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The Decline Of Monoculture In America
Now playing // Image by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
For much of the last century, pop culture didn’t just entertain Americans — it helped keep us in sync.
A New Era: Movies, TV, and music once acted as cultural glue in a country defined by difference. With limited distribution, Americans consumed the same stories at the same time — shared reference points that cut across geography, class, and politics. Now, per The WSJ, that monoculture has splintered, replaced by personalized feeds, endless choice, and algorithms built for individuals — not crowds.
Behind The Split: The monoculture didn’t collapse overnight… technology just slowly pulled it apart.
Scarcity shaped culture. A small number of networks, studios, and record labels controlled what reached the public, forcing entertainment to appeal broadly or fail.
The internet removed gatekeepers. Streaming, social platforms, and creator tools made it possible to reach niche audiences directly, without mass appeal.
Algorithms replaced consensus. Instead of everyone watching the same thing, content is now optimized for personal taste, meaning what feels unavoidable to one person may be invisible to another.
The Upside: Creators no longer need permission to find an audience, and niche communities can finally rally around content made just for them. Entire industries now thrive on passionate fandoms that would’ve been economically impossible under the old model.
But something quieter faded in the process. Pop culture used to be an easy entry point for connection — a shared shorthand at work, at home, or with strangers. Now, even the biggest hits are splintered across platforms and timelines. Conversations that once started with reactions now stall at recommendations. We’re all watching something… just rarely together.
What’s Next: The American monoculture probably isn’t coming back, but the vacuum it leaves could get interesting. A new wave of formats, events, and platforms may emerge, accidentally pulling millions into the same collective feed at the same time — across the internet, TV, and movie theaters — even if they arrive for completely different reasons.
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Today’s email was written by Nick Comney and Kait Cunniff.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.