The Long Tail Summary

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The greatest implications of this trend within the industry could be summarized in two areas: new content, and useful data. In a 2004 article for WIRED magazine, editor-in-chief Chris Anderson first expressed the idea of “The Long Tail,”6 a principle which suggests that there is a profitable market for content that isn’t ‘mainstream’ if the content can be connected with the right audience. “For too long we’ve been suffering the tyranny of lowest-common denominator fare,” he suggested. “Hit-driven economics is a creation of an age without enough to room to carry everything for everybody… now, with online distribution and retail, we are entering a world of abundance.” What Anderson aimed to point out was that given the advances in distribution …show more content…

TV is no longer a mass medium. But what does that mean? Let’s start with the good: TV programming is no longer created solely based on a broken expectation of the desires of the ‘majority.’ While there is still a long way to go in terms of inclusion, it’s clear to see that targeted programming allows for more voices to be heard than what was available in previous eras as networks sought to create majority-oriented and largely inoffensive content. In writing for “The Conversation,” Amanda Lotz notes that “audience fragmentation encourages television networks to target more particularly defined audiences, either by demographics or attitudes. Ultimately, it allows for more diverse programming that would have been rare—or altogether absent—when television was a mass medium.”11 She writes this after acknowledging the milestone of ABC bringing an Asian-American family to the forefront in their comedy Fresh Off The Boat. This idea rings true even for some of the more critically acclaimed yet lesser viewed shows (Girls comes to mind), and this still entirely neglects the swaths of online-only-cult-following content hidden in the depths of Hulu, Amazon, and …show more content…

While HBO refuses to make creative decisions using data, data on our own preferences has already influenced Netflix’s acquisitions and original productions. We have to imagine this trend will continue. It used to be that what was on broadcast television had the power to affect the way that we think. But in a “post-network” era of audience, programming, and cultural fragmentation, it’s worth considering whether or not these trends will cause us not to think differently, but instead to seek out the media that best fits our personal niches and beliefs. The effects of this could be devastating. Ultimately, the cultural implications of niche programming are widespread and with a nature of duality; more diverse programming is a big win, but if the big win is complemented with increased polarization, what really have we gained? Of course, that’s outlook could be considered bleak. It’s equally plausible to believe that the diversity of niche programming will facilitate new, smaller communities that have the opportunity to share and create perspectives. But with either way of thinking, it’s tough to argue that the changes in the landscape of television programming have profoundly impacted and morphed with our current

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