynamic whereby we move ever further from mass-reach media, where everyone is exposed to the same content, to a world where entertainment exists in a complex mesh of filter bubbles.
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Facebook is about to disrupt itself out of existence…again

Cover image for Facebook is about to disrupt itself out of existence…again
Mark Mulligan
Facebook’s rebranding to Meta can be interpreted in many ways. It can be seen as: following Google / Alphabet’s lead in communicating a new chapter in its business; putting distance between the company and its most well-known app, ahead of it beginning to decline; shifting the story away from whistleblower and ethics narratives; signalling a major strategic reboot.
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Lean-in is the future because it is the past

Cover image for Lean-in is the future because it is the past
Hanna Kahlert
The modern mantra of “kids these days” might (in the industry) typically finish with something like “ are killing good music ” or “are on TikTok too much”. The strategists developing the future of propositions look at the ‘silver streamers’ (aged 55+), who over-index for home speakers, pay-TV viewing (now binge-viewing), and slow adoption, and see a continuation of the passive consumption model of entertainment with a digital twist.
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Adele’s success will be best measured in cultural impact – not sales

Cover image for Adele’s success will be best measured in cultural impact – not sales
Mark Mulligan
Adele is something of an anomaly in the modern music business, a throwback to how things used to be. These days even the biggest artists struggle to get mainstream attention for their new releases in a flooded market that is defined by more releases than ever before, and the ‘always on’ artist who is continually releasing new music and talking to their audience.
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The social reckoning is nigh: The Haugen testimony and Facebook blackout hint at imminent regulatory changes

Cover image for The social reckoning is nigh: The Haugen testimony and Facebook blackout hint at imminent regulatory changes
Hanna Kahlert
The race between social media (and broader tech) innovation and governmental regulation has been a bit of a hare and the tortoise situation for the past decade-plus. However, the digital-first transition as a result of; COVID-19 lockdowns; several election and voting processes being impacted by social media misinformation; and viral vaccine scepticism currently threatening our return to ‘ normal ’ is finally pushing regulation to catch-up.
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The four key cultural trends transforming digital entertainment in 2021 and beyond

Cover image for The four key cultural trends transforming digital entertainment in 2021 and beyond
Hanna Kahlert
The effect of streaming on entertainment is not new, but as we move into the era of mainstream vaccinations, the shifts in streaming-driven consumer behaviour over the last year and a half will drive fundamental changes. From the rise of virtual events to the fall of the box office opening weekend, underpinned by the swift commodification of content pushing consumers towards lean-in behaviours, this is the post-pandemic new normal.
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